MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Barry University’s baseball team announced the signing of seven recruits for the 2014 season. The group of seven includes six high school players and one junior college transfer, five pitchers, three of whom are left-handers, and a switch-hitting catcher. Four of the prospects come from the state of Florida, and the others travel from Massachusetts, Iowa and Kansas.
Head coach Marc Pavao and pitching coach Alex Gonzalez have put together yet another impressive recruiting class to a roster loaded with young talent.
“As the recruiting coordinator it gives me great pleasure to be able to put together this class of unbelievable student-athletes, everyone of them is expected to contribute right away for the 2014 season,” said Gonzalez.
The seven players joining the program certainly fit the mold of what it is to be a Buccaneer at Barry University.
Travis Hendry
Hendry joins the Buccaneers out of Butler Community College in El Dorado, Kansas where he appeared in ten games for the Grizzlies including nine starts. Hendry finished 2012 with a 3-1 record while striking out 41 batters in 48.1 innings of work and only allowed 16 walks.
This spring he’s projected as the #1 starter for the Grizzlies. Hendry is a left-hander who throws three pitches for strikes with a fast ball that ranges from 84-87 mph and a very good changeup.
Nate Greve
Greve compiled a 7-3 record with a 1.34 ERA this past season and helped the Lions of Lynn-Mar High School (29-12) reach the quarterfinals of the Class 4A state tournament in Iowa.
Greve, a left-hander, struck out 82 batters in 41.2 innings and held opponents to a .176 batting average. He also hit .373 for the Lions, but will be a pitcher in college.
Following the state tournament, Greve pitched in the Triple Crown World Series in Denver, Colo. Playing with the Chitown Cream, Greve tossed five scoreless innings, giving up just two hits, while also going 1-for-3 at the plate, helping his team capture the tournament title.
As a junior, Greve earned Second Team All-Metro, First Team All-Conference and First Team All-District honors. This spring, the southpaw is expected to lead the Lion’s pitching staff.
Jonathan Quintana
Quintana is a utility player as well as a right handed pitcher entering his senior year at Arch-Bishop McCarthy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
As a junior, Quintana helped lead Archbishop McCarthy to the state championship where he went 2-for-3 with a double, three stolen bases and two runs scored in the championship game.
Quintana finished the year with a .324 batting average with 15 RBI, 21 runs scored and led the team in stolen bases.
He is projected to start at third base and will also see some time on the mound for the No. 11 nationally-ranked Mavericks.
Jonathan Hernandez
Hernandez is another left-handed pitcher joining the Buccaneers’ staff in 2013 out of local Pace High School in Opa-Locka, Fla.
In his junior season, Hernandez compiled a 4-0 record in seven starts. The lefthander struck out 39 batters in 30 innings of work and finished with a 2.40 earned run average on the year.
He earned Third Team All-Dade County and is projected to be the ace of the staff for the Spartans.
Elier Rodriguez
Rodriguez is a switch-hitting catcher from LaSalle High School in Miami, Fla. In 44 games as a junior, Rodriguez hit .442 with five doubles, 3 home runs and 22 RBI.
He ranks in the top-ten in seven different categories at LaSalle where he has been a team captain since his sophomore season in 2011. Rodriguez has developed into one of the premiere catchers in all of Dade County, with a pop time of 1.91 to second, which earned him Third Team All-Miami Dade County honors in 2011 and 2012.
Last spring Rodriguez led the Royal Lions in hits, runs, homeruns, batting average, slugging and on-base percentage.
Luis Deville
Deville is another young arm out of Pace High School in Opa-Locka, Fla. that is looking to join the Buccaneers’ staff next fall. The right-hander is slotted to be the closer and a top of the rotation starter for the Spartans this spring.
In 2012, Deville finished the season with a 1.43 earned run average with 16 strikeouts in 14.2 innings of work allowing just three earned runs and capturing two saves as the Spartans’ closer.
Ryan Baldwin
Baldwin comes to Barry from Fairhaven High School in Massachusetts. A left-handed hitting outfielder, Baldwin brings in exceptional athletic ability as he was a standout two-way football player for the Blue Devils this past fall.
After being named South Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Baldwin was a finalist for the 31st Otto Graham Award, a prestigious award given to the best player in southeastern Massachusetts. Following a 0-10 season Baldwin led the resurgence with 117 tackles, 30 for a loss, and helped the Blue Devils to a 7-3 record. A team captain, Baldwin also excels in the classroom with a 3.40 grade point average.
As a sophomore on varsity, Baldwin led his team in several offensive categories including homeruns (5) and RBI (22) while batting .352. Last spring, Baldwin continued to wreck havoc at the plate by leading the Blue Devils in homeruns (4), RBI, triples, walks and runs scored. He finished with a .373 batting average and a .672 slugging percentage.
On the mound, Baldwin figured into eight of his teams ten victories with four wins and four saves while posting a 1.90 earned run average and holding his opponents to a .175 batting average.
Baldwin was named to the South Coast Conference All Star Team as well as the Standard Times News Paper Super team each of the last two seasons.
“We feel very good about this recruiting class. It’s rare that we are able to sign this many talented high school players in the ‘early’ period, said head coach Marc Pavao.
“The added depth to the pitching staff is evident with the talent, balance and versatility these young arms bring with three left-handers (Hendry, Greve, Hernandez) and two right-handeders (Deville, Quintana),” said Gonzalez.
“Offensively both Rodriguez and Baldwin bring power potential and balance from the left side of the plate.”
“We were able to sign the players that we targeted. These are players that we feel will develop under our system. They possess characteristics that we admire. They are hard workers on the field and in the classroom. Also, they are ‘baseball players’ not just great athletes, they understand the game, given that their learning curve is greater.”