Nov. 19, 2003
LAS VEGAS - Six high school players ranked among the top 250 recruits by Perfect Game or Team One and a talented trio of junior college pitchers highlight the Rebel signing class as ten high school and five junior college players signed National Letters of Intent to play at UNLV, head baseball coach Buddy Gouldsmith announced Wednesday.
Nevada natives Brandon Kintzler, a right handed pitcher from Las Vegas, Jeff Jacobsen, a right handed pitcher from Las Vegas, Mike Cruz, an infielder from Reno, Willie Bowman, a third baseman from Carson City, Jake McGee, a left handed pitcher from Sparks, and Bryce Massanari a catcher from Las Vegas, join Eric Brock (RHP/ Laguna Niguel, CA.), Frans Meyer (CF/Syracuse, UT.), Efren Navarro (LHP/Lynwood, CA.), Tyler Beranek (1B/Waukesha, WI.), Chad Boyd (OF/West Hills, CA.), Dylan Gaughen (OF/Simi Valley, CA.), Josh Bradbury (3B/ Newport Beach, CA.), Luke French (LHP-1B/Littleton, CO.), and Daniel Schlereth (LHP-CF/Lonetree, CO.) in the signing class for the 2005 season as UNLV is one of a handful of schools to sign six players in Perfect Game's or Team One's Top 250.
"I am extremely excited about this year's signing class," Gouldsmith said. "Coach Sutter and our entire staff have worked hard to address all of our needs, assembling a class that looks to be outstanding on the field as well as in the classroom. These young men represent a wealth of talent that prepares UNLV to realize baseball success for years to come. I look forward to seeing all of them on campus next fall."
Kintzler, a graduate from Palo Verde high school in 2002, will finish his sophomore year at Dixie State College where he will be a fixture in their starting rotation. Brandon features a power fastball that is regularly clocked in the 90's and a hard slider that will make an immediate impact on the Rebel's pitching staff. The New York Yankees drafted Brandon in the 40th round after his freshman season at Pasadena City College.
Brock hails from Saddleback Community College, where he hopes to better the freshman year he had at Golden West Community College. At Golden West in 2003, Eric went 5-2 with a 3.40 era. Eric was drafted in the 42nd round out of high school by the Houston Astros.
Jacobsen, a 6'7" pitcher who is a Durango High School alumnus, will join the Rebels after completing his sophomore year at CCSN. Last year, Jeff went 4-0 with a 3.93 era and 30 strikeouts in just 36.1 innings pitched. Jeff has been drafted twice already. He was drafted in the 26th round by the Chicago Cubs out of high school and was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 30th round after last season.
Meyer, a right handed hitter, has the speed, power and athleticism to be a mainstay in the Rebel outfield. Following his senior year at Northridge High School, the Texas Rangers drafted Frans in the 34th round. As a freshman at Dixie State College, Frans was 11-14 in stolen bases. Frans is regularly clocked in the 60-yard dash between 6.5 and 6.7.
Cruz rounds out the junior college signees inked by UNLV. He will certainly impact the Rebel infield in 2005 as he can play any of the infield positions. Last year at CCSN, Mike hit .303 with 1 homerun and 19 RBI's. Mike graduated from Reno High School in 2002.
Bowman, the 45th-ranked player on Team One's Top 200 list, signed with the Rebels after a standout junior season at Carson High where he hit .430 with 2 homeruns and 40 RBI's. This past summer, Willie earned the honor of being named the best pure hitter in the Area Code Games by Baseball America. Willie is also listed on the Student Sports.com Top 50 list.
McGee had 4 wins at Edward C. Reed High last year. Team One has him ranked 58th on their list of high school prospects. This 6'3", 185 lb., lefty brings a wealth of talent to the table. His fastball is clocked in the 90's at times and also features a hard breaking overhand curveball.
Beranek is a right-handed power hitter who hails from Waukesha South High School. Tyler is currently ranked 84th on the Team One Top 200 list. He is also ranked 169th on the Perfect Game Top 200 list and is currently the No. 3 prospect in the state of Wisconsin in Perfect Game. Tyler missed most of his junior season in high school due to mononucleosis.
French, the 132nd ranked prospect in Team One, is one of the most talented two-way players in the country. Last Year at Heritage High School, Luke went 8-1 on the mound and hit .508 with 9 homeruns while playing 1B. He earned all-state honors for his performance. Luke is also ranked 140th in the country and the No. 1 prospect in Colorado according to Perfect Game.
Massanari, the only catcher signed by the Rebels in this recruiting class, is ranked the 167th best prospect by Team One. Bryce enters into his senior year at Centennial High after a stellar junior season in which he hit .492 with 11 HR and 52 RBI's. He was selected as an all-state player and is currently the No. 3 ranked player in the state of Nevada in Perfect Game.
Navarro, a crafty lefty, will bring a wealth of talent to UNLV. Efren went 6-2 at Lynwood High School and posted an era of 1.80. Efren will also bring his defensive skills to the Rebels and provide depth at 1B. He is currently ranked the 244th best prospect by Perfect Game.
Schlereth, another talented two-way player signed by the Rebels, will impact the team in the 2005 season on the mound and in CF. On the mound at Highlands Ranch High School, Daniel posted a 5-1 record. At the plate, the left-handed hitting Schlereth hit .486 with 7HR and 31 RBI's.
Boyd, meanwhile, will bring his smooth left-handed swing and athleticism to UNLV after he finishes his career at El Camino Real High School. Chad hit .420 during his junior season and knocked 8 balls over the fence. He also helped his team on the mound going 9-2 with a 1.63 era. Though his success on the mound is noted, Chad will make his mark in the Rebel outfield in 2005.
Gaughen, the 6'2", 210 lb., outfielder, will bring his offensive prowess to UNLV after graduating from Simi High School. During his junior season, Dylan hit .395 with 4HR and 27 RBI's. Perfect Game has Dylan currently ranked the 42nd prospect in the state of California.
UNLV's final signee, Bradbury, is ranked the 41st best prospect in the state of California according to Perfect Game. The 6'3" Bradbury hit .434 at Corona Del Mar High School with 10HR and 27 RBI's. Josh also went 4-2 on the mound with a 3.40 era.
UNLV opens the 2004 season on Friday, Feb. 6 at 7:00 p.m. when the Rebels travel to Cal State Fullerton to take on the Titans in a three game series. For season ticket information, contact the UNLV Athletics Ticket Office at (702) 739-FANS.
