Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Baseball Signs Seven for 2004-05
11/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Marshall Baseball Signs Seven for 2004-05
11/24/2003
David Slovak |
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. ? Thundering Herd Baseball Coach Dave Piepenbrink has announced the signing of seven players to the Marshall University baseball team for the 2004-05 season including five position players and two pitchers.
Included in the signing class are position players Brent Mason, a transfer from Pratt Community College, Bubba Pfaff from Seward County Community College, AJ Sikula from Charleston, WV, Justin Perry from Davidsonville, MD, and Tommy Johnson from Gaithersburg, MD. Two pitchers were also signed including David Slovak from Louisville, KY and Tom Ponietowicz from Norristown, PA.
One of the most impressive newcomers is junior college transfer Brent Mason. Mason, a Sherwood Arkansas native, currently plays shortstop for Pratt Community College in Kansas. He was a member of the High School All-Conference team in 2001-2002 and was a 2002 member of the Arkansas All-State Team. Brent was a member of the American Legion All-Star team from 2001-2003. In 2003, he was a member of the Arkansas American Legion State Championship Team. In his first year at Pratt, he participated in the Jayhawk Conference All-Star Game.
Current Herd shortstop Mike Koitsopoulos also transferred from Pratt and Coach Piepenbrink hopes for the same type of result. ?We have gotten a few players from Pratt, and they have all been positive additions to our program,? Piepenbrink said. ?Brent has the athletic ability and the tools to step in and play shortstop at the Division IA level. He is not only a gifted athlete, but he is an outstanding student, the type of player we are looking to bring into this program. We expect him to come right in and be able to play shortstop.?
?If he makes half of the plays Koitsopoulos has made, we could be very successful.?
Pratt Coach Jeff Brewer is proud of what Mason has done at Pratt and thinks he could be very successful at Marshall. ?Brent has done a great job for us here,? Brewer said. ?I have every reason to believe that Mason will have an impact right away at Marshall.?
Another impressive player coming to the Herd is Randall ?Bubba? Pfaff from Florence, CO. Pfaff has spent time playing catcher, centerfield and left field for Steward County Community College in Liberal, KS. In 2003, Seward made the national rankings and were the Jayhawk West Champs. Pfaff was also a high school All-American.
Coach Piepenbrink has high expectations for Pfaff next year, especially with the bats of Corie O?Bryan and Francois Larmore graduating after the season. ?One of our main goals for next year was to find a left-handed hitter, and Bubba seems like he will fit well in the 4-hole,? Piepenbrink said. ?He is a good power hitter and also has the ability to be a switch hitter. He could be a very important piece of the puzzle in the middle of the order.?
AJ Sikula from South Charleston High School in South Charleston, WV possesses the ability to play any infield position. As the starting shortstop at Charleston High School in 2003, he hit .322 and had an on base percentage .470. Coach Piepenbrink commented, ?AJ is one of the top players in the area, he is a very hard worker and his ability to play any infield position gives us several options.
The other two position players signed were Tommy Johnson and Justin Perry. Johnson, a senior catcher at Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, MD, hit .409 in 2003 with 31 RBI?s. He had a pop time of 1.90-1.95 and is a very solid defensive catcher. Perry, from Davidsonville, MD, was named a second team MIAA Conference shortstop. Coach Piepenbrink believes that he can be an impact hitter next year as a true freshman. Perry also led his American Legion summer team with a BA of .450. He also led the team in doubles, homeruns and RBI?s.
Aside from the position players signed, the Herd also brought in two pitchers. Right-handed pitcher David Slovak, a Louisville, KY native, has had a record-setting career at Eastern High School. In 2003, he was the team MVP setting a school record with 27 wins. In 63.33 innings pitched, he allowed only three earned runs for an ERA of 0.33. Marshall Pitching Coach Tom Carty has been very impressed with what Slovak has to offer. ?David is a true submarine pitcher coming out of high school, he is way ahead of the game in terms of how to pitch,? Carty said. ?I think he was a steal in the early signing period, we think that he can come in and help our staff right away.?
The Herd also signed another right-handed pitcher, Tom Ponietowicz. Ponietowicz attends Norristown High School in Norristown, PA. In 2003, he went 3-2 with a 1.77 ERA. He has an above average fastball and slider and also has a strong hitting ability. ?Tom has what it takes to come in and pitch as a true freshman,? Coach Carty said. ?His hitting ability allows us to also look at him as a possible 2-way player, possibly in a DH role.?
The 2004 season is approaching with Belmont University being the first opponent on February 14. The home season starts on March 3 when West Virginia State College travels to University Heights.
