Marshall University Athletics
@HerdBaseball Adds 12 to 2016-17 Recruiting Class
11/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall baseball and Coach Jeff Waggoner announced the program's 2016-17 recruiting class Monday.
The class consists of five junior college players and seven high school seniors who will join the Herd for the 2017 season.
The junior college signees include four pitchers - Jacob Niggemeyer (Powell, Ohio), D'Andre Knight (Orlando, Fla.), Parker Beine (Millstadt, Ill.) and Sidney Duprey (Guayama, Puetro Rico) - and one infielder Will Ray (Evansville, Ind.). Joining the Herd from high school are five pitchers - Braden Scott (Jasonville, Ind.), Jacob Bradley (Nitro, W.Va.), Hunter Sexton (Jackson, Ohio), Mark Meyer (Massillon, Ohio) and Branden Knorr (Ann Arbor, Mich.) - plus infielder Ozzie Millet (Miami, Fla.) and infielder/outfielder Matt Harrison (Nitro, W.Va.).
"We are extremely excited for this class to be a part of the Herd baseball family," Waggoner said. "Coach (Tim) Donnelly and (Josh) Newman did an excellent job finding the right kids for our program. This group will play an integral part in helping carry on the tradition and prestige of our program in this great Conference USA.
"This group has a big emphasis on pitching and adds key offensive players that will complement what we currently have on campus. This group has several players who have grown up playing on winning teams together and their bond coming in already is very strong. We look forward to them being part of the Marshall Baseball family and representing the Marshall University with class and integrity."
RHP Jacob Niggemeyer - 6-4 - Iowa Western CC (Iowa)
Waggoner's take: "Jacob has a big time arm, with wipeout stuff. His fastball runs up to 94 mph with a slider at 80-82 mph. We expect him to compete for a front line rotation spot and we also foresee him being an immediate impact to this pitching staff. Jacob possesses everything we look for when evaluating top talent across the country, on and off the field."
RHP D'Andre Knight - 6-3 - Seminole State College (Fla.)
Waggoner's take: "D'Andre is a very good athlete who has a big time arm. He has a wipeout breaking ball and hasn't reached his ceiling yet on the mound. We look for him to come in and be a huge contributor to the team before he moves on to the next level."
RHP Parker Beine - 6-3 - Jefferson College (Mo.)
Waggoner's take: "Parker had a very good fall coming off surgery. He has a ton of upside and already has good stuff on the mound. He has three plus pitches and will throw upper 80's and low 90's. We are excited to watch Parker progress even more this spring and come in and have an immediate impact on our staff."
LHP Sidney Duprey - 6-3 - Kaskaskia College (Ill.)
Waggoner's take: "Sidney has a very good arm that will pitch at 87-91mph from the left side and he has a very good breaking ball to put hitters away. He has a lot of upside and looks to come in and compete for a weekend spot. We are very excited to add him to this signing class."
INF Will Ray - 6-1 -- Olney Central College (Ill.)
Waggoner's take: "Will is a very athletic infielder that will come in and battle for the shortstop job. Will can play multiple infield positions and is a top-of-the-order hitter. He has a great work ethic and also is a very good student. We look forward to Will coming in and being a leader of the team."
OF/IF Matt Harrison - 6-4 - Nitro HS (W.Va.)
Waggoner's take: "Matt is a very physical and athletic outfielder that can play infield as well. He has a great skill set with big time power and speed. We look for Matt to come in and be a big contributor as a freshman. Matt is ranked as the No. 1 high school player in West Virginia and top 200 in the country by Prep Baseball Report."
LHP Braden Scott - 6-4 - Shakamak HS (Ind.)
Waggoner's take: "Big lefty frame from a long 3/4-arm delivery. A two-sport athlete in Indiana. Very projectable and will be a valuable asset to this staff long term. One of the top left-handed arms in the state of Indiana coming out of high school. Braden has a high ceiling for continued development."
RHP Jacob Bradley - 6-2 - Nitro HS (W.Va.)
Waggoner's take: "Top right-handed pitcher in the state of West Virginia. Throws three pitches for strikes at any time with exceptional fastball command. We love his makeup and toughness. Jacob is a big-time competitor!"
RHP Hunter Sexton - 6-0 - Jackson HS (Ohio)
Waggoner's take: "Hunter is a great athlete - All-State in football and baseball. He has a strong build with a very short, quick arm. Hunter has a plus breaking ball with great arm speed that makes it very deceptive to hitters."
RHP Mark Meyer - 6-7 - Tuslaw HS (Ohio)
Waggoner's take: "A two-sport athlete coming out of Ohio. Tall, long, lanky body frame with very good projection. His athleticism shows as he has a very repeatable and easy delivery creating a deceptive downhill plane. Mark is another guy that we feel has a high ceiling for continued development."
RHP Branden Knorr - 6-6 - Pioneer HS (Mich.)
Waggoner's take: "Another tall, loose arm that has tremendous upside making him very projectable. He shows good athleticism off the mound with a tight, 12-6 breaking ball. He pitches with an attack mode mentality that our staff loves. His fastball shows good life making him a great addition to this class."
INF Ozzie Millet - 6-1 -- TERRA High School, Miami (Fla.)
Waggoner's take: "We look for Ozzie to come in right away and be able hit at the top or middle of the order. He has a good arm and can play good defense as well. Ozzie will be an impact freshman in this signing class and look forward to seeing him develop into a frontline player. Ozzie's high school coach is former Herd pitcher Jesse Fernandez."
