Baseball Recruiting class

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

I'm surprised no one has posted this:

OWH

 

 

NU Baseball: The bigger the better for recruits

 

BY MITCH SHERMAN

WORLD-HERALD BUREAU

 

 

NU Baseball

 

LINCOLN - Mike Anderson devised a formula. The formula worked. And now the Nebraska baseball coach is changing it.

 

The Huskers have recruited power hitting out of the junior-college ranks for years - players like Justin Cowan, Jed Morris, Brandon Buckman and Luke Gorsett.

 

On Friday, NU announced its recruiting class from the fall signing period. It's a group stocked with high school seniors who can hit for power.

 

"The thing that would stand out most if you had them standing right here is their size," said Anderson, preparing for his fifth season in charge of the Nebraska program. "That was important to us."

 

The 10-player signing class includes just two from junior college.

 

Anderson said NU has limited its junior college recruiting in response to the NCAA's Academic Performance Rate standards, which can penalize a school for high roster turnover.

 

In addition, the Huskers wanted the opportunity to work with potential power hitters for three to four years instead of one or two.

 

The big-swinging freshmen in 2008 are set to include David Stewart, a 6-foot-6 outfielder from St. Louis, 6-4 catcher Tyler Rank of Rochester, Minn., and 6-3 outfielder Cameron Robulak of Toronto.

 

The left-handed hitting Robulak slugged two home runs in the title game of the United States Specialty Sports Association world championships last year. He plays for the same select program that produced former Nebraska stars John Cole and Adam Stern.

 

"Each of these guys have power potential right away," Anderson said.

 

The class also features a trio of Omaha-area seniors, infielders Ben Kline of Omaha Central and Dan Johnston of Papillion-LaVista and right-handed pitcher Matt Freeman of Elkhorn, who played together in youth baseball.

 

Anderson said he was especially pleased with the attitude of Kline and Johnston, both of whom star as Metro Conference shortstops.

 

"We're excited because they're both very athletic," the coach said. "But the most unique thing here is there we've got two kids here who have competed against each other for most of their lives. We had to be a little sensitive to make sure that they both knew we wanted them both.

 

"I'm extremely proud of Ben and Dan. They both said they'd trust us. It shows me a lot of character with both kids."

 

NU baseball signees:

 

 

• Clay Cuno (OF, 6-3, 215, New Bloomfield, Mo./Fort Scott, Kan., CC); Jacob Diekman (LHP, 6-4, 180, Wymore, Neb./Cloud County, Kan., CC); Matt Freeman (RHP, 6-1, 175, Elkhorn); Joe Huwer (C, 5-11, 180, Boise, Idaho); Dan Johnston (IF, 6-1, 175, Papillion-LaVista); Ben Kline (6-2, 165, Omaha Central); Tyler Rank (C/RHP, 6-4, 235, Rochester, Minn.); Cameron Robulak (OF, 6-3, 215, Toronto); David Stewart (OF, 6-6, 185, St. Louis); Sean Yost (RHP, 6-6, 185, Lincoln Southwest).

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The big-swinging freshmen in 2008 are set to include David Stewart, a 6-foot-6 outfielder from St. Louis, 6-4 catcher Tyler Rank of Rochester, Minn., and 6-3 outfielder Cameron Robulak of Toronto.

 

 

I bet those guys are monsters...