LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock head baseball coach
Chris Curry has announced eight early signees that will join the Trojan baseball program. The pitcher-heavy class includes five freshmen and three transfers and will bolster Little Rock's depth heading into the 2021 season.
"With just six seniors on this year's team and 23 new players on the current roster, our needs in the 2020 class were smaller in number than other years," Curry said. "We targeted pitching first and foremost along with needs at catcher and shortstop.
"Of the eight signees, three are in-state and five are from the high school ranks. This is a step we've wanted to take in our program to help the stability of our roster with players who can be in our organization for three to four years. Junior college players will always be vital to our success and we plan to add more JUCO players to our roster in the spring."
A signing class is the culmination of a lot of work from a number of members in the program, and Curry gave credit to the long hours put in by members of the Trojan coaching staff.
"This was yet another great job by recruiting coordinator
Noah Sanders and pitching coach
R.D. Spiehs, evaluating the players that best fit our program needs and developing the relationships to sign these players," Curry said. "Once again, I appreciate the unselfishness of their families supporting them while they're working hard to find these players."
Below is a break down of all eight of the newest Trojans, along with comments from recruiting coordinator
Noah Sanders.
Matthew Davis
6-5 | 185 | Right Handed Pitcher
Selma, Ala. (Morgan Academy)
Prior to Little Rock: Two year letterwinner at John T. Morgan Academy … Helped lead the Senators to a 31-4 record in 2019, advancing to the Alabama Class 3A state championship game … Made 14 appearances on the mound with a 1.64 ERA in 42.2 innings pitched, striking out 51 against just 22 walks … At the plate, batted .244 with 20 hits and 29 RBI with three doubles … AISA All-Star selection …
Selma Times-Journal All-Dallas County selection … Also competed for The Prospect Lab club team.
Sanders' Thoughts: "Matthew is a tall right hander with a high 3/4 arm action and a fastball that has been into the low 90s. He also possesses a sharp slider that he can throw for a strike in any count. Matthew plays at perennial powerhouse, Morgan Academy where he pitched in the state championship game in 2019. We believe his skill set, along with experience in big games, will allow him to come in a serve a huge role right away in 2021."
Mason Hilton
6-4 | 210 | Right Handed Pitcher
Weatherford, Texas (McLennan College)
Prior to Little Rock: Hilton is getting set to begin his sophomore season at McLennan College after appearing in 13 games with 10 starts as a freshman … Compiled a 3-3 record with a 6.14 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 36.2 innings pitched … Four year letterwinner at Weatherford High School where he was named the district's Pitcher of the Year in 2018 … Posted a 6-5 record with a 2.64 ERA en route to first team all-district honors … Rawlings/Perfect Game Texas Regional Honorable Mention All-American.
Sanders' Thoughts: "Mason is a tall, physically gifted right hander whose fastball has been into the mid 90s. He has a hard, sharp slider that he can throw to both left and right handed hitters and also flashes a good changeup. His skill set is one that would allow him to serve in a variety of roles for us in the future, and we look for him to make an immediate impact on our pitching staff."
Bryan Muniz
6-1 | 170 | Shortstop
Orange Park, Fla. (Calvary Christian Academy)
Prior to Little Rock: Two year letterwinner at Calvary Christian Academy … All-conference shortstop who hit .338 as a junior with 17 RBI and 15 stolen bases … Ranked in the top-500 best players in the country and 94th at shortstop by Perfect Game … Played for Texas Stix and Premier Baseball clubs … Named to Top Prospect Team at 2019 World Showcase.
Sanders' Thoughts: "Bryan is a very athletic middle infielder that we feel will come in and play a dynamic role for us as a freshman. He has run as high as a 6.4 60 and possesses a very good glove, which we value tremendously. We see him as a future top-of-the-order bat, and feel that his hard-nosed mentality will pay dividends for both he, individually, and our team."
Zane Neves
6-0 | 205 | Right Handed Pitcher
Jonesboro, Ark. (St. John's River State College)
Prior to Little Rock: Currently attending St. John's River State College in Palatka, Florida ... Four year letterwinner at Jonesboro High School ... Three-time all-conference selection ... All-state and all-state tournament ... Helped lead the Hurricane to back-to-back state championship appearances ... Named school's Male Athlete of the Year ... Two-time Jonesboro Best Under the Sun selection and 2018 Player of the Year ... Played for Arkansas Sticks and East Coast Sox club teams ... Also lettered three years in football.
Sanders' Thoughts: "Zane is a right handed pitcher with a ton of upside. He has an electric arm that could allow him to pitch in either a starting or closing role. His fastball has been in the low 90s, and his wipeout slider has been into the low 80s. Zane is hard-nosed and has an incredible work ethic. We feel fortunate to get another in state product from perennial powerhouse Jonesboro High School."
Austin Scritchfield
6-0 | 180 | Catcher
Cabot, Ark. (Cabot H.S.)
Prior to Little Rock: A three year letterwinner at Cabot High School under head coach Ronnie Goodwin … Member of the 2017 Arkansas 7A state championship team … All-conference honoree in 2019 … Batted .349 as a junior with 30 hits and 19 RBI in 110 plate appearances … Boasts a career prep batting average of .314 with 48 hits, 28 RBI and 20 runs scored heading into his senior season … Played for Sticks Baseball Academy.
Sanders' Thoughts: "Austin is a hometown product that comes to us from Cabot High school where he plays for head coach, Ronnie Goodwin. He plays for both one of the most competitive high school programs in the state, along with one of the best travel programs in the country. He is a physical catcher, with a power right handed bat that we feel will allow him to hit for us early in his career. He also possesses above average arm strength for someone his age."
Sawyer Smallwood
6-3 | 190 | Left Handed Pitcher
Texarkana, Texas (Northeast Texas C.C.)
Prior to Little Rock: Spent one year at Northeast Texas College where he made 16 appearances, pitching 11 total innings ... Posted an ERA of 7.36 with nine strikeouts ... Two year letterwinner at Pleasant Grove High School in Texarkana ... Spent his senior season at Grapevine High School where he was a member of the state runner-up team ... Area finalist as a sophomore at Pleasant Grove and a state finalist as a junior ... Pitched 15 innings in relief as a senior, allowing just one hit with 20 strikeouts.
Sanders' Thoughts: "Sawyer is a left handed pitcher with a ton of upside. He's a competitor on the mound and his best days in baseball are ahead of him. His fastball has been in the low 90s, and he also has a sharp slider and good changeup."
Chance Vaught
6-1 | 190 | Left Handed Pitcher
Mobile, Ala. (Mobile Christian School)
Prior to Little Rock: Three year letterwinner at Mobile Christian School as both a pitcher and outfielder … Helped lead the Leopards to back-to-back Alabama Class 3A state tournament appearances, winning the state title in 2018 … Named to the Alabama High School Athletic Association All-Star team in 2018 … Played for Team Elite club program as well as LA Knights and LA All-Stars.
Sanders' Thoughts: "Chance is an athletic left handed pitcher whose fastball has already been into the low 90s. We feel he has the potential to be a power arm and a force in our conference. He has a hard slider that has been up to the low 80s, and also has feel for a changeup. We see Chance as a future weekend starter, and expect his presence to be felt right away on our staff."
Jacob Weatherley
5-11 | 160 | Right Handed Pitcher
Jonesboro, Ark. (Jonesboro H.S.)
Prior to Little Rock: Three year letterwinner at Jonesboro High School under coach Mark Dobson … Helped lead the Hurricane to three-straight state tournament appearances, advancing to the state championship in 2017 and the state semifinals in 2018 … Jonesboro's closer, compiling a 0.74 ERA with 21 saves and 58 strikeouts as a junior … Also batted .386 with 29 RBI and 21 stolen bases … All-state and all-conference selection … Member of Sticks Baseball Academy.
Sanders' Thoughts: "Jacob is another in-state product that comes in from Jonesboro High, where he plays for head coach Mark Dobson. We feel very fortunate to have him on board here in Little Rock. He is a tough, hard-nosed kid that pitches with no fear. He fills up the strike zone with his upper 80s fastball and his above average slider. We feel like he can produce tremendously out of our bullpen early in his career but also possesses the ability to be a starter on our pitching staff."
Little Rock is coming off one of its best seasons in program history in 2019, winning a program-record 18 games in the Sun Belt Conference and finishing with the second-best record in the league. The Trojans went 8-0 against the other four Division I programs in the state of Arkansas, becoming the first team in the state's history to defeat the other four in a single season, and is coming off a strong fall season which included a two-game sweep of Missouri in Columbia.
The 2020 Little Rock schedule will be released early next week with season tickets going on sale shortly after by contacting the Trojan Ticket Office at (501) 565-8257.
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