LITTLE ROCK – Little Rock head coach
Chris Curry has announced 10 additions to the Trojan program during the fall early signing period.
The class is comprised of 10 high school seniors, set to join the program in the summer of 2021. Five of the 10 signees are pitchers with the other five bringing left-handed bats to the Trojan lineup as Curry looks to shore up the Little Rock lineup for the forseeable future.
"I'm very excited about this class, because it brings a whole new dymanic to our program," Curry said. "10 of our signees are high school players, and six come to us from the state of Arkansas. We've said for a long time that when we start being able to land the premium Division I athletes from our own state, we'll reach a new level with our program.
"We addressed some projected needs, especially bringing in five pitchers, and we brought in some very versatile position players, all of which are left handed hitters. I'm very excited about this group and would like to compliment my staff in the COVID recruiting time of video calls, word-of-mouth and phone calls for keeping the standard we have here at Little Rock. I'm thankful to the families of the signees for believing in our program."
Capsules of the 10 new Trojan signees are below, along with quotes from
Noah Sanders, Little Rock's assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
Jaxson Anderson
6-3 | 200 | Catcher
Greenbrier, Ark. (Greenbrier H.S.)
Prior to Little Rock: Currently a senior at Greenbrier High School … All-conference selection in 2019 … Member of Arkansas Sticks Baseball Academy … All A-honor roll student since freshman year … Son of Chad and Lisa Cope … Cousin of current Little Rock pitcher
Hayden Arnold.
Sanders' Thoughts: "Jaxson is an extremely physical left-handed hitting catcher with a strong arm and some real juice in his bat. He will step in and look the part from day one on campus. We are excited about Jaxson's makeup along with the rest of his skill set and look forward to the influence he will have on our team both on the field and off."
Traejon Blake
6-1 | 190 | Infielder
England, Ark. (England H.S.)
Prior to Little Rock: Currently a senior at England High School … Played numerous positions for the Lions … All-state selection in 2019 … Two-time all-conference selection … 2018 Offensive Player of the Year … Perfect Game Preseason All-American … 2019 honorable mention All-American … Southeast Region honorable mention selection … Member of Arkansas Sticks Baseball Academy … Son of Tracey Blake and LaCoya Stewart.
Sanders' Thoughts: "Traejon is an incredibly talented infielder who possesses all the tools necessary to play this game for a long time. He is a strong defender in the middle of the field, has arm strength, and we feel like he will eventually hit with power at a high level. He has an incredible work ethic and makeup that we feel will allow him to play right away."
Preston Davis
6-3 | 215 | Right Handed Pitcher/Infielder
Texarkana, Texas (Redwater H.S.)
Prior to Little Rock: Currently a senior at Redwater High School … Plays both third and short in addition to pitching for the Dragons … Named District MVP as a sophomore in 2019 … First team all-district selection as a freshman … Member of Arkansas Sticks Baseball Academy … Also lettered in football, basketball and track … Three-time all-district selection in football … Son of Chris Davis and Lisa McCloskey.
Sanders' Thoughts: "Preston comes to us as a two way player from Texarkana. His fastball has already been into the low 90s and he has a power slider to go along with it. We feel like Preston could fill any number of roles on the mound right away. He is also a corner infielder with a powerful left handed bat that we are excited to bring to our lineup. Preston is a high school quarterback, so there is a certain element of toughness and athleticism that will be coming to campus with him in the Fall. Preston won't shy away from the big moments in games."
Aidan Garrett
6-0 | 160 | Infielder
Benton, Ark. (Benton H.S.)
Prior to Little Rock: Currently a senior at Benton High School, playing shortstop … All-Conference selection in 2019 … Benton Panther Golden Glove Award winner in 2019 … Member of 2019 state runner-up team … A-B honor roll student since freshman year … Member of Arkansas Sticks Baseball Academy … Member of PG North Championship team … Son of James and Kristy Garrett. … High school teammate of fellow signee Tristan Hawkins.
Sanders' Thoughts: "Aidan is a very athletic middle infielder with a top-of-the-lineup skill set in the batter's box. He's a left handed hitter who can really run and knows how to do all the little things in the game at a high level. He's a skilled middle infielder and we are excited about the energy he will bring to Little Rock."
Ezra Gustafson
6-0 | 180 | Right Handed Pitcher
Midwest City, Okla. (Carl Albert H.S.)
Prior to Little Rock: Currently a senior at Carl Albert High School as a utility player … All-conference selection … Member of a pair of conference championship teams and a state runner-up in 2019 as a sophomore … Also lettered in football and has been a member of three state championship teams, earning MVP honors as a junior … Member of Skills Baseball Academy and Oklahoma Heat club team … Son of James and Elsa Gustafson.
Sanders' Thoughts: "Ezra has a loose, whippy arm and a fastball that has been into the low 90s. He also has a sharp slider that he can throw to both sides of the plate, and a serviceable change up as his third pitch. He is very athletic, and we look for him to serve a big role on the pitching staff right away. He has a really good feel for the strike zone and his wiry team will allow him to throw really hard one day."
Asher Hastings
6-0 | 150 | Left Handed Pitcher
Little Rock, Ark. (Joe T. Robinson H.S.)
Prior to Little Rock: Currently a senior at Joe T. Robinson High School … Plays both outfield and pitches for the Senators … Three year letterwinner … Member of Arkansas Sticks Baseball Academy and Arkansas Rawling Prospects … Son of Cole and Jael Hastings.
Sanders' Thoughts: "Asher is a hometown product from Joe T. Robinson High School. His fastball has really made a jump over the last couple of months and we feel like the best is yet to come. He gets a ton of arm side run from his left handed 3/4 arm slot and his slider is enough to get both right and left handed hitters out. We feel like his skill set could allow him to pitch on either the front or back end of games and we are excited about the versatility he will bring to the pitching staff."
Tristan Hawkins
6-3 | 190 | Right Handed Pitcher
Benton, Ark. (Benton H.S.)
Prior to Little Rock: Currently a senior at Benton High School … Plays in the outfield in addition to pitching duties … Been a member of three state championship games for the Panthers … Also a wide receiver on the Benton football team … Son of Chad and Jill Hawkins … High school teammate of fellow signee Aidan Garrett.
Sanders' Thoughts: "Tristan joins teammate Aidan Garrett from Benton. He is another homegrown product and we feel very fortunate that we are able to keep him here in Little Rock. He's got an upper 80s fastball that will only get harder as he grows and gets into our program. He has a 12-6 breaking ball that is a real weapon at this level. We are very excited about his toughness and the maturity that he will bring to the program."
Jarkevious Johnson
6-0 | 170 | Infielder
Cleveland, Miss. (Central H.S.)
Prior to Little Rock: Currently a senior at Cleveland Central High School, playing numerous positions across the infield … Three year letterwinner for the Wolves … Also plays basketball for Cleveland Central … Member of the Prospect Lab club team … Son of Patrick and Sherry Johnson.
Sanders' Thoughts: "Jarkevious is an extremely athletic infielder from Cleveland, Mississippi. He can and has played all over the field, but we feel like he has the tools to stick on the left side of the infield at the Division I level. He has the speed to really impact the base paths and the strength to allow him to hit for power in the near future. He has an incredible make up and we look forward to the positive energy and work ethic he will bring to Little Rock."
Graydon Martin
5-9 | 165 | Utility
Texarkana, Ark. (Arkansas H.S.)
Prior to Little Rock: Currently a senior at Arkansas High School, playing catcher, second base and shortstop … All-conference selection as a sophomore … Also played football for four years for the Razorbacks, winning a conference championship … Member of Arkansas Sticks Baseball Academy … Honor society member … Son of Dodds and Kimberly Martin.
Sanders' Thoughts: "Graydon is a true utility player. He plays in a competitive high school league where he has both caught and played short stop at a high level. He is a very mature player and a calming presence both behind the plate and in the infield. He is an aggressive and athletic type player that could eventually be a 2-3 hole type hitter in the lineup."
Michael Quevedo
6-0 | 200 | Left Handed Pitcher
Deltona, Fla. (TNXL Academy)
Prior to Little Rock: Attends Florida Virtual School in Orlando … Member of TNXL Academy under head coach Brian Martinez … Four year letterwinner as a pitcher … Son of Ramon Quevedo and Elizabeth Garcia.
Sanders' Thoughts: "Michael helps us continue our pipeline from TNXL Academy in the Orlando area. He has an incredible feel for the strike zone with four pitches and he is usually in the 86-88 range with his fastball. He is very unique in the fact that he gets to play year round at home, so his experience on the mound in big situations is something we are excited about with him."
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