Wake Forest Inks Nine Baseball Signees
Coach Greer addresses the team's most pressing needs in recruiting.
Dec. 1, 1999
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Nine high school baseball players have signed a
national letter of intent during the early signing period to play at Wake
Forest, head coach George Greer announced today. All nine players will
enroll at Wake Forest in the fall of 1999.
The Demon Deacon signees are outfielder Rocco Baldelli (Cumberland,
RI / Bishop Hendricken HS), infielder Jamie D'Antona (Trumbell / Trumbell
HS), catcher Josh Hansen (Huntington Beach, CA / Mater Dei HS), pitcher Dan
Mackey (Rochester, NY / McQuaid Jesuit HS), catcher Ryder Mathias
(Lewisburg, PA / Lewisburg Area HS), pitcher-first baseman Chris Narveson
(Arden, NC / Roberson HS), first baseman-outfielder Doug Riepe (Danbury, CT
/ Immaculate HS), pitcher Greg Russell (Glendale, CA / Hoover HS), and
pitcher Kyle Sleeth (Westminster, CO / Northglenn HS).
"We are very pleased with this group of players," said Greer.
"Since we anticipate losing a number of outstanding juniors and seniors
next spring, we needed to sign a large and quality recruiting class. They
will certainly help build upon the success of our back-to-back ACC
Championships and our top-10 national ranking, and they will certainly
maintain the high level of play that we expect at Wake Forest. "
Greer and assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Bobby Moranda
addressed the team's most pressing needs by signing four pitchers and two
catchers.
"We met a number of our specific needs," said Greer. "The entire
class brings together a nice mix of players who all have tremendous upside
potential. Coach Moranda has once again put together another outstanding
recruiting class and firmed his reputation as one of the top recruiters in
the nation. There's no doubt that this is the deepest and most talented
class that we have assembled at Wake Forest.
"A number of these players will likely be drafted in the top 10
rounds of the upcoming 2000 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft," Greer
continues. "However, they all have very impressive academic credentials and
are excited about the opportunity to work towards earning their degree at
Wake Forest while also playing baseball in one of the top conferences in
America."
* Rocco Baldelli, rated the 46th best high school player in the nation by
Baseball America, was a 1st-team All-State performer and a USA Today
honorable mention All-America honoree last spring. A right-handed hitter,
Baldelli batted just under .500 as a junior with 19 stolen bases and was
named the MVP of the Rhode Island State Championship.
* Jamie D'Antona, a power hitting third baseman, hit .623 with seven home
runs and 35 RBI as a junior last spring at Trumbell High School. D'Antona
was named a honorable mention All-America by USA Today, and was named the
MVP of the USSSA World Series Tournament in Cocoa Beach, Fla., this past
summer.
* Josh Hansen comes to Wake Forest from an outstanding prep program at
Mater Dai High School, the same school of former Demon Deacon outfielder
Scott Daeley. Hansen, a right-handed catcher, hit .438 with 12 home runs
and 40 RBI in 28 games last spring as a junior and was invited to the Team
One National Showcase this past summer. Hansen has family ties to Wake
Forest, as his grandfather was a former football player for the Deacons in
the 1940's.
* Dan Mackey, a 6'5 right-handed pitcher, posted a 4-0 record and a 0.60
ERA as a junior last spring. A three-sport standout at McQuaid Jesuit High
School in baseball, basketball and football, Mackey participated in the
Team One Showcase last summer.
* Ryder Mathias, a right-handed catcher, hit .458 with nine home runs and
31 RBI as a junior last spring. Mathias was an all-region and all-state
performer at Lewisburg Area High School while also earning all-conference
honors as a defensive back in football.
* Chris Narveson, a two-way player who excels both on the mound and at the
plate, dominated high school hitters last spring at Roberson High School
when he posted a 1.19 ERA and recorded 110 strikeouts in 64 innings of
work. Narveson, who also batted .407, was named the Asheville
Citizen-Times Player of the Year in 1999.
* Doug Riepe, the younger brother of former Wake Forest catcher Andrew
Riepe who is now in the Red Sox organization, hit .478 as a junior and .448
as a sophomore. The captain of the baseball, football and basketball teams
at Immaculate High School, Riepe is a power-hitting first
baseman/outfielder who was named to the all-league, all-area and all-state
teams.
* Greg Russell, a 6'7 right-handed pitcher, averaged over two strikeouts
per inning pitched as a junior at Hoover High School. Russell, who
participated in the Area Code Games last summer in Long Beach, pitched and
won two games at the 1998 Junior Olympics in Tucson, Ariz.
* Kyle Sleeth, a two-sport standout in both football and baseball, was an
all-state punter on the football team while also earning all-conference
honors in baseball. A 6'5 right-handed pitcher, Sleeth was named the Region
Pitcher of the Year as a junior last spring at Northglenn High.
2000 Wake Forest Baseball Signees
Name Pos B/T Ht Wt Hometown / High School
Rocco Baldelli OF R/R 6-4 180 Cumberland, RI / Bishop Hendricken
Jamie D'Antona INF R/R 6-2 200 Trumbell, CT / Trumbell
Josh Hansen C R/R 5-11 205 Huntington Beach, CA / Mater Dei
Dan Mackey P R/R 6-5 190 Rochester, NY / McQuaid Jesuit
Ryder Mathias C R/R 6-0 190 Lewisburg, PA / Lewisburg Area
Chris Narveson P-1B L/L 6-3 185 Arden, NC / Roberson
Doug Riepe 1B-OF R/R 6-2 205 Danbury, CT / Immaculate
Greg Russell P R/R 6-7 225 Glendale, CA / Hoover
Kyle Sleeth P R/R 6-5 185 Westminster, CO / Northglenn
