Bowling Green State University Athletics
The BGSU Falcons have signed six student-athletes to National Letters of Intent for the 2011 season.
Falcons Announce Six NLI Signees to Baseball Program
December 03, 2009 | Baseball
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- The back-to-back Mid-American Conference champion Bowling Green Falcon baseball team is at it again on the recruiting trail having announced the signing of six future student-athletes to the Falcon family for the 2011 season. Signing National Letters of Intent to play baseball for BGSU are Alex Davison (Grand Ledge, Mich.), Kevin Delapaz (Plymouth, Mich.), Brandon Howard (Cincinnati, Ohio), Chris Miller (Batesville, Ind.), Jeremy Shay (Garden City, Mich.) and Logan Walker (Petersburg, Va.).
Reigning MAC Coach of the Year Danny Schmitz and assistant coach Rick Blanc expressed their enthusiasm over the class of early signees. “We'll be losing nine seniors after this year, so to get six quality young men like we are getting is huge for us,” said Schmitz. “We were trying to increase our team speed and with the acquisition of Brandon [Howard] and Alex [Davison] we feel we've accomplished that. We feel these were the best young men to fit our program and our team's needs for the future.”
The Falcons will welcome two pitchers, one throwing from each side of the mound and four position players. Two of the four position players will help to solidify the middle of the infield as well as provide BGSU with depth at those positions. The Falcons also add another catcher and outfielder to the roster whose versatility hope to expose their value as additions to the Falcons.
Alex Davison - 6'2, 190, L/L, OF, Grand Ledge, Mich. - For the last two seasons, Davison has recorded back-to-back years with a .450 or better batting average for the Grand Ledge Comets. As a two-time all-conference selection, Davison posted great numbers from both the plate and the mound. As a sophomore, he hit .450 (54-for-120) with 16 extra base hits while scoring 34 times and stealing seven bases. Davison posted a 1.87 earned run average and an 8-1 record from the hill while hurling 41 strikeouts in 33.2 innings pitched. Last year as a junior, Davison's bat was his biggest asset when he hit .495 with 39 runs scored and 19 extra base hits, seven of which were home runs. He also stole nine bases in 2009. In a year where he was also named to the all-district team, Davison threw 22.2 innings and accumulated a 4-1 record with 33 strikeouts and an earned run average of 1.85.
Schmitz on Davison: Alex is a young man with good size. He can hit for average with some power and he can run. He has a nice compact stroke. Most young guys just want to pull the ball, but Alex uses all fields when he is hitting. He puts a good stroke on the ball consistently. Alex also gets down the line well. He is a solid outfielder who covers ground. We're excited about Alex coming in and will get an opportunity right away to battle for a job.
Kevin Delapaz - 6'1, 185, LHP, R/L, Plymouth, Mich. - Delapaz is a current three-year letterwinner for the Chiefs and has been a key contributor on the mound for Canton High School during that time. As a sophomore, Delapaz struck out 47 in 43 innings pitched. He accumulated an 8-1 overall record and a 2.93 ERA in the 2008 season. While at the plate, he hit .293 with a .478 on-base percentage and ten stolen bases. Last year as a junior Delapaz hit .309 (29-for-94) with seven doubles and another year with ten stolen bases. From the hill he sported a 1.22 ERA with 74 punchouts and only 26 walks in 57.1 innings of work. He finished 2009 with an unblemished 10-0 record helping the Chiefs to a district title and a regional final appearance. That season, Delapaz was named to all-conference, district and regional teams as a team captain and was named to the All-Observerland Newspaper First Team. While playing with the Michigan Indians summer baseball team, he posted six no-hitters in his six years with the team. He has spent the last two years as a member of the North Farmington-West Bloomfield (NFWB) Cobras.
Blanc on Delapaz: "Kevin can come right in and play a big role with us as a starter or out of the bullpen. He has three pitches that he can throw for strikes at any time and that is a big thing to have as a freshman."
Brandon Howard - 5'10, 165, INF, R/R, Cincinnati, Ohio - Howard will be entering his fourth year with the varsity team at Walnut Hills High School in 2010. As a sophomore at WHHS, Howard hit .288 and had an on-base percentage of .329 with nine steals during the 2008 season. His junior year, the shortstop hit .315 on the season and increased his on-base percentage over 100 points to accompany eight stolen bases with the Eagles. Howard played his summer baseball with the Playground All-Stars in Cincinnati (Oh.) and in 2009 hit .337 with a slugging-percentage of .461. His OBP of .432 helped him steal 40 bases during that season as well. Howard also played basketball for the Eagles where he was named to the First Team All-League as a junior when he led the league in assists.
Schmitz on Howard: Brandon is a slick fielding shortstop who is an outstanding athlete. He can hit for average. He is a plus runner who has a good arm. He shows great leadership qualities, a run the show type player. We expect Brandon to come in and compete right away."
Chris Miller - 5'11, 195, RHP, Batesville, Ind. - His lively arm was one of only two sophomores to play on the Batesville High School varsity squad where he posted a 1.20 ERA that year. Following his junior season, Miller was invited to participate in the Perfect Game USA Showcase Tournament where he was given an 8.5 player ranking indicating him as a potential middle round draft pick. Miller was also named to the BHS National Honor Society and is currently ranked eighth in his class with a 4.0 cumulative grade point average.
Blanc on Miller: "He has a power arm and has a great breaking pitch that is his 'out pitch' right now. He is a very big competitor and every time he goes out there he wants to win. He is a very hard worker on and off of the field and will come in to give us some quality innings as a freshman."
Jeremy Shay - 6'1, 195, C, Garden City, Mich. - The last name Shay should sound familiar to Falcon baseball followers. Jeremy is the younger brother of former award-winning Falcon infielder Ryan Shay. Last year, Shay hit a career-best .389 (39-for-103), scored 18 runs and collected 63 total bases as a junior. During his sophomore season, Shay hit .344 with 11 extra-base hits and 13 walks. As a freshman, he batted .350 going 17-for-51. He is a three-time All-City and All-District selection, won an All-League award during his sophomore season and added an All-Region accolade after his junior season. In addition to his baseball honors, Shay was also the captain of the Divine Child High School football team in 2009 and earned All-City and All-Catholic recognition as well.
Schmitz on Shay: "Jeremy is a young man that is big and strong and definitely has some power. He is versatile. When he is not behind the dish he can play a corner position. We expect Jeremy to come in and compete right away. Jeremy is from a great family and we're excited that he is going to be a Falcon."
Logan Walker - 5'11, 170, INF, Petersburg, Va. - A true athlete, Walker has been an award-winning middle infielder in all three years he has played at Matoaca High School and a member of a nationally-recognized summer baseball travel team. He was a two-time First Team All-Central District, First Team All-Tri Cities, and Honorable Mention All-Region from 2008-09. Last year as a junior Walker hit .468 with 18 RBI and five extra base hits en route to his team winning the Central District Tournament. He was awarded Honorable Mention All-Region and All-Academic honors at the regional level. As a sophomore Walker hit .421 (20-for-53) with a career-high 28 runs scored, 22 RBI and six homeruns. In addition, his 14 extra-base hits on the season helped him garner Second Team All-Metro. After his freshman season, Walker was named to the Honorable Mention All-Central District playing second base and hitting .377 with 16 runs scored, eight RBI and five stolen bases. Walker is also an academic standout after being named to the Distinguished Honor Roll for four consecutive years, twice being named to All-Academic District and Regional Teams and has been a four-year officer for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Blanc on Walker: "He is a very gritty, blue collar player. He is definitely our type of guy. When we were watching him this summer, he was always the dirtiest guy on the field. He knows how to play the game and comes from a very good summer program in the Richmond Braves, which was a top-five program nationally. He was a starter for them in a league with a lot of tough competition. On top of all of that, he is a very versatile player. He can play a little of every infield position and even a little outfield too."
The Falcons are far from finished in finding talented players to be a part of the Bowling Green baseball team. “We still have some needs we would like to fill,” says Schmitz. “It is still early and there is much work to be done to find the talent we need to fill out our roster for the future.”
The Falcons are preparing for the 2010 season in an attempt to win three consecutive MAC championships following back-to-back league championships. Bowling Green will open their season in Louisville, Ky. where the Falcons will begin the season on Feb. 19, 2010 against the Louisville Cardinals of the Big East Conference.
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