Washington State University Athletics
Baseball Recruiting Class Ranked Among Nation’s Best
October 26, 2016 | Baseball
PULLMAN, Wash. – The 2016 Washington State Baseball recruiting class was recently ranked No. 28 in the country according to D1Baseball.com, who began to release its Top-30 signing classes this week.
This is the first Cougar recruiting class to be nationally ranked by D1Baseball.com and features 12 players including eight junior college transfers and four freshmen. Two freshmen hail from the state of Washington and were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft but chose to play for Washington State.
"We are very excited about this class that is full of talent and depth," second-year head coach Marty Lees said. "We were able to get some power arms, build up our rotation and bullpen and we also improved our athleticism on defense and at the plate. A lot of these players chose to play at Washington State in the Pac-12 over the MLB Draft. This is one of our best and most talented recruiting classes and we are excited to see them take the field this spring."
According to D1baseball.com (Sign up to read full breakdown of the class) "…this is a high quality and high upside class that has head coach Marty Lees very excited and comparing his class to some of the powerhouse recruiting classes he had as an assistant at Oregon State and Oklahoma State…"
The website also mentions 6-7 right-hander Joe Rosenstein who expected to pitch in a big role out of the bullpen, sophomore shortstop Andres Alvarez who was an All-Region selection at Trinidad State Junior College last season and another 6-7 righty in sophomore David Wallum who is expected to pitch in the starting rotation.
A couple other junior college transfers expected to contribute immediately are outfielder Blake Clanton who combined to hit 32 home runs in his two seasons at Western Oklahoma State College and first baseman James Rudkin who recorded 25 doubles, 10 home runs and drove in 85 runs in his two seasons at McLennan Junior College in Texas, also helping his club to the JUCO World Series as freshman where he was named to the All-Tournament Team. On the mound, 6-6 lefthander Cody Anderson out of Bellevue Community College is expected to serve in a number roles, from starter to closer after leading the NWAC with 114 strikeouts last season. Another junior college infielder to watch for will be Ryan Ramsower who was an All-Region Second Team selection after hitting .360 with 15 doubles for Pima Community College in Arizona last season.
Three freshmen were also mentioned led by lefthander A.J. Block, a 39th-round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs, along with infielder Danny Sinatro who was drafted in the 40th-round by the Cleveland Indians and catcher Cal Waterman who was named the State Player of the Year in Oregon last spring.
Visit D1Baseball.com to sign up and see who the website calls "The Sleepers," the "Biggest 2016 Impact," and the "Best Long Term Prospect" for the Cougars.
This is the first Cougar recruiting class to be nationally ranked by D1Baseball.com and features 12 players including eight junior college transfers and four freshmen. Two freshmen hail from the state of Washington and were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft but chose to play for Washington State.
"We are very excited about this class that is full of talent and depth," second-year head coach Marty Lees said. "We were able to get some power arms, build up our rotation and bullpen and we also improved our athleticism on defense and at the plate. A lot of these players chose to play at Washington State in the Pac-12 over the MLB Draft. This is one of our best and most talented recruiting classes and we are excited to see them take the field this spring."
According to D1baseball.com (Sign up to read full breakdown of the class) "…this is a high quality and high upside class that has head coach Marty Lees very excited and comparing his class to some of the powerhouse recruiting classes he had as an assistant at Oregon State and Oklahoma State…"
The website also mentions 6-7 right-hander Joe Rosenstein who expected to pitch in a big role out of the bullpen, sophomore shortstop Andres Alvarez who was an All-Region selection at Trinidad State Junior College last season and another 6-7 righty in sophomore David Wallum who is expected to pitch in the starting rotation.
A couple other junior college transfers expected to contribute immediately are outfielder Blake Clanton who combined to hit 32 home runs in his two seasons at Western Oklahoma State College and first baseman James Rudkin who recorded 25 doubles, 10 home runs and drove in 85 runs in his two seasons at McLennan Junior College in Texas, also helping his club to the JUCO World Series as freshman where he was named to the All-Tournament Team. On the mound, 6-6 lefthander Cody Anderson out of Bellevue Community College is expected to serve in a number roles, from starter to closer after leading the NWAC with 114 strikeouts last season. Another junior college infielder to watch for will be Ryan Ramsower who was an All-Region Second Team selection after hitting .360 with 15 doubles for Pima Community College in Arizona last season.
Three freshmen were also mentioned led by lefthander A.J. Block, a 39th-round draft pick by the Chicago Cubs, along with infielder Danny Sinatro who was drafted in the 40th-round by the Cleveland Indians and catcher Cal Waterman who was named the State Player of the Year in Oregon last spring.
Visit D1Baseball.com to sign up and see who the website calls "The Sleepers," the "Biggest 2016 Impact," and the "Best Long Term Prospect" for the Cougars.
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