CONWAY, Ark. – University of Central Arkansas baseball coach Allen Gum has announced the addition of five pitchers and three position players as part of the 2013 signing class. The class features four full-time pitchers, three right-handers and one left-hander, to go along with three full-time position players and one prospect that can pitch from the left side or play first base.
“I am very excited about our 2013 early signing class,” said Gum. “Coach Dallas Black did a tremendous job putting this class together. We have a balance of power arms, left and right-handed pitching and also speed on the base paths and power at the plate.”
The eight signees include six high school seniors, five in-state products and one Mississippi native, and two junior college transfers, one each from Texas and California.
All three Arkansas pitchers are right-handers from the high school ranks. Connor Gilmore and Taylor Wallace will each come to UCA out of Little Rock Catholic while Will Jacobs hails from Rison.
Gilmore a 6-4, 180 pound righty logged 33 innings during his junior season at Catholic High and went 5-2. He posted an ERA of just 2.73 while striking out 38. Gilmore was selected to play in the Arkansas Extra Innings Showcase and was also invited to play for the East Coast Grays of the East Cobb league out of Georgia last summer.
“Connor is a tall, long pitcher with a tremendous amount of upside,” Gum said. “He is a power arm, who as a junior, was throwing upper 80’s to low 90’s. We really believe as he continues to grow and get stronger that he will have the opportunity to have a very special career at Central Arkansas.”
Wallace, the other Little Rock Catholic product, tossed 56 innings as a junior, tallying five wins and three complete games. One of those complete games was a no-hitter against 7A opponent Cabot. He fanned 60 opposing hitters and finished the season with an ERA of 2.77. This summer, Wallace was selected to play for the Midland Braves of Ohio and the Marucci Elite from Baton Rouge, La.
“Taylor is a very polished, power arm that ranges 88-91 on the mound and also has a tremendous work ethic,” Gum said. “We really believe he has the opportunity to step into our program and be an immediate impact on the mound.”
Jacobs is a 6-2, 170 pound right-hander who was victorious four times in 41 innings pitched as a high school junior. He had a dominant ERA of just 1.90 while striking out 74 hitters and allowing just nine free passes.
“Will has an outstanding, very fresh, live arm. He consistently pitches in the low 90’s and has a very good chance to improve upon that,” Gum said. “Given time, and with Will learning how to pitch even more, we think he has the chance to be a very dominating pitcher in the Southland Conference.”
Scott Zimmerle from Danbury, Texas by way of Alvin Community College and San Francisco, Calif. native John Rand out of De Anza Junior College are two southpaws that could make an immediate difference on the mound. Zimmerle, also a first baseman, is likely to add quite a bit of power at the plate for the Bears.
While at Alvin CC, Zimmerle had an on-base percentage of .403 while hitting .301 and driving in 25 runs. Zimmerle also came around to score 28 times, hit eight doubles and drew 19 walks.
“Scott is an outstanding gap hitter who comes from a very solid school in Alvin Community College,” Gum said. “Scott will also have the chance to be an impact for us on the mound as well.”
Rand is a 6-3, 200 pounder that appeared in 17 games and hurled 52 innings last summer for the Chilocothe Mudcats in the MINK league. He sported an earned run average of just 2.01 while striking out 32.
“John is a very solid pitcher who has a power fastball along with a great ability to mix in his off-speed,” Gum said. “He did a great job this past summer and we expect him to come in and make immediate contributions for our baseball program.”
Two Arkansans in Bryant native Jordan Taylor and homegrown Conway product Tayler Langley join Chrsitopher Townsend of Batesville, Miss. as the class’ three full-time position players.
Langley, who led the Conway Wampus Cats to a state championship during his junior season, hit .456 with seven home runs, 26 RBI and stole seven bases. He scored 26 runs and was selected to the Arkansas High School Extra Innings Team. He projects to play either infield or outfield for UCA.
“Tyler is a tremendous and versatile athlete from right here in Conway who we see doing some big things in our program,” Gum said. “He’s a quarterback on the football team and is a leader on and off the field.”
Taylor is a 6-0, 170 pound outfielder who hit .418 with 13 doubles and 27 RBI as a junior at Bryant High School. As a pitcher in high school, he struck out 56 in 57 innings of work while compiling an ERA of 3.93.
“Jordan is a left-handed hitting infielder that does an outstanding job at the plate and makes life very hard on opposing pitchers,” said Gum. “He still has a lot of room to grow and we believe he has the ability to be a very strong hitter for our program.”
Townsend, an infielder out of South Panola High School signed his letter of intent after posting a .394 batting average, .488 on-base percentage and a .654 slugging percentage during his junior season. The 6-0, 180 pounder also belted three home runs and recorded four triples. During the summer, he was selected to play for the Midwest Nationals Premier team out of Springfield, Mo.
“Chris is a very solid infielder that we see playing a big role in the near future. He is an exceptional athlete who comes from a great program and great family,” Gum said. “With his abilities in the field and at the plate Chris could come in and have a chance to be in the lineup every day.”
The 2012 Bears baseball team is slated to begin their regular season with a three-game series against Creighton beginning Feb. 17.
