JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Nov. 21, 2016) – ETSU baseball head coach Tony Skole and his staff announced on Monday that seven future Buccaneers have signed their national letter of intent to join the Blue and Gold in the fall of 2017.
David Beam (Knoxville, Tenn.), Parker Chavers (Montgomery, Ala.), Justin Cooke (Soddy Daisy, Tenn.), Ben Jackson (Guyton, Ga.), Sean Kearney (Powell, Tenn.) Brandon Parrott (Seymour, Tenn.), and Nathan Ruble (Memphis, Tenn.) will all be key additions to the Buccaneer program next fall.
“We are very blessed and appreciative that these seven young men have decided to continue their education and baseball career at East Tennessee State University,” said Skole. “The foundation of our program has always consisted of extremely high standards and values, along with an attitude of toughness. These qualities force us to be very particular and specific in our recruiting efforts. This group of young men embodies and embraces exactly what we are looking for in an ETSU Baseball player. They are all outstanding individuals who excel in the classroom, have charismatic personalities, and love to compete and play the game. We have addressed some specific needs and we are excited about the future of these young men at ETSU.
“Coach Gordon and Coach Lucas were relentless in their efforts in putting this class together and deserve all the credit. I also want to recognize the entire athletic department for its efforts on campus and assisting with all our recruits. It takes a village to bring in a recruiting class and the tireless work of our academic department, compliance office and all our support staff made for an easy process for our recruits and gave them a true picture of ETSU.”
DAVID BEAM – OF/LHP – 5-11 – 180 – KNOXVILLE, TENN. (BEARDEN HS)
• Four-year letterwinner for coach John Rice at Bearden High School
• Plays summer ball for RBI Redstitch Baseball
• 2015 District 4-AAA MVP
• 2015 TBCA all-state AAA
• Three-year all-district selection
• Named to Super Freshman Team
• Hit .460 with seven home runs, while posting a 1.80 ERA in 2015
COACH SKOLE ON BEAM…
“David is arguably the best outfielder in the state of Tennessee. He is your prototypical centerfielder – a plus defender with a plus arm, can flat out hit and can also steal bases. David really has the chance to impact our team in a major way once he arrives on campus. I am ecstatic that David Beam is going to be a Buccaneer. He is going to be a great player at ETSU.”
PARKER CHAVERS – SS/OF – 6-0 – 175 – MONTGOMERY, ALA. (LOVELESS ACADEMIC MAGNET)
• Lettered for head coach Chad Smith
• Plays summer ball for Triton Rays Baseball
• Three-time all-metro selection
• Hit .402 with eight doubles, five triples, one home run, 35 runs scored and 15 RBI as a junior
• Stole 28 bases in 2016
COACH SKOLE ON CHAVERS…
“Parker is a fast, athletic, defensive shortstop that you are always looking for as a coach. A plus defender with great actions that continues to grow and get stronger. Parker is a charismatic athlete that is an electric runner and also hits from the left side. He will be a top-of-the-order kind of hitter that could be a great table setter and steal tons of bases.”
JUSTIN COOKE – IF/OF – 5-10 – 180 – SODDY DAISY, TENN. (SODDY DAISY HS)
• Multi-sport athlete at Soddy Daisy High School (baseball and football) playing baseball for coach Jared Hensley
• Plays summer ball for eXposure Baseball
• Named all-district in both baseball and football
• Earned all-region honors in football
• Has recorded a .325 career batting average in first three seasons at Soddy Daisy
COACH SKOLE ON COOKE…
“Justin may be the best athlete in the class. He is one of the top quarterbacks in the state of Tennessee and will only continue to get better once he devotes all of his time to baseball. Justin hits from the left side and can really apply pressure to defenses. Justin is a winner and will be an outstanding leader in our program and on our campus.”
BEN JACKSON – C/OF/IF – 5-10 – 200 – GUYTON, GA. (SAVANNAH CHRISTIAN)
• Three-sport athlete at Savannah Christian (baseball, football and wrestling) playing for Carl Carter
• Plays summer ball for Savannah Chain Baseball
• Two-time first team all-region selection in baseball
• Posted at .333 batting average with 33 RBI, 31 runs scored, 13 doubles, one triple, one home run and 18 stolen bases
• First team all-region and finished fourth in state in wrestling
COACH SKOLE ON JACKSON…
“Ben is full of energy on the field and brings with him a very infectious attitude – one we look forward in our program for years to come. Ben is a hard-nosed player who can do many different things on the field. Ben is a plus defensive catcher that can also play in the middle of the infield and also centerfield. Ben will be a very productive offensive player, and we absolutely love the combination of tools and mental make-up that he will bring to our program.”
SEAN KEARNEY – IF – 6-1 – 205 – KNOXVILLE, TENN. (KNOX CATHOLIC HS)
• Plays for former Buccaneer All-American Caleb Moore at Knox Catholic
• Plays summer ball for eXposure Baseball
• Helped guide the Irish to back-to-back state runner up honors in 2014 and 2015
• 2016 all-district selection
• Hit .280 as a sophomore and .300 as a junior
• Father (David) played soccer at Lincoln Memorial … Brother (Austin) plays baseball at Carson-Newman … Cousin Will Heflin is a LHP at Tennessee … Cousin Mika Wester is a sophomore on the women’s basketball team at Carson-Newman
COACH SKOLE ON KEARNEY…
“Sean is just an awesome kid. He is a tireless worker and an extremely smart and motivated young man. I think Sean is just beginning to tap into his talent. He is a very calm and quiet kid that really competes. He has a big upside and as he continues to fill out a very projectable athletic frame. He’s another high-character guy who will represent our program well both on and off the field. Sean has shown outstanding defensive actions on the infield and will continue to mature as a hitter with future strength gains.”
BRANDON PARROTT – 1B/OF – 6-1 -195 – SEYMOUR, TENN. (SEYMOUR HS)
• Multi-sport athlete at Seymour High School (baseball and football) for coach Kyle Koeneman
• Played summer ball for the Diamond Simcox Baseball
• Earned all-district honors in both baseball and football
• Career batting average of .425 and has belted five home runs for the Eagles
• Father (Daniel) played baseball at Roane State
COACH SKOLE ON PARROTT…
“I love the makeup and intensity that Brandon will bring to our ball club. He is one of the top linebackers on our side of the state and plays baseball with that same mentality. Brandon can play first base or a corner outfield spot. We anticipate his left-handed bat playing right away. We couldn’t be more excited about Brandon’s future at ETSU.”
NATHAN RUBLE – LHP – 6-1 – 190 – MEMPHIS, TENN. (HARDING ACADEMY OF MEMPHIS)
• Plays for head coach Al Stevens at Harding Academy of Memphis
• Plays summer ball for the Memphis Tigers Baseball
• Career record of 14-2 with a 1.27 ERA
• Recorded 136 strikeouts in 117 IP
• Named Tennessee Baseball Report Pitcher of the Year (Region 8)
• First Team All-State by TNBR
• Led Harding Academy to runner up honors at the state championship
COACH SKOLE ON RUBLE…
“We have a need for left-handed pitching and after talking with scouts and coaches we knew Nathan had a chance to be a guy who could step in and help us right away. Nathan has had an amazing high school career. He pitches into the upper 80s with a plus breaking ball. We will look for Nathan to make an immediate impact to our pitching staff, and we are very proud to have him join this recruiting class.”
BY ETSU
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