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Blue Hen baseball team announces new recruits 1:17 p.m., Nov. 22, 2006--The University of Delaware baseball team has signed eight scholar-athletes, including five pitchers, to National Letters of Intent during the NCAA early signing period. Joining the Fightin' Blue Hens for the 2008 season are pitcher Pat Dameron of Hilltown, Pa., and Pennridge High School; center fielder Matt Greco of Westport, Conn., and Staples High School; pitcher and third baseman Jared Olson of Chambersburg, Pa., and Frederick (Md.) Community College; pitcher Greg Caskey of Abington Pa.) High School; pitcher Corey Crispell of Hatboro-Horsham (Pa.) High School; pitcher Matt Harden of Wilmington and St. Mark's High School; infielder Jon Duvall of Fredericksburg, Va., and Mountain View High School; and catcher Chris Nehl of Herndon, Va., and Frederick Community College. “In this early signing period we addressed very specific needs of our team, which obviously is the five pitchers. We also added two position players with junior college experience,” UD Head Coach Jim Sherman said. “We think this recruiting class is as important as any class in recent years because of the number of seniors that are leaving the program after the 2007 season. Each and every one of these young men will have the opportunity to help our club immediately in the 2008 season.” As a junior at Pennridge High, Dameron earned all-league honors and participated in the Carpenter Cup baseball tournament. During American Legion play, he earned all-league honors as both a pitcher and a shortstop. On the mound, the right hander posted a 2-0 record with eight saves and a 1.71 earned run average. A team captain, Dameron hit .447 with two home runs, 12 doubles and two triples. Greco, a center fielder, earned first-team all-county honors as a sophomore in 2005 and all-county and all-area accolades in 2006. He was named to the Puma/Baseball Factory preseason All-America team in 2006 and 2007 and will serve as team captain this spring. As a junior, Greco hit .375 with five home runs, 27 runs batted in, 22 runs scored and seven stolen bases. He led Staples High in eight offensive categories. Olson is a third baseman and right-handed pitcher at Frederick Community College. On the mound in 2006, he posted a 3.60 earned run average and struck out 21 batters in 15 innings of work. In the field he hit .434 with nine home runs and 58 RBI in 53 games. He also broke school records with 23 doubles and 82 hits last season. He was a first team all-conference, all-region and All-America player, and was drafted in the 27th round by Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers. Caseky, a right-handed pitcher at Abington High, led the team in wins and strikeouts during both his sophomore and junior seasons. He earned all-league honorable mention honors and was named the team's best varsity pitcher as a sophomore in 2005. He is also a two-time captain of the swimming team at Abington, and is a three-year district qualifier in both freestyle and relay events. Crispell is a right-handed pitcher at Hatboro-Horsham High and through three seasons he has posted a record of 16-6. As a junior in 2006, he went 7-1 with a 2.71 ERA and struck out 45 batters in 59.1 innings. He also pitched 28 consecutive scoreless innings for his American Legion team over the summer, including 14 consecutive no-hit innings, on his way to a 0.94 ERA. He is a three-time All-Suburban One pitcher, a three-time Lower Montco All-Legion pitcher and a 2006 Collegiate Baseball newspaper player to watch. Harden is a right-handed pitcher for St. Mark's High. As a sophomore in 2005, he hit .328 for the Delaware state champions. As a junior in 2006, Harden posted a 1.78 ERA and struck out 68 in 43 innings while earning all-state honors. Harden, who will serve as team captain this spring, hit .311 with five home runs and 26 RBI. Harden is the younger brother of former Blue Hen baseball players Steve and Dave Harden. Duvall is an infielder at Mountain View High. He hit .460 and struck out only three times in 2006, while earning second-team all-area honors. He was selected to play in the 2006 Virginia Commonwealth Games and earned his team's most valuable player award. Duvall hit .436 in a summer wooden bat league following his sophomore season. Nehl, a catcher at Frederick Community College, hit .448 with five home runs and 60 RBI while being named second-team all-conference and second-team all-region in 2006. As a senior at Herndon High School in 2005, Nehl hit .375 with seven home runs and 29 RBI and earned all-district honors. He was honorable mention all-metro as a junior and was an honorable mention all-state selection as a sophomore. The Hens will open the 2007 season with a three-game series at the University of Richmond Feb. 23-25. |
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