Upstate Baseball Inks Eight Players for 2013 Season
8/1/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Beall, dbeall@uscupstate.edu
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – USC Upstate head baseball coach Matt Fincher has announced the addition of eight new players for the 2013 season. Five transfers and three high school standouts highlight the incoming class.
The Spartans are coming off their most successful season over the last five years as they put together a 33-20 campaign and a second place finish in the Atlantic Sun. Gaither Bumgardner earned A-Sun Player of the Year honors, while Fincher was named the A-Sun Coach of the Year.
With the addition of five junior college transfers and three high school players, the Spartans add a perfect balance of experience and youth to continue their success for years to come.
Reid Noah | Junior | RHP | Polk State Community College
Noah played two seasons at Polk State Community College under head coach Al Corbeil. Over his two-year career at Polk State, Noah set the school record for saves in a career with 17 and most appearances with 24. He was named All-Suncoast Second-Team and Fireman of the Year in 2011. He tied the school record for most saves in a season with 11 during his freshman campaign and also set the school's all-time mark for appearances in a season with 29 during his rookie year. He tallied 68 strikeouts in 63 innings of work in two seasons and posted an earned run average of 2.66 last spring.
Tyler Lesch | Junior | OF | Seminole State Community College
Lesch played two seasons at Seminole State Community College under head coach Chris Hayes. He was a Mid-Florida First-Team All-Conference selection in 2012 and earned Male Athlete of the Year honors. He was also recognized as an All-Conference honorable mention in 2011. He hit .355 with three home runs, 30 runs batted in and 20 stolen bases during the 2012 season.
Paul Jeanot | Junior | LHP | Seminole State Community College
Jeanot played two seasons at Seminole State Community College under head coach Chris Hayes. He recorded a 2-2 record with one save last season, while posting a 3.57 earned run average in 22.2 innings of work. He was voted Most Valuable Player during his senior year at Titusville High School and earned Second-Team Cape Coast All-Conference honors.
AJ Mackey | Sophomore | INF | Sante Fe Community College
Mackey received a medical redshirt last season at Sante Fe Community College under head coach Johnny Wiggs. Transferred from Gulf Coast Community College where he started every game at shortstop and third base. He hit .250 with four home runs and 30 runs batted in.
Daniel Seeba | Junior | INF | Anne Arundel Community College
Seeba played two seasons at Anne Arundel Community College under head coach David Fletcher. He was named Second-Team all-Region 20 as a freshman and earned All-Tournament honors while hitting .343 with 30 RBI, 48 stolen bases and 39 runs scored. Seeba was named First-Team All-Region 20 as a sophomore, First-Team MD JUCO, Gold Glove in Region 20 and MD JUCO and earned Second-Team All-American honors. He recorded a .412 batting average in 2012 with eight home runs, 66 RBI and 48 stolen bases. He helped set a school record for wins with 40 during his sophomore campaign and led the Pioneers to a 70-36 record in two seasons.
Austin Goss | Freshman | RHP | Father Lopez HS
Goss played two years at Father Lopez High School under head coach Trevor Berryhill, a former Upstate starting pitcher who ranks third all-time with 278.1 innings of work. Goss helped his skipper and the Green Waves capture back-to-back district championships, while batting over .350 during his junior season. He started and led the varsity basketball team to consecutive district championships, making appearances in the sweet sixteen and elite eight. Goss played with the Central Florida baseball League Elite during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. He was ranked in the top 1,000 in the nation by Perfect Game.
Josh Howard | Freshman | RHP | South Fork High School
Howard Played four years at South Fork High School under head coach Mike Harper. He was named to the Perfect Game 2012 18U WWBA National Championship All-Tournament team when he hit .458 with two doubles, two triples, three RBI and five runs scored in the tournament. He also went 3-for-3 with a double, triple and RBI in the opening round of the WWBA National Championships.
Robbie Morris | Freshman | C | Irmo High School
Morris played four years at Irmo High School under head coach Ray Canady. He earned All-Region honors in 2010, 2011 and 2012 and received the All-State award by High School Sports Report each of those three years. He was an SCHSL Scholar-Athlete in 2012 and was named MVP of his club in 2011 and 2012. Morris was selected to play in the 2012 North-South All-Star games and was honored by Under Armour as a Preseason All-American for three consecutive seasons. He was named a "Top Prospect" by Baseball Factory in 2010 and was the recipient of the Don Mattingly Hitting Award, while being selected to the 16U National Team.
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