Courtesy of GoBonnies.com
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – St. Bonaventure University baseball head coach Larry Sudbrook has announced the signing of six student-athletes – Tyler Germanowski, Tyler Kelder, Josh Pittman, Dan Stauffer, Harrison Treble and Matt Williams – to National Letters of Intent to join the program for the fall of 2017.
“We felt that with the possibility of being impacted by the Major League Baseball Draft this summer that we needed to add some quality arms and we think that Germanowski, Pittman and Treble are all guys that have the potential to be good pitchers for us,” Sudbrook said. “We also needed to bring in some corner players as well. We will address the middle infield in the spring (signing period), but we feel we have filled many of our needs with this class.”
Germanowski is a native of Ashburn, Va. who has pitched for the last three seasons with Briar Woods High. A 6’3, 185-pound right-hander, he pitched primarily as a reliever last spring, averaging over a strikeout per inning for the conference championship team. He also racked up 11 saves with a 2.29 ERA for the his summer league team, earning 2016 Rawlings Perfect Game All-American honorable mention. He has a family connection to St. Bonaventure as well with his father playing for a season in the Brown and White under Sudbrook.
SUDBROOK ON GERMANOWSKI: “Tyler is more of the prototypical Division I pitcher. He throws upper-80s, lower 90s and is projectable to be an Atlantic 10 Conference pitcher and have a chance to play beyond college. He is a kid that played on a good travel team and we think he’s a guy who projects very well.”
Kelder hails from Kingston, N.Y. and fills the Bonnies’ corner infield need going forward with a potential power bat. He batted .412 with 16 doubles as a junior and helped Kingston High to the Section 9 Class AA Championship. During his junior season he drove in 29 runs and had an on-base percentage of .464 and a .718 slugging percentage.
SUDBROOK ON KELDER: “Tyler fits the profile of a middle of the lineup bat; he has tremendous bat speed. His bat speed just jumped off the screen when we first saw him on tape. He’s going to be a corner infielder for us who might be able to play third. He’s a middle-of-the-order type of bat for us in the future.”
Pittman is another Southern recruit, coming to Bona from Culpeper, Va. The 5’11 right-handed pitcher was selected as a First Team All-State player for Highland High and was his conference’s Player of the Year. Pittman led Highland to a Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association state playoff berth with a 4-2 record, 1.58 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 35.1 innings this past spring. He also was an Honor Roll student in the classroom.
SUDBROOK ON PITTMAN: “He’s not an upper 80s, low 90s type of guy, he’s more of a mid-80s guy, but he can really pitch. He has a plus curveball and a plus changeup. To truly be a pitcher when it’s full count, bases loaded, tie score, if you have to throw your fastball you will probably get hit. He doesn’t have to do that. He is advanced from most high school kids with his ability to throw three pitches for strikes.”
A catcher from St. Mary’s, Pa., Stauffer plays his high school ball for Elk County Catholic. He hit .435 with a .580 on-base percentage with 19 RBIs as a junior and is a three-year Tri-County All-Star selection. He also hit .431 during his sophomore season.
SUDBROOK ON STAUFFER: “Dan continues a long line of successful players we have brought in from St. Mary’s, Pa. He receives and throws well and has some pop in his bat. With us graduating our starting catcher this spring, he is going to come in and compete with our two young catchers we already have for some starting time.”
Treble comes to Bonaventure from Oyster Bay, N.Y. where he hit .525 with five homers and 26 RBIs last spring. While he could see time in the outfield for the Bonnies, the coaching staff sees him primarily as a pitcher – the right-hander struck out 67 in 34.1 innings with a 1.85 ERA and a 5-1 record on the mound for Oyster Bay High.
SUDBROOK ON TREBLE: “We saw him at our own showcase. He’s a hard thrower, upper 80s. He can also touch low 90s. He may project as a closer depending on how he matures as a pitcher. He has a big arm.”
Williams is another first baseman from Sayre, Pa. where he hit .421 as a sophomore and .402 as a junior. Also a National Honor Society member in the classroom, the Bonnies coaching staff believes he will help both at the plate as well as with his defense at first.
SUDBROOK ON WILLIAMS: “He is very good with his glove, he has good hands and feet at first base and receives the ball well. We like his swing; we think he has very good bat speed and will not only be able to hit but also play solid defense at first base.”
The Bonnies have high hopes after posting a 26-22-1 record last season. The team returns a talented roster featuring 17 players who logged time a year ago including six starting position players and five pitchers from a staff that ranked fourth in the nation in team ERA in 2016. Bona opens its 2017 season Feb. 24 in Port Charlotte, Fla.
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