Baylor Baseball Announces 2003 Signing Class
11/12/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Nov. 12, 2003
WACO, Texas - Baylor baseball coach Steve Smith announced Wednesday the signing of five players to National Letters of Intent for the 2005 season. The class is made up of three high school players and two junior college players.
"The theme of this group is athleticism," Smith said. "Each of these guys has excelled at multiple positions as well as in multiple sports throughout their careers. They are all first-class young men who I expect will do very well both on the field and in the classroom. I am excited to have them choose Baylor and look forward already to having them here next fall."
Four of the five signees have Texas ties, including one Waco product in Midway High School's Ryan Lormand; the only out-of-state high school signee is Philip Reed, from Memphis, Tenn.
Two of the three high school signees are ranked among the top prospects in the state. Texas Baseball News rated RHP Randall Linebaugh as the No. 17 prospect in the state of Texas, while Baseball America/Perfect Game ranked him 32nd in Texas and No. 218 in the nation. Reed, an infielder, was named the No. 18 prospect in Tennessee by Baseball America/Perfect Game.
Last season's recruiting class was ranked 19th in the nation by Collegiate Baseball. The Bears' signing classes have ranked among the top 25 nationally each of the past three years and four times in the past six years (23rd, 1998; 25th, 2001; 13th, 2002; 19th, 2003).
Baylor saw its 2003 season end in an NCAA Super Regional defeat, losing to LSU two games to one. The Bears finished with a 45-23 record, tying the 2000 team for the second-most wins in a season by a Baylor squad, and set new team single-season marks in eight statistical categories, including batting average, hits, doubles and total bases. The year also saw Baylor players set or match single-season records for hits (David Murphy, 121), runs (Chris Durbin, 94) and doubles (Michael Griffin, 26).
2003 Baylor Baseball Signees
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. B/T Hometown (High School/College)Randall Linebaugh RHP 6-0 175 R/R Mesquite, Texas (Mesquite HS)Ryan Lormand IF 5-11 165 R/R Waco, Texas (Midway HS)Gabe Marchant OF 6-3 190 L/L Carrollton, Texas (Newman Smith HS/Paris JC)Philip Reed IF 6-1 175 S/R Memphis, Tenn. (Memphis University HS)Kevin Russo IF/RHP 5-11 195 R/R Boulder, Colo. (Fairview HS/San Jacinto College)
Randall Linebaugh went 7-1 with a 0.86 ERA as a junior in 2003 at Mesquite High School, playing for coach Todd Ritter. Linebaugh struck out 79 in 57.0 innings, allowing only 35 hits and just 29 walks. He also hit .321 with 17 stolen bases as a shortstop. Texas Baseball News rated Linebaugh as the No. 17 prospect in the state of Texas, while Baseball America/Perfect Game ranked him 32nd in Texas and No. 218 in the nation. A four-year letterman, Linebaugh was named team MVP and team pitcher of the year in addition to earning All-District 12-5A honors as a pitcher. Linebaugh's other awards include being named freshman of the year in 2001 and District 12-5A Newcomer of the Year in 2002. In 2001, he participated in the USA National Team trials.
Head Coach Steve Smith on Linebaugh: "Randall is an outstanding athlete who has excelled in a number of sports. While his primary position will be on the mound, he has the athletic ability of a shortstop. He's got a great arm and is a tremendous competitor."
Ryan Lormand, a native of Waco, hit .324 as a junior in 2003 for coach Tom Gladney at Midway High School. Lormand recorded 12 doubles and three triples and scored 25 runs for the 4A state champion Panthers. As a shortstop, he earned all-district honors and was named Super Centex honorable mention. A two-sport athlete, Lorman has lettered twice in basketball at Midway.
Head Coach Steve Smith on Lormand: "Ryan is another outstanding athlete who also excelled in basketball as a sophomore and junior in high school. He's got good hands, an above-average arm, and runs very well. He has all the tools you look for in a quality infielder."
Gabe Marchant is in his freshman year playing for coach Deron Clark at Paris Junior College after graduating from Newman Smith High School in Carrollton, Texas, last May. At Newman Smith, Marchant hit .451 with 10 doubles, three triples and five home runs for coach J.T. Blair, stealing 25 bases and scoring 41 runs. A three-year varsity starter, Marchant helped lead his team to the regional semifinals in 2001, the state quarterfinals in 2002 and the regional quarterfinals in 2003. He earned all-state honors as a senior and was named both team most valuable player and Newman Smith's Athlete of the Year.
Head Coach Steve Smith on Marchant: "We have followed Gabe from Newman Smith to Paris Junior College and have watched him really grow and improve as a player. He has great physical tools and room to grow physically. He runs and throws well enough to play any of the outfield positions and is an outstanding left-handed bat."
Philip Reed comes to Baylor from Memphis, Tenn., where he played shortstop and pitched at Memphis University School for coach Marc McMillan. Ranked as the No. 18 prospect in Tennessee by Baseball America/Perfect Game, Reed hit .422 with 13 doubles, three triples and three home runs as a junior in 2003, driving in 29 runs. He also stole 19 bases, scored 40 runs, slugged .664 and compiled a .568 on-base percentage. His teammates voted him their 2003 most valuable player and best offensive player as he earned all-metro, all-region and all-state honors. He also played three seasons of basketball, earning honorable mention all-district selection. Reed spent his 2002 and 2003 summer seasons with Dulin's Dodgers in Memphis, helping lead the squad to the 2002 AAU 17-year-old national championship and the 2002 NABF 17-year-old national championship. In 2003, Reed hit .389 with 12 doubles and was 19-of-23 on stolen base attempts. A top student, Reed ranks among the top 25 in his class and is an active volunteer in the community.
Head Coach Steve Smith on Reed: "Philip is an outstanding athlete as well as a tremendous student. He runs very well and swings the bat from both sides of the plate."
Kevin Russo was the starting shortstop in 2003 for the NJCAA World Series runner-up San Jacinto Gators, playing alongside current Bear Mike Pankratz for coach Tom Arrington. Russo hit .345 with eight home runs as a freshman and played in the 2003 Texas Junior College All-Star Games. A native of Boulder, Colo, Russo earned first-team all-state honors as a second baseman at Fairview High School under coach Rick Harig. Russo hit .478 as a junior and .442 as a senior and received Fairview's Silver Bat award each year. A four-year football letterman, Russo was the 2001 Colorado 5A most valuable player as a running back and was named regional player of the year on top of earning all-state honors. As a senior, he ran for 2,418 yards, 40 yards shy of the Colorado 5A record, and led Fairview to the state title game. Russo also lettered three times in wrestling and is a brown belt in Tae-Kwon-Do.
Head Coach Steve Smith on Russo: "Kevin plays in one of the top junior college programs in the country at San Jacinto. He has both outstanding defensive and offensive skills as well as very good speed. Kevin also possesses a closer-type arm and will be able to help us on the mound, as well."
