Baseball Welcomes New Bears to Class
8/27/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Aug. 27, 2003
WACO, Texas - The Baylor baseball program welcomed 10 new players to campus this week as fall classes began Monday.
Continuing a recent trend, seven of the 10 signees come from Texas, with the three out-of-state students coming from Arizona, Arkansas and Tennessee. Four of the Texas natives who signed with Baylor out of high school were ranked among the 45 best prospects in the state by Baseball America/Perfect Game. Texas Baseball News named Baylor signees Cory Van Allen and Jeff Mandel the No. 4 and No. 13 prospects in the state, respectively.
Three of the 10 signees who attended class Monday chose Baylor this summer: Paul Miles, an outfielder from Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas; Blake Tully, a first baseman from Midway High School in Waco; and Drew Sutton, a switch-hitting shortstop from Texarkana College who will be a junior in 2004.
Also entering classes were previously-announced signees Jason Corley, Erik Forestiere, Kerr Foster, Mandel, Xerxes Martin, Mike Pankratz and Van Allen.
Van Allen (third round, Los Angeles Dodgers), Zane Carlson (16th round, San Diego Padres) and Jared Theodorakos (25th round, Milwaukee Brewers) were each drafted in last June's Major League Baseball amateur draft, but decided to come to Baylor instead. Van Allen, a left-handed pitcher/first baseman, was drafted out of Clements High School in Sugar Land, Texas; Carlson and Theodorakos were each college juniors in 2003 who decided to return for their senior seasons.
Round Rock High School infielder Travis Schlichting was the only Bear signee not to make it to campus as he signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in June after being selected in the fourth round of the Major League draft.
Joining Schlichting among those signing pro were Baylor underclassmen David Murphy (Boston Red Sox) and Trey Webb (Montreal Expos). The pair of seniors-to-be were each drafted in June and decided to bypass their senior seasons to enter the professional ranks.
The Bears begin fall practices on Monday, Sept. 29. The team will go through a series of 21 intrasquad games leading up to the bi-annual Baylor Baseball Alumni Weekend, to be held Oct. 17-18. The fall series begins just after the 2003 Texas-New Mexico Junior College All-Star Weekend, to be hosted by the Bears at Baylor Ballpark Sept. 26-27.
