WKU Baseball Signs Five to National Letters of Intent

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU head baseball coach Chris Finwood announced the signing of five players to National Letters of Intent on Thursday. Current high school seniors Justin Hageman, Bret Sutton, Brian Doering and G.J. Strauss will have four years of eligibility when arriving at WKU in 2010-11, and junior college transfer Mike Mosby will have two years of eligibility remaining.

"First of all, I can't say enough about the hard work that Coach (Blake) Allen and Coach (Matt) Myers put in to this early signing class," Finwood said. "I thought they did a great job of developing relationships with the players and their families and coaches, and they really sold WKU and our baseball program.

"We really wanted to target some multi-dimensional players in this class, and that's obvious by signing four kids who are pitchers and hitters. With the scholarship limitations and roster limitations, that's something we're trying to do more of. In addition to that, we signed one of the best junior college hitters in the country in Mike Mosby, who is going to come in and have a chance to hit in the middle of our lineup right away.

"We love the arms in this class and with the pitchers who are here as freshmen right now, I think it gives us a chance to have a great pitching staff for years to come."

Below is information and comments from WKU head coach Chris Finwood about each of the five early-signing period signees:

Brian Doering - RHP/INF // 6'2" 180 // Louisville, Ky. (DuPont Manuel HS)
Doering is a corner infielder and right-handed pitcher from Louisville, Ky. Doering was an all-district and all-region performer at DuPont Manual High School each of the last two seasons. He had a good summer with the Evansville Razorbacks and is coached at Manual by Josh Wolff.

Finwood on Doering: "Brian is a bit of a late bloomer, and we really like his athleticism both on the mound and at the plate. He has an outstanding breaking pitch, and we think he has a bright future in our program. I think he was a bit overlooked on the mound this summer as he played on the same summer team as (fellow incoming Hilltopper Justin) Hageman and probably didn't get seen as much."

Justin Hageman - RHP/OF // 6'3" 210 // Hopkinsville, Ky. (Hopkinsville HS)
Hageman is one of the top players in the state and is a physical and athletic kid who has a tremendous future. In his time at Hopkinsville High School, he has been named all-district, all-region and is a nominee for Mr. Kentucky Baseball for the upcoming 2010 season. He is coached by Greg Perry at Hopkinsville High School and played this summer for the Evansville Razorbacks. He was also recruited by Louisville, Kentucky, Clemson and Coastal Carolina.

Finwood on Hageman: "Justin is a true two-way player who will have an impact on the mound and at the plate for us. He is an ultra-aggressive and competitive young man who is a fearless competitor. We expect Justin to contribute right away as a pitcher and hitter."

Mike Mosby - INF // 6'0" 200 // Hawesville, Ky. (Wabash Valley Community College)
Mosby joins the Hilltoppers by way of Wabash Valley Community College. In his first season at Wabash, Mosby was named all-conference and named to the All-Region 24 baseball team. He finished the season hitting .373 with 15 home runs, 73 RBI and 11 stolen bases. Mosby played this past summer for the Alfred Oilers, where he was selected as a First-Team New York League All-Star, hitting .300 with 12 doubles, 15 stolen bases and leading his team in RBI. He is coached by Rob Fournier at Wabash Valley Community College. He was also recruited by ULM, Coastal Carolina and Dayton.

Finwood on Mosby: "Mike is a big, strong power-hitting third baseman from former Hilltopper All-American Wade Gaynor's high school (Hancock County High School). Mike is listed as one of the top junior college hitters in this region, and we expect him to compete for a middle-of-the-order spot in the lineup right away."

G.J. Strauss - RHP/OF // 6'5" 200 // St. Louis, Mo. (Christian Brothers College HS)
Strauss is a physical, two-way potential player. He is a right-handed pitcher and corner outfielder and played this summer for Rick Strickland and the St. Louis Pirates. He is coached at Christian Brothers College High School by Mason Horne. Strauss is a two-time team MVP, first-team all-district and first-team all-conference, and was a key member of the St. Louis Pirates BCS National Championship Team in 2009. He is ranked by Perfect Game Crosschecker as the fourth-best high school prospect in Missouri and is also ranked nationally by numerous publications.

Finwood on Strauss: "G.J. is a big, strong pitching and hitting prospect that we think has a great future both on the mound and at the plate. He has a great arm and can really pitch. We expect him to develop into a premium pitching prospect during his career at WKU. He was a teammate of current Hilltoppers Matt Borgschulte and Ryan Huck on the prestigious St. Louis Pirates travel team."

Bret Sutton - RHP/INF // 6'0" 180 // Independence, Mo. (Fort Osage HS)
Sutton is one of the top players from the Kansas City, Mo., area. He is a right-handed pitcher and shortstop at Fort Osage High School. In 2009, Sutton was named first-team all-conference, first-team all-area and an all-state performer after hitting a team-leading .453. Sutton is coached at Fort Osage by Chris Walker and played this summer with Blue Springs Rod’s Athletics, coached by Mike Rooney. He also represented Team Missouri in the Junior Sunbelt Tournament in McAllister, Okla. He was also recruited by Southern Mississippi, Clemson and Alabama.

Finwood on Sutton: "Bret is another two-way player who we expect to help us on the mound and at the plate. Bret was very highly recruited mostly as a pitcher and he has a chance to be special on the mound, but we really think he will be a good hitter at this level as well. He is a fierce competitor and brings that edge to everything he does."

2010 Season Tickets Set to Go On Sale: Season tickets for the upcoming 2010 WKU baseball season will go on sale on Monday, November 30. Season ticket renewals will begin at the same time. Single-game tickets for WKU's 30 home games in 2010 will go on sale on Monday, February 1. Fans can call the WKU ticket office at (270) 745-5222 or stop by the ticket office in E.A. Diddle Arena for more information and to purchase season and single-game tickets.

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