Baseball Inks Four In Early Signing Period
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – Jonathan Diaz, Zachary Edwards, Cameron Carney and Nathan Shaw have all signed National Letters of Intent (NLI) to join the St. Bonaventure baseball team in fall 2011, head coach Larry Sudbrook announced Monday.
Diaz, a native of Pembroke Pines, Fla. who currently resides in New Paltz, N.Y., joins the Bonnies from New Paltz Senior High School. He was chosen as an All-Section 9 centerfielder in 2009 and 2010, and was a New York State Sportswriters Association (NYSSWA) all-state fourth-team selection in 2010 following his junior year. As a junior, Diaz had a .568 batting average with eight home runs, a .641 on-base percentage and was 20-for-22 (91 percent) in stolen base attempts in only 16 games.
"He has the rare combination of power and speed," Sudbrook said of Diaz. "As an outfielder, we think Jonathan is going to be able to come in, go first-to-third, steal a base and still have the ability to hit doubles and triples."
Carney won't be too far from his roots when he arrives on St. Bonaventure's campus next fall, as the Niagara Falls, N.Y. product will bring his pitching talents to the mound of Fred Handler Park. During his junior campaign at Niagara Falls High School, Carney went 6-2 with 67 strikeouts while issuing just 23 walks and finishing with a 1.39 ERA. He also displayed his hitting prowess, as he hit .411 and drove in 19 runs on 23 hits.
"Cam is going to get bigger and stronger when we get him in the weight room," Sudbrook surmised. "He has a good second pitch, so we think he's a guy who should be able to be an Atlantic 10 Conference pitcher (top three on the staff) for us."
From Hudson High School in Hudson, Ohio, Edwards was recognized as a top-10 prospect at the Under Armour Midwest National Showcase as a junior in 2010 who also participated in the Buckeye Scout All-Star Game. Edwards posted a 3-1 mark for Hudson as a junior, striking out 29 in 28 innings pitched, while only surrendering 22 hits. During the summer, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound righthander went 5-3 while striking out 51 in 49 innings and wrapped up two complete games and two saves.
"Zac isn't the biggest guy, but he's a strike thrower; he pounds the strike zone with all three pitches," Sudbrook commented. "He throws in the mid-80s with a good breaking ball and changeup, and we think he's going to be successful at the college level because he's a strike thrower with three pitches."
Edwards will have a familiar face joining him next fall, as high school teammate Shaw will accompany him to St. Bonaventure. Shaw has started on the varsity team since his sophomore year, and on the summer circuit he has achieved a career batting average of .386, slugging percentage of .497 and on-base percentage of .486. He has also succeeded academically as he has been named an Ohio High School Scholar Athlete by maintaining at least a 3.5 GPA.
"Nate is a very good athlete," Sudbrook said. "He's got good hands and good feet with some good bat speed. We think he's going to be someone who does more than just hit home runs; he's going to play some defense as well."
