Rose Signs Fourteen Recruits for the 2011 Season

MONTEVALLO, Ala. – The University of Montevallo baseball head coach Chandler Rose announced the signing of fourteen recruits for the 2011 season. This class marks the first for Rose as the head of the Falcon baseball program.

“I am excited about this class and the quality of the individual both on and off the field,” said Rose. “I believe this group of young men provides us with a solid foundation to build upon in the coming years. The strongest attribute that this class brings is their athleticism. We should be much more athletic and deeper at every position and have also added some quality arms to the pitching staff. I also believe we have added some guys that will provide great leadership for this program, which will be invaluable as we move forward.” 

Infielder Jeremy Boyte comes to Montevallo as a junior after spending the last two seasons at Gulf Coast Community College. Boyte was named Second Team All-Conference last season. As a sophomore he hit .343, with nine doubles, nine home runs and 40 RBI. He posted a .323 batting average with two home runs, 10 doubles and 35 RBI offensively for GCCC as a freshman. On the mound he recorded one win and one save in 13 innings pitched while only walking three. His opponent's batting average was a mere .196.

He prepped at Russell County High School for four years. His junior year he was named Second Team All-Bi City and Second Team All-State. He continued his success in his senior campaign where he was also named Second Team All-Bi City and 2nd Team All-State.

“Jeremy is another great athlete that we expect to come in and play on the left side of the infield,” said Rose. “He possesses a lot of tools and should make an immediate impact and be another run producer. He should add some power and speed to our lineup immediately.”

Right-handed pitcher Edward Brandsema comes to Montevallo after prepping at Cypress Creek High School near Orlando, Florida where he pitched for just one season after converting from catcher. He also competed for the Orlando Scorpions during the fall and summer.

“Ed is an intriguing player that just started pitching this past season,” said Rose. “He is a converted catcher and has really developed on the mound quickly in a short amount of time. It will be interesting to see how he progresses, but he possesses a power arm and has a lot of room to grow. He should come in and compete for innings out of the bullpen”

Right-handed pitcher and utility player Justin Burgess joins the Falcons as a freshman. The Tampa native attended The First Academy and was named First Team All-Conference after hitting .440 with four homeruns and 36 RBI. His junior season saw him become First Team All-Conference also while hitting .460 with three homeruns and 28 RBI. Burgess comes to the Falcons as an infielder. He was also a member of the Orlando Scorpions during the fall and summer.

“Justin brings a lot of athleticism to our team,” said Rose. “He can pitch, play middle infield, and also play the outfield. He is a very good athlete and can run a little bit as well. His versatility will be invaluable to help him get on the field in many different ways.”

Left-handed pitcher and utility player Devon Davis joins the Falcons as a sophomore after spending last season at Indiana Tech. There he hit .341 and led the team in wins in fall baseball. Davis prepped at Mason High School. In his junior year, he led the team in batting average, was named GMC All-Conference in 2009, was named an All-City Honorable Mention in 2009 and was Pulse Journal Athlete of the Week in that same season after leading the conference in putouts.

Davis played baseball this summer with the Ohio Heat where he set a franchise record for pick-offs (11) while striking out 69 batters and only walking twelve. He also hit .495 with seventeen extra-base hits.

“Devon is a two-way player that will compete for innings on the mound and can also play first and outfield,” said Rose. “Devon has a big frame and lots of room to grow. I am glad we have three years with him as I believe he has a lot of potential and a promising future.”

Right-handed pitcher Will Dismukes comes to Montevallo after spending last season at Enterprise State Community College. There he pitched in 15 games, had a 5.10 ERA and averaged a blistering 9.68 strikeouts per nine innings pitched. He threw a no-hitter against Gadsden State. He was 4-5 with one save and had 72 strikeouts in 67 innings pitched.

Dismukes prepped at Autauga Academy. In 2008, the 6-3 pitcher was named First Team All-Metro, named to the AISA All-Star game where he pitched left and right handed and was named the game’s MVP. Dismukes was again First Team All-Metro in 2007 while also being named First Team All-State and an AISA All-Star.

“Will has the best arm in this class,” said Rose. “He has a chance to be very good and I look for him to come in and be a big contributor immediately. He should also be competing for a weekend rotation spot.”

Infielder Will Fulmer will join the Falcons as a freshman out of East Lake High School. As a senior, he was injured but named the team’s co-captain. In his junior season, he was tied for the county lead in home runs (6) and RBI (29). The year before, he was named to the Dunedin Spring Break All-Tournament team and as a freshman he was named East Lake “Outstanding Freshman,” was named to the AAU All-Tournament team, and National Youth Baseball Academic All-American. He also competed for the Orlando Baseball Academy during the fall and summer.

“Will is a tremendous baseball player,” said Rose. “He will bring a hard-nosed attitude to our team and is a great competitor. He will also add a lot of athleticism and baseball savvy to our team. He can play either middle infield positions and I look for him to compete for early playing time.”

Left-handed pitcher Alex Guilford will join the Falcon program as a freshman out of Alabama Christian Academy. Last season he pitched an 11-1 record with a microscopic 1.30 ERA including ten complete games and three shutouts. He tossed 67 strikeouts, held opponents to a .167 batting average and was named 2010 All-Metro 1A-4A Pitcher of the Year and an All-State pitcher. In 2009, he was named First Team All-Metro 1A-4A while pitching to a 6-3 record with two saves and a 3.18 ERA. In his sophomore year, he played first base and was named All-Metro Honorable Mention 1A-4A.

“Alex is a projectable lefty that will throw strikes and mixes speeds well,” said Rose. “With added strength I believe he can be very effective for us and has a great future. I expect Alex to compete for innings out of our bullpen.”

Infielder Pablo Martell will come to the Falcons as a freshman from St. Thomas Aquinas High School. There the infielder was a Gold Glove award recipient his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. Also, he was named Scholar Athlete each of his four years in high school.  Martell earned the batting award his junior and senior seasons and was selected for the All-Broward County Team in his senior campaign. The Hollywood, Florida native helped lead his team to District championships in his sophomore and senior seasons and the state semi-finals in his last season. In his senior year, he hit .408 with five homeruns and a .725 slugging percentage.

“Pablo is another young man with great athletic ability,” said Rose. “He comes from another winning program at St. Thomas Aquinas and played in the State finals this season. He can play anywhere on the infield and will also add some speed to the lineup. He has a great passion for baseball and I expect him to compete for playing time immediately and push the guys around him.”

First baseman Heath Peterson will join the Falcons after spending the last two seasons at Chattahoochee Valley Community College. There he was a two-year starter at first base. His sophomore season he hit .391 for the second-ranked community college in the country. He hit nine homeruns last year as well. During his freshman season, he led the team and conference for most of the year in RBI. He finished second on the team in runs batted in. His career batting average at CVCC was .331.

Peterson prepped at Central High School where, as a senior, he pitched and played first. He hit .361 and led the team in RBI and home runs. He was selected as an All Bi-City player and was selected to play in the Alabama East/West All-Star game where he started at first base. Peterson’s sophomore season he started at third and at catcher and won the team’s Academic Athlete Award for highest overall GPA again after earning it his freshman season as well. In that freshman campaign, he led the team in batting average.

“Heath has tremendous size but is also a great athlete,” said Rose. “His power potential is unlimited and I look for him to step in and be a big run producer for us. He comes from a great program at Chattahoochee Valley so I expect him to bring that winning culture and leadership with him.”

Utility player Vincent Rodriguez joins the Falcons after prepping at Shades Valley High School.  Last season he was named Baseball Scholar Athlete of the Week. He hit for a .441 average while knocking three homeruns and 50 RBI. In 2009, he swatted at a .382 rate, hit three homeruns and 32 RBI.

“Vinny is another athletic player that can do many things,” said Rose. “He is very advanced offensively for his age and I believe he will eventually become a power bat in the lineup. He has a very exciting future ahead of him at Montevallo.”

Catcher Blaine Rosenberg will join the Falcons as a junior after spending the last two seasons at Furman.  There he hit .196 in limited action in his sophomore season. Rosenberg prepped at Oak Mountain High School and was a highly-touted decorated recruit. He was the Shelby County Preseason Player of the Year heading into his senior season (2008). Rosenberg was an East/West All Star and a All-Metro catcher. In his junior season, he was an All-Metro Honorable Mention and was named to the Alabama Top 100. Hit .325 with two home runs and 26 RBI his senior year at Oak Mountain.

“Blaine brings us two years of experience and I also look for him to bring a lot of leadership,” said Rose. “He will add a left handed power bat to the line-up to go along with a hard-nosed mentality behind the plate. I look for Blaine to compete for the starting catching position.”

Right-handed pitcher Michael Shreves will join the Falcons as a sophomore. He spent last season at Manatee Community College. He had a 2.41 ERA with 23 strikeouts in just 18.2 innings pitched. His team advanced to the NJCAA World Series. In high school he pitched his junior season and was named to the All-Area Team. Each season he was awarded the “White M” award, indicating he maintained a 3.5 GPA.

“I am really excited about Mike’s potential,” said Rose. “He played shortstop his entire senior year of high school before pitching exclusively this season at Manatee CC. He threw a lot of important innings for a team that was just in the World Series so I expect him to bring that experience and winning attitude with him. If Mike continues to work hard and develop I expect him to be competing for a weekend rotation spot.”

Catcher Alec Stiver joins the Falcons as a freshman after prepping at Venice High School in Englewood, Florida. He was named the team’s defensive player of the year in his senior season and an All-Area Honorable Mention by the Sarasota Herald Tribune. Stiver hit .318 in his senior season.

“Alec comes from a rich baseball program in Venice High School,” said Rose. “Alec is a solid player all around and has a great frame. I believe he is going to be a very offensive catcher and has a great future in our program. He should compete for early playing time behind the plate as well.”

Outfielder Kirk Waligora will join the Falcons as a senior. He comes to Montevallo after spending the 2010 season at Lambuth University. There the centerfielder hit .385 with 21 RBI. Before that, he spent a season at Lansing Community College where he hit .343 with 14 extra-base hits and 16 RBI. He was named All-Academic in his conference, the Michigan Community College Athletic Association and was named All-Conference in 2009. Waligora prepped at Hartland High School in Hartland Michigan where he played three seasons.

“Kirk is going to bring a lot of experience and leadership to our program,” said Rose. “He can also really run and track it down in center field. He had a great season last year at Lambuth and we are excited he has decided to come to Montevallo.”