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| Photo courtesy of Northwestbearcats.com, your source for Bearcats Athletics |
Regarding the early signings to the Class of 2014, Coach Darin Loe said, “These three guys are a great beginning to our 2014 recruiting class,” said Loe. “They fulfill our immediate needs and we expect all of them to come in and compete for playing time immediately.”
In an article published by the St. Joseph News-Press (see a link to their story below):
http://www.newspressnow.com/opinion/blogs/sports/west_by_northwest/article_d88c035c-de1c-574f-a37c-77d9b952b3cd.html
"Northwest Missouri State baseball coach Darin Loe announced the signings of three incoming student-athletes Thursday, a class which includes Brad Roberts (Cairo, Mo.), Nick McKinney (Naperville, Ill.) and Jay Hrdlicka (West Des Moines, Iowa).
All three players will be freshmen starting in the fall of 2014."
Here is a breakdown of each signee from various media reports:
Brad Roberts - According to multiple media outlets, Brad is a stand-out two-sport athlete excelling in both baseball and basketball. Roberts received "multiple" All-State awards in both baseball and basketball. In both fall and spring baseball, Roberts boasts a 33-4 record with 5 saves. In what must be a career high school total, Roberts worked 217 innings, allowed 49 hits, struck-out 367 batters, and walked 79 batters. Brad's goal is to compete for a starting rotation position in his first season with the Bearcats. Jeff Schleicher, Roberts' high school baseball coach, spoke very highly of the young man and what he meant to coach's baseball program.
Brad was an All-Conference pitcher for Northeast R-IV High School in Cairo, Missouri in 2013 and earned his team's MVP award. He was named All-District and All-State in each of the past 3 seasons.
Outside of baseball, Roberts is a member of the National Honor Society, Student Council, and Honor Roll.
You can listen to some interviews with Brad by clicking on the link below:
http://centralmoinfo.com/ROBERTS-WILL-STAY-A-BEARCAT/17790039
Coach Loe's comments about Brad according to Northwestbearcats.com, “Brad is a polished hard throwing right handed pitcher that we expect to come in and make an immediate impact,” explained Loe. “He is a great overall athlete as he had to make a difficult decision whether to play basketball or baseball. We are certainly excited he choose to play baseball at the next level.”
Nick McKinney - Standing 6'2", weighs 180 lbs, the right-handed 18-year-old baseball player is a pitcher and will graduate from Downers Grove South High School in Naperville, Illinois. According to a recruiting site, Nick's fastball tops out at 83 mph with a change-up and breaking ball in the low 70s.
Here is a personal statement from McKinney from the site: "Hi Coach, My name is Nick McKinney and I will be a Senior at Downers Grove South HS this upcoming year. I have been playing baseball ever sense I can remember It's my absolute passion. I pride myself on my work ethic, and the ability to excel in any situation I am thrown into whether it be on or off the field. I am a side-arm pitcher. I command my fastball, changeup, and slider very well and throwing strikes and not walking any batters is very important to me. As a side-arm pitcher my mindset is to pound the zone while keeping the ball low to generate outs for my team. My academics are very important to me and my family. I've maintained a 3.0 GPA or higher throughout high school and my goal for Senior year is a 4.0 GPA and to raise my ACT this fall. I excel in the areas of History and English. I am open to looking at schools in all divisions and locations. My goal is to find a program where I can get a great education while contributing on the mound. I will be working extremely hard this offseason on my mechanics and improving myself as a pitcher in all aspects. I hope to hear from you and possibly set up a phone call or visit. Thanks for taking the time to look at my profile. Nick McKinney"
You can watch video and link to the site by clicking below:
http://www.ncsasports.org/baseball-recruiting/il/downers-grove/downers-grove-south-high-school/nick-mckinney
According to Northwestbearcats.com, "McKinney comes to Northwest after a standout career at Downers Grove South High School. The right handed side-armer had a 1.76 ERA in 22 innings as a junior, recording seven saves. He won a state and a summer league title as well as an Illinois Regional title. An honor roll student, McKinney played for coach Darren Orel."
Coach Loe's comments about McKinney: “Nick is a side arm pitcher who has a great feel for that unique arm angle,” Loe said. “He has had great success at the high school level and we expect Nick to be a key performer coming out of our bullpen.”
Jay Hrdlicka - Standing 5'10", weighing 180 lbs, Jay will graduate from Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. His primary position is Catcher and his secondary position is 2B according to a recruiting website. His 60' speed is clocked at 7.48 seconds. Jay's top speed at throwing from the outfield is clocked at 78 mph, while his top speed throwing from the infield is 77 mph, and finally his top speed clocked at throwing from the catcher position is 77 mph.
You can watch video of Hrdlicka by clicking on the recruiting site's link below but it requires a subscription to view:
https://www.perfectgame.org/players/playerprofile.aspx?ID=307478
Images of Hrdlicka are also available by clicking on the recruiting site below:
http://www.berecruited.com/high-schools/iowa/west-des-moines/valley-high-school/baseball
According to Northwestbearcats.com, "Hrdlicka earned All-America honorable mention accolades from Perfect Game last season while playing for head coach Brady Weber at Valley High School. He also earned all-tournament team honors at the Kernels Foundation Tournament."
Outside of baseball, Hrdlicka is an academic all-conference honoree and earned an academic letter four times in high school. He is also a member of the National Honor Society.
Coach Loe's comments about Hrdlicka: “Jay is a solid defensive catcher with a great swing,” said Loe. “He can throw as good or better than any other catcher I have had the opportunity to coach. He is a guy that will come into our program and immediately have the ability to completely shut down our opponents running game.”
You can read the Northwestbearcats.com article by clicking on the link below:
http://www.nwmissouri.edu/sports/baseball/2014/pressreleases/112213.htm
The B2R welcomes Jay, Nick, and Brad to the Bearcat baseball family. You will find success through hard work and determination. You can expect tremendous competition with talented athletes from the team, the MIAA conference, and support from the Bearcat Nation.
Go Cats!!
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