Charlotte Baseball Adds Five More to 2005 Signing Class
Aug. 26, 2005
Charlotte, N.C. - Charlotte 49ers head baseball coach Loren Hibbs announced today that five more student-athletes had signed to play for the Niners in 2006, bringing the total freshman class to ten high school standouts. Charlotte had inked five local players during the early signing period last fall.
Signing with Charlotte during the spring period were Jeff Bohlen, Tyson Hibbs, Michael Maples, Alan Parks, and Kyle Pfirrman.
"We met our objectives with the spring portion of our recruiting class," said Hibbs. "We added depth with both our left hand pitching and left hand hitting situations.
"Recruiting in this day is non-stop and the outstanding work ethic of our staff, especially assistant coaches Brandon Hall and Bo Durkac, has allowed us to sign additional student-athletes. We feel as though these individuals, along with our fall signees and returning players, give us a solid base to compete in the upper tier of the Atlantic 10 Conference."
Jeff Bohlen comes to Charlotte from Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, Illinois. A left-handed hitting infielder, Bohlen was an all-East Suburban Catholic Conference selection as a senior. He helped guide the Spartans to a 20-16 overall record and a spot in regional play. Bohlen was a special mention All-Area selection by the Chicago Sun-Times. In the summer, he played with the Top Tier/Full Package Under-18 team
"Jeff's commitment to our program is a byproduct of our overall plan to expand the scope of our recruiting efforts," says Hibbs. "He comes to us from the Chicago area and we feel as though he has a chance to develop as a hitter. He has played against quality competition and we are excited about adding him to our program."
Tyson Hibbs, the son of head coach Loren Hibbs, will remain in the Charlotte area after attending Independence High School. A left-handed hitting outfielder, Hibbs was on Independence's 2004 MECA 8 Conference championship team, which won the Western regional and finished as North Carolina runners-up. Hibbs joins high school teammate Aaron Bray, who signed during the early period.
"Tyson brings a tremendous knowledge of the game and how it should be played at this level," said Hibbs. "He is a left hand hitter who runs well and will add depth to our outfield situation. He has played in the Senior Little League Regional final as well as the North Carolina State Championships."
Michael Maples joins the Niners from nearby Ashbrook High School in Gastonia, N.C. The left-handed pitcher was an All-Big South Conference selection and played on the Green Wave's 2003 North Carolina state championship team.
"Michael is a left hand pitcher with a quality arm," according to Hibbs. "He is a good athlete and has gained valuable experience playing at both the high school and legion ball levels. We are excited about adding him to the pitching mix and feel as though he will give us a chance to create competition within our pitching staff."
Alan Parks is the third signee from nearby North Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, joining prep teammates Sam Pierce and Zach Rosenbaum. He was on North Meck's conference championship team in 2005, helping the Vikings to a 20-5 record. He also played for the Carolina Copperheads during the summer.
"Alan attended one of our camps last fall and we felt with additional time, he could develop into a possible recruit," said Hibbs. "We saw him again this spring and he had made additional improvement. He gives us a left hand hitter outfielder who has also pitched at times. He comes from a quality program at North Meck and we are happy he decided to become a 49er."
Kyle Pfirrman guided Stephen T. Baden High School to an Ohio Division II state championship game appearance, where the Rams finished second overall. He was the only pitcher on the first-team all-Greater Catholic League team, the second time he earned first-team honors, and was on the Enquirer G.C.L. All-Star team. According to that paper, Pfirrman was 11-1 with a 1.70 ERA while hitting .412 as a senior.
"Kyle really came on this spring," says Hibbs. "Coach Hall saw him at the tail end of his high school season and thought he had a chance to help us. He is left handed with a good idea how to pitch. His velocity has improved and he has a good feel for his change up. He comes to us from the same area that produced former 49er pitchers Brion and Zach Treadway. We are excited to have him in Charlotte."
Charlotte Baseball received commitments from five local standouts in the fall signing period, welcoming Aaron Bray, Alex Chapman, Sam Pierce, Zach Rosenbaum and Dusty White into the fold. Each is a standout player at a Charlotte-Mecklenburg area high school.
"We met several of our objectives with the fall portion of our recruiting class," said Hibbs. "We increased the talent level of our pitching staff, which should translate into more competition for innings. We also increased competition for playing time at all of our infield spots. We signed local players who are very familiar with our program and come from solid family backgrounds."
Aaron Bray (Charlotte, N.C.) played middle infield for Independence High School, and batted .452 as a junior in 2004. Bray helped lead the Patriots to the state 4A finals, earning All-Charlotte Observer, All-Mecklenburg County and All MECA 8 Conference honors along the way. He closed out his high school career this spring by being named the designated hitter on the All-Mecklenburg County team.
"Aaron is a left handed hitter who really competes," says Coach Hibbs. "He has played in a quality program at Independence for Ron Coltrane and in the summer for Jeff McNeely. Both Ron and Jeff have done a tremendous job developing Aaron's baseball skills. We expect him to continue making improvement as this year progresses. We are excited about adding him to our program."
Alex Chapman (Morganton, N.C.) earned back-to-back-to-back Northwest 4A All-Conference honors while serving as team captain at Freedom High School. Chapman played football through his junior season, when he earned All-NW4A Conference honors. His versatility was one of the qualities that the Charlotte staff liked in the future short stop.
"Alex is an athlete who played football and baseball up until just this year," Hibbs said. "We really like guys who are combination sport guys (football/baseball). Alex fits that mold. He has played SS, 2B and the outfield. Coach Williams at Freedom has done a good job with Alex and the experience he was able to get this summer with the Diamond Devils (Perfect Game Summer Tournament Champions) was invaluable."
As right-handed pitchers from the same high school signing in the same class, Sam Pierce and Zach Rosenbaum (North Mecklenburg High School) will probably be linked together for some time to come.
Pierce (Davidson, N.C.) is a six-foot right-hander who should compete for time on the mound out of the bullpen. He posted six saves in 2005 for his 27-6 club. According to the Huntersville Herald, Pierce was 5-2 with 33 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings, posting a 2.45 ERA in 2004.
Said Hibbs: "Sam is a guy we saw for the first time in our camp a few years ago. He was a shortstop who also pitched. We liked him on the mound because he was very athletic and had deception. He loves to compete and has a lot of energy. He looks to have the mentality it takes to throw in short relief at this level. We expect him to compete as a freshman for our short relief role."
In 2005, Rosenbaum (Huntersville, N.C.) earned his second straight all-conference honor. In 2004, he was 11-0 with a 1.14 ERA and struck out 78 batters in 61 innings for North Meck, according to the Charlotte Observer. The honors didn't stop at Team MVP for the 6-foot-4 junior. An All-Charlotte Observer selection, Rosenbaum also earned All-State, All ME-CA 8 and All-Mecklenburg honors. The 2003 conference tournament most valuable player earned a gold medal playing in the state games in 2004.
"Zach was the number one starter at North Meck and one of the top arms in this region," according to Hibbs. "Head coach Mark King has done a tremendous job at North and we feel like Zach has the most upside of anyone we have signed this fall. His arm works well and his body has a chance to fill out over the next several years. We are excited about his decision to be a 49er."
Combination hitter/pitcher Dusty White (Charlotte, N.C./Hopewell High School) was a utility selection on the 2005 first-team All-Mecklenburg County team, hitting .400 and posting a 7-3 record on the mound as a senior. The most improved player on his squad in 2003, White played on the 2004 AAU and USSSA state championship teams. His USSSA club was ranked fourth in the nation. According to the Huntersville Herald, the left-handed hitter batted .321 in 2004 and led Hopewell in doubles (7) and RBI (21).
"Dusty is a left handed hitter with a big frame and some arm strength," according to Hibbs. "Our strength coach, Jim Krumpos, will really help Dusty. We see Dusty as a first baseman that has a chance to hit as his body develops." At 6-foot-6, White would match junior pitcher Lee Skaggs as the team's tallest player.
On the mound, the three-year honor student is a right-handed pitcher and coach Hibbs says that he will get chance to show the staff he can pitch at the college level. "He has pitched some and will get a look on the mound as well," said Hibbs. "Coach Billings (Hopewell) really likes his potential and, like Aaron Bray, Dusty is another quality player from the Charlotte Megastars coached by Jeff McNeely."
"This is our third recruiting class as a staff," Hibbs commented, "and all of us have evaluated every recruit at least once. With only one senior in our program, we feel as though this class, in combination with our 2003 and 2004 classes, give us a solid base to compete in the upper tier of the Atlantic 10 as we enter the conference this year."
Charlotte 49ers Baseball 2005 Signees
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School)
Jeff Bohlen INF 5-9 185 Chicago Heights, Ill. (Marian Catholic)
Aaron Bray INF 6-0 165 Charlotte, N.C. (Independence)
Alex Chapman INF 5-11 170 Morgantown, N.C. (Freedom)
Tyson Hibbs OF 5-6 140 Charlotte, N.C. (Independence)
Michael Maples LHP 6-1 177 Gastonia, N.C. (Ashbrook)
Alan Parks OF 6-0 190 Cornelius, N.C. (North Mecklenburg)
Kyle Pfirrman LHP 6-2 190 Hamilton, Ohio (Stephen T. Baden)
Sam Pierce RHP 6-0 175 Davidson, N.C. (North Mecklenburg)
Zach Rosenbaum RHP 6-4 190 Huntersville, N.C. (North Mecklenburg)
Dusty White 1B/RHP 6-6 215 Charlotte, N.C. (Hopewell)
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