TCC Baseball announces 2015 signing class
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (February 16, 2015) - Tallahassee Community College baseball head coach Mike McLeod has announced the signing of 14 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent for the 2015-16 season.
The signees include eight pitchers, two catchers, two infielders and two outfielders and all 14 hail from either the states of Florida (9) or Georgia (5). In-state signees are from Miami (4), Jacksonville (2), Tampa (1), Orlando (1) and Tallahassee (1).
McLeod, who has over 800 career wins, said this signing class addresses the Eagles' needs and may be as good as any he remembers in his 25 years at Tallahassee.
"I am extremely excited to bring these young men into our program," McLeod said. "We feel we have filled our needs by signing a deep class that features some quality players and pitchers. Not only do we feel these players have great skills, we feel they are great student-athletes with great character as well."
Here is a closer look at the Eagles' 2015 signing class:
LHP Skylar Arias, 6'3, 165 pounds (Orange Park, FL/Oakleaf HS)
Arias is a tall, slender lefty who features an upper-80s fastball and a sweeping breaking ball. He struck out 48 batters in 36 innings with an ERA of 1.91 during his junior year at Oakleaf HS. Arias is a product of the Coastal Prospects summer team.
TCC coaching staff on Arias: "Skylar is an interesting prospect. Mechanically, he is different than most, but it works for him. He has a delivery along the lines of (Chicago White Sox pitcher) Chris Sale. He's all arms and legs and he sort of slings the ball, but it seems to cause problems for the hitters he faces because he has high strikeout numbers. We think he is one of the top left-handers in the state."
RHP Brooks Buckler, 6'3, 195 pounds (Norcross, Ga./Norcross HS)
A product of the well-known East Cobb Astros summer program and a 2014 Honorable Mention Perfect Game Underclass All-American, Buckler is a big-game pitcher, who possesses an 88-89 mph fastball with late sinking action. He has an ERA of 2.88 in his high school career and has lost just one game in three years with the East Cobb summer program, where he finished with a 0.58 last summer.
TCC coaching staff on Buckler: "Brooks was sought after by several mid-major division I programs, so we are very excited that he chose to begin his collegiate career with us. Brooks is a winner. He knows how to compete and we expect he will be a big part of our pitching staff in 2016."
C Manny Chavarria, 6'0, 185 pounds (Smithville, Ga./Lee County HS)
Chavarria is another honorable mention 2014 Perfect Game Underclass All-American as well as the cousin of Florida State University legend and World Series Champion Buster Posey of the San Francisco Giants. Chavarria has an athletic blend of strength and quickness that serves him well behind the plate.
TCC coaching staff on Chavarria: "Manny is a solid defender behind the plate with a strong arm and quick release. Offensively, he has an aggressive, line-drive approach. More importantly, he has he leadership skills you want to see in a catcher."
LHP Chris Corneil, 6'2, 205 pounds (Tallahassee, Fla./North Florida Christian School)
Corneil is yet another strong prospect from coach Mike Posey and the North Florida Christian baseball program. The strong lefty has a three-pitch mix that includes an upper 80's fastball, change-up and a power curveball.
TCC coaching staff on Corneil: "Chris has a chance to develop into an outstanding left-handed pitcher. He has showed marked improvement during the past six to 12 months and we look forward to his continued development once he arrives on campus."
LHP Felix Dieguez, 5'10, 188 pounds (Tampa, Fla./Leto HS)
Dieguez is a power lefty from the Tampa area, who features a fastball sitting in the 88-90 mph range. Dieguez has been a three-year varsity player for the Falcons. He finished 2014 with an ERA of 3.03 in 39.1 innings pitched, striking out 32 batters.
TCC coaching staff on Dieguez: "We saw Felix pitch here at our place for his American Legion team. Hard-throwing lefties are hard to find, so we were pleased to add him to the signing class the moment we learned he had an interest in coming to TCC. He's yet another strong addition to this deep recruiting class."
RHP Jose Gorordo, 6'0, 155 pounds (Miami, Fla./South Dade Senior HS)
Gorordo, armed with a 90 mph fastball and an 82 mph slider, led South Dade to its first state championship as the winning pitcher in the Class 8A state championship game last Spring. The hard-throwing right-hander has twice been named Honorable Mention Perfect Game Underclass All-American in 2013 and 2014.
TCC coaching staff on Gorordo: "Jose is yet another battle-tested, hard-throwing pitcher, who competes at the highest level. In fact, after winning the state title game for his high school, he went on to post a 4-0 record and a 0.00 ERA for his summer team and was named Most Valuable Pitcher at the CABA World Series. He is yet another strong addition to a deep recruiting class."
INF Cameron Gregory, 5'10, 165 pounds (Big Canoe, Ga./Pickens County HS)
Gregory is a versatile infielder from the East Cobb program. An honorable mention 2014 Perfect Game Underclass All-American, Gregory batted .350 with 10 stolen bases his junior year at Pickens County.
TCC coaching staff on Gregory: "Cameron can play three infield positions – third, short and second – which makes him a valuable addition. He comes from a summer program that is well-known for playing the best competition in the country, so he is battle tested."
OF Chase Hahnemann, 5'11, 187 pounds (Ponte Vedra, Fla./Ponte Vedra HS)
A two-sport athlete in high school, Hahnemann gave up football his senior year to concentrate on baseball. As a junior, Hahnemann was named first-team all-district and first-team all-county after batting .450 with two home runs and 41 runs scored. He had an on-base percentage of .520 and was a perfect 17 for 17 in stolen bases.
TCC coaching staff on Hahnemann: "Chase is a tremendous athlete and possesses the toughness you would expect to see from someone who grew up playing football. He has the kind of speed you need to bat leadoff, but has enough pop in his bat to hit in the middle of the lineup as well."
C Tyler Maley, 6'1, 180 pounds (Smithville, Ga./Harris County HS)
Rarely are you able to commit two top-tier players at the same position, but Maley and Chavarria are two of the best catching recruits in the 2015 class. Maley is an exceptional defensive catcher with a strong arm and quick release. He is a high school teammate of RHP Drew Reeves, who has also committed to play at TCC.
TCC coaching staff on Maley: "Tyler is an athletic catcher with an absolute cannon for an arm. His blocking skills are exceptional and he has shown flashes of power at the plate. Playing four to five games a week, you really need two frontline catchers, so we are pretty excited about signing both Tyler and Manny."
RHP Nick Marchese, 6'4, 188 pounds (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas HS)
Marchese was a perfect 6-0 with a 2.53 ERA, allowing just 31 hits and 13 runs in 49 innings last year at St. Thomas Aquinas. He was named honorable mention Perfect Game All-American in 2013 and 2014. Marchese is a tall, lanky sidearmer with an 88-89 mph fastball and sharp slider. Marchese comes directly from the side, offering a unique alternative to the traditional submarine style pitcher.
TCC coaching staff on Marchese "Nick is that tall, power sidearm pitcher who hitters hate to face. We often develop sidearm pitchers from our group of walk-ons, but Nick is a polished sidearmer with three quality pitches. We expect he will step right in and play a big role for us as a freshman."
LHP Octavio Marin, 5'11, 145 pounds (Miami, Fla./Terra Environmental Research Institute)
Marin is that crafty left-hander capable of making hitters look foolish. In 2014, Marin went 1-1 with a 1.43 ERA at Terra Institute in Miami, allowing just seven hits and three earned runs with 19 strikeouts in 20 innings. Marin was also named 2014 an honorable mention Perfect Game All-American.
TCC coaching staff on Marin "Octavio may not be the hardest thrower in this signing class, but his ability to change speeds and throw all his pitches for strikes makes him effective against both right- and left-handed batters. We had a need to sign some left-handed pitching and he offers a nice alternative to some of the harder throwing lefties we have signed in this class."
RHP Drew Reeves, 5'11, 185 pounds (Hamilton, Ga./Harris County HS)
Reeves is another Honorable Mention Perfect Game Underclass All-American in 2013 and 2014. The right-hander throws from several different arms slots and features a fastball upward of 91 mph. He struck out 17 in the regional championship for Harris County and was named second-team all-region in 2013 when he went 5-1 with a 2.07 ERA, striking out 60 batters in 47.1 innings pitched.
TCC coaching staff on Reeves: "Drew is a power arm, capable of throwing from multiple arm slots. He is another alum of the East Cobb Astros summer program which means he's battle tested and proven against top competition."
OF Bryan Scheker, 6'4, 210 pounds (Orlando, Fla./Montverde Academy)
Scheker is a unique blend of speed and power. The Perfect Game Underclass All-American and prospect for the MLB draft was recruited by several ACC and SEC schools but opted to sign with TCC after suffering a torn ACL in the fall, which will cost him his senior year at Montverde Academy.
TCC coaching staff on Scheker: "Bryan is an athlete with outstanding tools. His bat is his best tool and you won't find many guys his size who can run as well as he can. He suffered an unfortunate knee injury but we expect he will be 100 percent by the time we start fall practice. Once healthy, Bryan has the potential to be a very exciting player for us."
SS Deyvid Silva, 6'0, 170 (Miami, Fla./Mater Academy Charter School)
Silva is a slick-fielding shortstop from Miami where he played for Class 6A state champion Mater Academy. Silva batted .340 with 18 RBI in leading Mater to the first state championship in school history.
TCC coaching staff on Silva: "We are extremely excited about Deyvid. The feedback we got from his coaches, his teammates and, most impressively, people who played against him was just off the charts. He has tremendous skills as a middle infielder, as well as a winning pedigree."