Baseball: Mountaineers Sign Six
November 26, 2002 02:09 PM | General
November 26, 2002
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia University baseball coach Greg Van Zant announced the signing of six baseball players for the 2004 season.
Giving the coach signatures were Tim Edmeads, an outfielder from Newfield, N.J., David Carpenter, a catcher from Fairmont, W.Va., Josh Glass from Westernport, Md., Wes Osbourn, a pitcher from Shinnston, W.Va., Levi Maxwell, a pitcher from Shinnston, W.Va., and Trent Ridgley, a pitcher from Massillon, Ohio.
"We are very pleased with the group of players we signed in the early signing period," Van Zant says. "We added four good arms to our pitching staff, a good young catching prospect and one of the top power hitters on the East Coast. (Recruiting coordinator) Bruce Cameron and our entire staff worked extremely hard to bring these excellent athletes to Morgantown."
Edmeads, a 6-3, 210-pound left-handed corner outfielder, was an all-South Jersey and all-state player during his junior season at Buena Regional High under head coach Charles Arena. He batted .459 with six home runs and 35 RBI last season and led his team to a 25-5 record.
"Tim is a big, strong athlete who runs well for his size and can hit the ball out of the ballpark," Van Zant says. "He gives us a left-handed power threat who could hit in the middle of our lineup as a freshman. We are very fortunate to have signed a power hitter with Tim's potential. We believe he is one of the top high school power hitters in the country."
Carpenter, a right-handed catcher, is a two-time all-NCAC selection and was honorable mention all-state player while at East Fairmont High under head coach Vic Seccuro. The 6-2, 180-pounder batted .440 with six home runs and 33 RBI during his junior season for the Bees.
"David is a very talented catcher who loves to play the game," Van Zant says. "He has good hands, a quick release and a strong arm. David has the potential to also be an offensive threat for us. His strong work-ethic gives him a chance to be a special player for us."
Glass, who spent the 2002 season at Potomac State, was one of the staff's top pitchers for coach Doug Little. The 6-4, 210-pound left-hander went 2-0 with a 4.10 ERA, pitching 30 innings and striking out 30 while recording three saves. He saw duty both as a starter and out of the bullpen and should be a quality middle-reliever for the Mountaineers.
"Josh is the ace of the Potomac State pitching staff and we are happy to have him," Van Zant says. "His fastball is 83-85 MPH, but his best pitch is his curveball and he throws a split for a changeup. We think Josh will come in next year and eat up a lot of innings for us. Big, tall left-handers with a good curveball tend to be successful here."
Osbourn, another left-hander, was a second-team all-state selection as a junior at Lincoln High under coach Tom Hunter. The 6-2, 165-pound pitcher went 4-4 with a 1.95 ERA and recorded 73 strikeouts and just nine walks in 51 innings of work for the Cougars.
"Wes is a very good looking pitching prospect with a high upside," Van Zant says. "His fastball is 83-85 MPH and he has a chance to throw much harder as he gets stronger. For a young pitcher, Wes has outstanding mound presence. We think he could be a very good pitcher for us."
Maxwell, a teammate of Osbourn's at Lincoln, is a tall, hard-throwing right-hander. He pitched 41 innings going 4-4 with a 2.56 ERA in 2002. The 6-3, 160-pound righty also recorded 47 strikeouts against 25 walks for the Cougars.
"Levi is a wiry right-handed pitcher with a very good arm," Van Zant says. "He throws his fastball 85-88 MPH and we think he could be 86-90 MPH very soon. He is an intelligent young man with a lot of pitching ability. His best baseball is ahead of him.
"It is very rare to sign two pitchers from the same high school in the same recruiting class," Van Zant adds. "Lincoln High and Shinnston should be very proud of these fine young athletes."
Ridgley, who played for his father Tim at Massillon High, was named his team's outstanding pitcher in 2002. The 6-2, 190-pound right-hander went 4-2 with a 1.50 ERA recording 42 strikeouts and 23 walks in 42 innings pitched.
"Trent has good arm action and some life on his fastball," Van Zant says. "He throws it 85-88 MPH with the potential to throw it harder. Trent is a 4.0 student and we think he has a chance to be very good."
