Baseball: Van Zant Signs Five
August 27, 2008 11:52 AM | General
By Steve Stone for MSNsportsNET.com
August 27, 2008
MORGANTOWN. W.Va. - West Virginia University baseball Head Coach Greg Van Zant today announced that five players have signed their letters of intent to join the WVU baseball team in the 2009 season.
Pitchers Chase Pickering (Cross Lanes, W.Va./Nitro HS), Andy Altemus (Morgantown, W.Va./Potomac State JC), Jonathan Jones (Fredericksburg, Va./Courtland HS), Andy Podolinski (Sayre, Pa./Sayre HS) and Daniel Hawkins (Woodstock, Va./Central HS) compose the 2008 recruiting class for the Mountaineers.
“Building pitching with depth was a priority for us in this recruiting class, and that is what we did,” Van Zant said. “With such a young position-player team last year, we focused on pitching. We feel we got five real exceptional pitchers -- all five have a chance to help us improve our pitching staff. We’re really happy they are here and we are looking forward to having them on our team.”
Pickering (6-foot-3, 185) is a left-handed pitcher who is the reigning West Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year. He had an 11-1 record with a 2.08 ERA during his senior year, and finished with a career record of 22-6 with a 2.36 ERA and 400 strikeouts in 222 innings pitched.
Pickering also batted .448 with 10 home runs, 12 doubles, 48 RBIs and 34 stolen bases during his senior season en route to leading his team to the AAA state championship. He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 43rd round of the Major League Draft, and is the son of former Mountaineer baseball player Jeff Pickering, who played at WVU from 1976-79 as a power-hitting first baseman. Pickering was coached by Steve Pritchard.
“Chase is going to be a big factor for us on the mound,” Van Zant said. “He’s also got a chance to be a big factor for us hitting as well."
Altemus (6-foot-4, 175) is a junior college transfer who was the ace of the Potomac State pitching staff last season. During the summer he was an All-Star selection in the Valley League and played for the Waynesboro Generals.
The right-handed pitcher was a Second-Team All-Region 20 player as a sophomore in 2008 under Head Coach Doug Little. He started 11 games last season, going 6-2 with a 2.97 ERA while striking out 61 batters in 60 2/3 innings. Opposing hitters batted .270 against him.
As a freshman, Altemus had an equally productive season on the mound. He went 5-3 with 55 strikeouts in 63 2/3 innings, and walked only 16 batters throughout the year.
“Andy is going to pitch a lot for us,” Van Zant commented. “He’s a strike-thrower, and throws a splitter that can dive into a right-hander and dive into a left-hander. He’s a complete pitcher.”
Jones (6-foot-3, 205) is a left-handed thrower who finished his senior season with a 7-1 record with a 1.67 ERA, and struck out 69 batters in only 46 innings pitched. The First-Team All-Region I pitcher also was productive at the plate, compiling a .396 average with four home runs and 20 RBIs. He had a slugging percentage of .776 and a .557 on-base percentage.
Jones garnered several accolades during his high school career, being named a First-Team pitcher on the All-Battlefield District Team, the Battlefield District Player of the Year and a Second-Team AA State of Virginia Pitcher. He was coached by Timothy Acors.
Podolinski (6-foot-3, 195) is a right-hander who finished his senior year with a 5-2 record and a 2.10 ERA. He threw 48 2/3 innings and gave up 17 earned runs on 23 hits while holding hitters to a .132 average.
Coached by Glenn Jarvis, Podolinski comes to Morgantown as another multi-faceted player. He batted .387 with three home runs, 22 RBIs and six doubles during his final campaign. He also posted a .587 slugging percentage and carried an impressive .506 on-base percentage.
Right-hander Daniel Hawkins (6-foot-4, 185) enjoyed a solid career under the tutelage of Head Coach Donn Foltz. His senior year was cut short as he underwent Tommy John surgery that will allow him to redshirt in his first season at WVU.
In his senior season, Hawkins threw a no-hitter and recorded 24 strikeouts in only 10 innings. He finished his career with 176 strikeouts and was selected as an alternate to the Virginia High School League All-Star Team as a senior despite seeing limited time.
Hawkins was a First-Team All-District Player in his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons, as well as a 2007 Commonwealth All-Star Player. He was named as the Team MVP in 2006 and 2007.
WVU baseball begins fall practice on Tuesday, Sept. 2.
