Deacs Sign Eight in Early Baseball Signing Period

The Wake Forest baseball office has received eight commitments for the 2005 season, including seven high schoolers and one junior college transfer. The class includes four position players and four pitchers. Two players are from California and the Deacons pick up one player from Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Washington.

"We're very pleased with this class," head coach George Greer said. "Each of these eight young men are ACC-caliber players and Wake Forest-caliber students. They will represent themselves, our program and Wake Forest University very well, both in the classroom and on the baseball field."

"Everyone in this class has the ability to contribute early in their careers. It's a class full of great athletes and highly-recruited students," recruiting coordinator Jamie Mabe said. "We're happy to have eight young men who are excited to have the opportunity to get a great education at a great baseball school."

Name Pos. B/T Ht. Wt. Hometown Previous School

Andy Goff SS R/R 6-0 185 Pittsburgh, PA Mount Lebanon HS

-- A leadoff-type hitter who hit .417 as a junior ... a first team All-Section pick as a junior ... selected to participate in the East Coast Professional Showcase and the Team One South Showcase ... a 2003 High School Pre-season All-American ... started every game of his high school career ... has a career fielding percentage of better than .990 ... helped guide Mt. Lebanon to three straight conference titles and a district championship ... the three-year starting quarterback of the football team... member of the National Honor Society... joins Brendan Enick and Cory Sullivan as recent Pittsburgh natives to come to Wake Forest.

Matt Hammond RHP R/R 6-3 185 Tucson, AZ University HS

-- An all-region selection ... a mid-to-upper 80's tall righty with potential to be a weekend starter in the ACC... posted a 7-0 record at University High School as a junior with 81 strikeouts... participated in the 2003 Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif... the first Arizona native to come to Wake Forest since Mike MacDougal... also a standout prep golfer and swimmer.

Brett Linnenkohl UT L/R 6-0 195 Olympia, WA Capital HS

-- An excellent all-around athlete who can play infield, outfield or catch... two-time all-conference selection... hit .452 as a junior with 33 hits in 73 at-bats... homered twice with 13 doubles and 19 stolen bases in 21 games ... drew interest from colleges based on football ability, in addition to baseball... an all-conference quarterback.

Brian Murphy RHP/OF R/R 6-2 180 San Diego, CA Torrey Pines HS

-- A potential two-way player... named to the All-Palamar League team and Torrey Pines' Most Valuable Player as a junior ... posted a 1.23 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 51 innings with only 11 walks... batted .329 with two home runs and eight doubles... one of the San Diego natives in the signing class.

Eric Niesen LHP L/L 6-0 180 New Boston, MI Huron HS

-- Rated as the top left-handed pitcher in Michigan by Baseball America... will have a chance to make an immediate impact as a freshman... throws in the mid-to-upper 80's from a low three-quarter arm slot... named first team All-State, All-Region and All-District... recorded a 10-2 record with a 1.54 ERA as a junior... struck out 112 batters with only 12 walks... led Huron High School to a league and district championship in 2003 ... plans to major in business.

Dan Rosaia C L/R 6-2 180 S. San Francisco, CA College of San Mateo JC

-- A Preseason Junior College All-American... will immediately help the Deacons batting order... an All-Coast North Conference first team selection ... helped lead College of San Mateo to the final four ... batted. 370 in 46 games with four home runs, 41 RBI and 18 doubles... is one of two San Diego natives to sign with Wake Forest this fall.

Tom Stack-Babich OF R/R 6-3 200 Scituate, MA Xavieran Brothers HS

-- Rated as the third-best prospect in Massachusetts... led his team in hitting as a sophomore and a junior ... voted Most Outstanding Outfielder at the Brockton Invitational... missed nearly all of 2003 with a knee injury... had three home runs with wood bats in his first six games which actually led the state for most of the season... participated in the 10th Annual TPX Top 96 Showcase.

Ryan Webb RHP R/R 6-6 200 Tampa, FL Clearwater Catholic HS

-- Rated as the 80th-best prospect in the United States by Baseball America... posted a 10-3 record as a junior with a 0.76 ERA and 120 strikeouts in 78 innings... threw two no-hitters at Clearwater Catholic in 2003... named first team All-State by the Florida Sports Writers' Association... selected to the St. Petersburg Times All-Suncoast Team... led Clearwater Catholic to District and Regional Championships and State Semi-finalist.