Meet ACU Baseball's 2020 recruiting class
9/22/2020 11:00:00 AM | Baseball
ABILENE – ACU Baseball begins its preparation for the 2021 season next week. Before it officially gets underway, let's meet the newest members of the program.
"We are very excited about the new members of our baseball family," said head coach Rick McCarty. "With the addition of three new coaches to our staff to go along with the new players, we are really looking forward to hitting the field together in October. I feel like we have a great blend of guys who have a year or two of development and experience with us here in Abilene to go along with the new recruiting class. We really like the athleticism in this class and feel like they will allow us to take another step closer to where we want to be as a program. We expect a lot of guys in this class to impact immediately in 2021."
Coach McCarty noted that the efforts of his two assistant coaches, Blaze Lambert and Craig Parry, played a major role in this 2020 group.
"This group would not have come together without the tireless work of our assistant coaches," said McCarty. "Blaze Lambert and Craig Parry have done an excellent job over the past two years bringing in guys who fit our program both on and off the field. It's going to be fun to see how they develop now that they are on campus. We feel very good about the future of our program."
Here is a breakdown of the class of 2020 and some insight from recruiting coordinator Blaze Lambert.
Recruiting Class By The Numbers
- 16: Total players
- 6: High school players
- 7: Junior college players
- 3: Four-year transfers
- 8: Position players
- 8: Pitchers
- 13: From the state of Texas
Player-by-Player Breakdown
MIKE BROWN | 6-1 | 210 | OF | PFLUGERVILLE, TX | WOFFORD COLLEGE
Coach Lambert: "Mike comes to us from Wofford College. He's a very athletic outfielder who has a bunch of Division I baseball experience under his belt. He had 47 stolen bases in 78 games at Wofford. Mike is a top-of-the-order-type bat that will control the strike zone and use the whole field."
HARRISON CALEY | 6-2 | 175 | C | THE WOODLANDS, TX | THE WOODLANDS HIGH SCHOOL
Coach Lambert: "Harrison comes from The Woodlands HS down in the Houston area and has a big, lean, projectable frame and produces pop to all fields, Defensively, he is a primary catcher who has soft receiving hands and a strong arm. Harrison will also provide some depth to us in the infield."
CONNOR CARLTON | 6-0 | 250 | LHP | ABILENE, TX | ODESSA COLLEGE
Coach Lambert: "Connor is a Wylie graduate who returns home after two years at Odessa College. He is a left-hander who throws three pitches for strikes with a track record of being a winner. We are excited to bring Connor back home and look forward to seeing him thrive in a flex role on our pitching staff."
CORTT GENTRY | 5-11 | 205 | RHP | DENTON, TX | DENTON RYAN HIGH SCHOOL
Coach Lambert: "Cortt has a tough, go-right-at-you approach on the mound. He's a back-end piece who has a fastball that works in the low 90's. We're really excited to see him develop over the next few years."
BRYSON GILLMORE | 5-10 | 175 | C | CLEBURNE, TX | JOSHUA HIGH SCHOOL
Coach Lambert: "Bryson is a catcher who comes to us from Joshua High School. He's a sound receiver and has good catch and throw skills. Offensively, he has good barrel-striking abilities with gap power."
BRETT HAMMIT | 6-2 | 200 | INF | NIXA, MO | JEFFERSON COLLEGE
Coach Lambert: "Brett comes to us from JeffCo. He's a versatile defender on the infield and shows a lot of power from the right side. He has the chance to be a staple in the middle of the lineup for years to come."
BRYSON HILL | 6-0 | 185 | INF | FORT WORTH, TX | UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
Coach Lambert: "Bryson is a Houston transfer, and actually one that we recruited for our 2019 class. He hits from the left side with power and should be a middle-of-the-order-type bat. Defensively, he's an athletic corner infielder. We are glad to finally have Bryson here at ACU."
MAX HUFFLING | 6-7 | 245 | LHP | EDMOND, OK | LAMAR COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Coach Lambert: "Max, another Lamar CC transfer, is a physical young man. He's a left-handed pitcher who put up good numbers in a shortened season at his JUCO. He's a strike thrower with a steady mix. Max has a lot of upside and we're excited to watch his development over the years."
JACK JUNKER | 6-0 | 200 | RHP | CLEBURNE, TX | MIDLAND COLLEGE
Coach Lambert: "Jack is a Midland College transfer who recently dropped his arm slot to side arm and has since taken off. The lower slot will be a unique look to our staff and should provide a great option out of the bullpen."
CADE MACLIN | 6-1 | 170 | RHP | ARGYLE, TX | LIBERTY CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL
Coach Lambert: "Cade comes to us from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He's long and lean and has a lot of athleticism. He has three pitches for strikes and because of his frame and athleticism, we project big things in his future."
JACK NIELSEN | 6-0 | 205 | INF | SOUTHLAKE, TX | SOUTHLAKE CARROLL HIGH SCHOOL
Coach Lambert: "Jack is a right-handed-hitting first baseman who comes from Southlake Carroll HS. He has a projectable frame with some power that plays to all fields. We're excited to see how Jack develops over the next four years."
NICK NORTON | 5-8 | 200 | LHP | TYLER, TX | LAMAR COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Coach Lambert: "Nick is another JUCO transfer. He comes from Lamar CC out in Colorado. He is a left-handed pitcher who has a plus breaking ball. Combine that with his strike-throwing abilities, and we're hopeful Nick will be a consistent piece for us out of the bullpen."
BASH RANDLE | 5-8 | 150 | INF | ROCKWALL, TX | ROCKWALL HIGH SCHOOL
Coach Lambert: "Bash was our first commitment in the 2020 recruiting class. He's an athletic defender that has a high motor while playing with a lot of bounce on the dirt. He displays good bat-to-ball skills and has the chance to hit at the top of the lineup for us."
CARTER SELLS | 6-0 | 200 | RHP | BRENTWOOD, TN | UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
Coach Lambert: "Carter is a transfer from the University of Arkansas. He's currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, but is expected to be good to go by the season. He's a power right-handed arm with a low-to-mid 90's fastball. Carter should be a nice piece in our bullpen."
ADAM STEPHENSON | 5-11 | 170 | LHP | SOUTHLAKE, TX | COWLEY COLLEGE
Coach Lambert: "Adam is a Cowley College transfer, and a very athletic left-handed pitcher that who throws three pitches for strikes, with his fastball working in the upper 80's. Adam has a chance to be a weekend rotation arm and have an impact on our team right away."
GRAYSON TATROW | 6-3 | 220 | OF | MANSFIELD, TX | PARIS JUNIOR COLLEGE
Coach Lambert: "Grayson is a Paris JC transfer. He's a physical left handed hitter who has the ability to drive the ball to all fields. He's also athletic enough to play all three spots in the outfield. We are very excited to have Grayson here."
New Faces on the Staff
Along with the incoming group of players, there are three new members to the coaching staff.
Tyler Coolbaugh
Tyler Coolbaugh begins his first year here in Abilene as an assistant coach. His primary duties will be coaching the infielders, assisting with the offense, on campus recruiting, and coordinating camps.
Tyler finished his professional career in 2019 as an infielder in the Orioles organization. Before being drafted by Baltimore, Coolbaugh finished his playing career at Angelo State University after beginning at the University of Oklahoma.
Coolbaugh is from Grapevine, Texas and comes from a baseball family. His father, Scott Coolbaugh, is currently a hitting coach for the Chicago White Sox major league team.
"We were very excited to welcome Tyler to Abilene at the end of the summer," said McCarty. "He has jumped right in and has brought a great vibe and energy to our program. Our players will be able to draw from his experiences growing up around the game and having so many high level baseball minds in his circle. He has brought some great ideas that will allow our player development to go to another level on the infield. He is a rising star within our sport."
Marc Mumper
Marc Mumper is making his way to ACU after beginning his coaching career at Metro State University in Denver, Colo. Mumper will be the Director of Player Development this year for the Wildcats and will spend the majority of his time assisting in all aspects of offense, defense, analytics, and academics.
Like Coolbaugh, Mumper comes from a baseball family, as his father is a member of the Colorado Dugout Club Hall of Fame, after a 32 year coaching career. Before beginning his coaching career, Mumper was drafted by the Rockies in 2015 and had a very strong career as a SS at Grand Canyon University. Mumper is from Highland Ranch, Colo.
"Marc has been a great addition to our coaching staff," said McCarty. "He has already provided a lot of high level insight in a variety of areas within our program. We look to hire energy and guys who are growth minded. Marc checks both of these boxes. He has an infectious personality that our players will be drawn to. We believe he is the perfect fit for our Director of Player Development role. He has a bright future and we are fired up to have him in our uniform."
Alex Valasek
Alex Valasek is the new Director of Pitching Development. Valasek comes to ACU after spending the past two years at Driveline Baseball in Seattle, Wash., where he was an on-floor instructor and was very involved in the training and pitch design protocols. Prior to driveline, he was the pitching coach at Rochester College. He played at Alma College and is originally from Saginaw, Mich.
"I'm personally excited to see how Val can help push our pitchers and their programming to another level," said McCarty. "He brings a wealth of knowledge from Driveline, which is considered by most people in our profession as one of the top organizations in developing pitchers in this data driven era. He has an advanced feel for Trackman and the majority of newer pitching modalities. He will bridge the gap between on-field performance and data/analytics. I'm looking forward to working with him each day as he assists with our pitching staff."
"We are very excited about the new members of our baseball family," said head coach Rick McCarty. "With the addition of three new coaches to our staff to go along with the new players, we are really looking forward to hitting the field together in October. I feel like we have a great blend of guys who have a year or two of development and experience with us here in Abilene to go along with the new recruiting class. We really like the athleticism in this class and feel like they will allow us to take another step closer to where we want to be as a program. We expect a lot of guys in this class to impact immediately in 2021."
Coach McCarty noted that the efforts of his two assistant coaches, Blaze Lambert and Craig Parry, played a major role in this 2020 group.
"This group would not have come together without the tireless work of our assistant coaches," said McCarty. "Blaze Lambert and Craig Parry have done an excellent job over the past two years bringing in guys who fit our program both on and off the field. It's going to be fun to see how they develop now that they are on campus. We feel very good about the future of our program."
Here is a breakdown of the class of 2020 and some insight from recruiting coordinator Blaze Lambert.
Recruiting Class By The Numbers
- 16: Total players
- 6: High school players
- 7: Junior college players
- 3: Four-year transfers
- 8: Position players
- 8: Pitchers
- 13: From the state of Texas
Player-by-Player Breakdown
MIKE BROWN | 6-1 | 210 | OF | PFLUGERVILLE, TX | WOFFORD COLLEGE
Coach Lambert: "Mike comes to us from Wofford College. He's a very athletic outfielder who has a bunch of Division I baseball experience under his belt. He had 47 stolen bases in 78 games at Wofford. Mike is a top-of-the-order-type bat that will control the strike zone and use the whole field."
HARRISON CALEY | 6-2 | 175 | C | THE WOODLANDS, TX | THE WOODLANDS HIGH SCHOOL
Coach Lambert: "Harrison comes from The Woodlands HS down in the Houston area and has a big, lean, projectable frame and produces pop to all fields, Defensively, he is a primary catcher who has soft receiving hands and a strong arm. Harrison will also provide some depth to us in the infield."
CONNOR CARLTON | 6-0 | 250 | LHP | ABILENE, TX | ODESSA COLLEGE
Coach Lambert: "Connor is a Wylie graduate who returns home after two years at Odessa College. He is a left-hander who throws three pitches for strikes with a track record of being a winner. We are excited to bring Connor back home and look forward to seeing him thrive in a flex role on our pitching staff."
CORTT GENTRY | 5-11 | 205 | RHP | DENTON, TX | DENTON RYAN HIGH SCHOOL
Coach Lambert: "Cortt has a tough, go-right-at-you approach on the mound. He's a back-end piece who has a fastball that works in the low 90's. We're really excited to see him develop over the next few years."
BRYSON GILLMORE | 5-10 | 175 | C | CLEBURNE, TX | JOSHUA HIGH SCHOOL
Coach Lambert: "Bryson is a catcher who comes to us from Joshua High School. He's a sound receiver and has good catch and throw skills. Offensively, he has good barrel-striking abilities with gap power."
BRETT HAMMIT | 6-2 | 200 | INF | NIXA, MO | JEFFERSON COLLEGE
Coach Lambert: "Brett comes to us from JeffCo. He's a versatile defender on the infield and shows a lot of power from the right side. He has the chance to be a staple in the middle of the lineup for years to come."
BRYSON HILL | 6-0 | 185 | INF | FORT WORTH, TX | UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
Coach Lambert: "Bryson is a Houston transfer, and actually one that we recruited for our 2019 class. He hits from the left side with power and should be a middle-of-the-order-type bat. Defensively, he's an athletic corner infielder. We are glad to finally have Bryson here at ACU."
MAX HUFFLING | 6-7 | 245 | LHP | EDMOND, OK | LAMAR COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Coach Lambert: "Max, another Lamar CC transfer, is a physical young man. He's a left-handed pitcher who put up good numbers in a shortened season at his JUCO. He's a strike thrower with a steady mix. Max has a lot of upside and we're excited to watch his development over the years."
JACK JUNKER | 6-0 | 200 | RHP | CLEBURNE, TX | MIDLAND COLLEGE
Coach Lambert: "Jack is a Midland College transfer who recently dropped his arm slot to side arm and has since taken off. The lower slot will be a unique look to our staff and should provide a great option out of the bullpen."
CADE MACLIN | 6-1 | 170 | RHP | ARGYLE, TX | LIBERTY CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL
Coach Lambert: "Cade comes to us from the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He's long and lean and has a lot of athleticism. He has three pitches for strikes and because of his frame and athleticism, we project big things in his future."
JACK NIELSEN | 6-0 | 205 | INF | SOUTHLAKE, TX | SOUTHLAKE CARROLL HIGH SCHOOL
Coach Lambert: "Jack is a right-handed-hitting first baseman who comes from Southlake Carroll HS. He has a projectable frame with some power that plays to all fields. We're excited to see how Jack develops over the next four years."
NICK NORTON | 5-8 | 200 | LHP | TYLER, TX | LAMAR COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Coach Lambert: "Nick is another JUCO transfer. He comes from Lamar CC out in Colorado. He is a left-handed pitcher who has a plus breaking ball. Combine that with his strike-throwing abilities, and we're hopeful Nick will be a consistent piece for us out of the bullpen."
BASH RANDLE | 5-8 | 150 | INF | ROCKWALL, TX | ROCKWALL HIGH SCHOOL
Coach Lambert: "Bash was our first commitment in the 2020 recruiting class. He's an athletic defender that has a high motor while playing with a lot of bounce on the dirt. He displays good bat-to-ball skills and has the chance to hit at the top of the lineup for us."
CARTER SELLS | 6-0 | 200 | RHP | BRENTWOOD, TN | UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
Coach Lambert: "Carter is a transfer from the University of Arkansas. He's currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, but is expected to be good to go by the season. He's a power right-handed arm with a low-to-mid 90's fastball. Carter should be a nice piece in our bullpen."
ADAM STEPHENSON | 5-11 | 170 | LHP | SOUTHLAKE, TX | COWLEY COLLEGE
Coach Lambert: "Adam is a Cowley College transfer, and a very athletic left-handed pitcher that who throws three pitches for strikes, with his fastball working in the upper 80's. Adam has a chance to be a weekend rotation arm and have an impact on our team right away."
GRAYSON TATROW | 6-3 | 220 | OF | MANSFIELD, TX | PARIS JUNIOR COLLEGE
Coach Lambert: "Grayson is a Paris JC transfer. He's a physical left handed hitter who has the ability to drive the ball to all fields. He's also athletic enough to play all three spots in the outfield. We are very excited to have Grayson here."
New Faces on the Staff
Along with the incoming group of players, there are three new members to the coaching staff.
Tyler Coolbaugh
Tyler Coolbaugh begins his first year here in Abilene as an assistant coach. His primary duties will be coaching the infielders, assisting with the offense, on campus recruiting, and coordinating camps.
Tyler finished his professional career in 2019 as an infielder in the Orioles organization. Before being drafted by Baltimore, Coolbaugh finished his playing career at Angelo State University after beginning at the University of Oklahoma.
Coolbaugh is from Grapevine, Texas and comes from a baseball family. His father, Scott Coolbaugh, is currently a hitting coach for the Chicago White Sox major league team.
"We were very excited to welcome Tyler to Abilene at the end of the summer," said McCarty. "He has jumped right in and has brought a great vibe and energy to our program. Our players will be able to draw from his experiences growing up around the game and having so many high level baseball minds in his circle. He has brought some great ideas that will allow our player development to go to another level on the infield. He is a rising star within our sport."
Marc Mumper
Marc Mumper is making his way to ACU after beginning his coaching career at Metro State University in Denver, Colo. Mumper will be the Director of Player Development this year for the Wildcats and will spend the majority of his time assisting in all aspects of offense, defense, analytics, and academics.
Like Coolbaugh, Mumper comes from a baseball family, as his father is a member of the Colorado Dugout Club Hall of Fame, after a 32 year coaching career. Before beginning his coaching career, Mumper was drafted by the Rockies in 2015 and had a very strong career as a SS at Grand Canyon University. Mumper is from Highland Ranch, Colo.
"Marc has been a great addition to our coaching staff," said McCarty. "He has already provided a lot of high level insight in a variety of areas within our program. We look to hire energy and guys who are growth minded. Marc checks both of these boxes. He has an infectious personality that our players will be drawn to. We believe he is the perfect fit for our Director of Player Development role. He has a bright future and we are fired up to have him in our uniform."
Alex Valasek
Alex Valasek is the new Director of Pitching Development. Valasek comes to ACU after spending the past two years at Driveline Baseball in Seattle, Wash., where he was an on-floor instructor and was very involved in the training and pitch design protocols. Prior to driveline, he was the pitching coach at Rochester College. He played at Alma College and is originally from Saginaw, Mich.
"I'm personally excited to see how Val can help push our pitchers and their programming to another level," said McCarty. "He brings a wealth of knowledge from Driveline, which is considered by most people in our profession as one of the top organizations in developing pitchers in this data driven era. He has an advanced feel for Trackman and the majority of newer pitching modalities. He will bridge the gap between on-field performance and data/analytics. I'm looking forward to working with him each day as he assists with our pitching staff."
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