MONTGOMERY- The Alabama State University baseball team signed four more recruits to bring the total to nine, addressing some much needed areas of concern.
“One of the things we wanted to address was the voids that we will have next year,” head baseball coach Mervyl Melendez said. “I want to believe that when these players get here they’re going to be surrounded by upperclassmen that will lead the way and get them to play at different level.”
The group of signees includes two outfielders: Sebastian Rivera (Orlando, Fla.), Palance “PJ” Harris II (Frisco, Tex.); one infielder, a first baseman Gustavo Rios (Kissimmee, Fla.) and one pitcher Darren Kelley (Ocala, Fla.).
The signees are listed as follows:
Sebastian Rivera: 5-11 · 170 · OF · Orlando, Fla. · Timber Creek HS
Coach Melendez on Sebastian:
“Sebastian will make an immediate impact at the Division I level. His frame and ability to hit make him one of the top high school players in the entire country. Sebastian comes from one of the best travel ball organizations in the country, Florida Travel Ball directed by George Gonzalez.”
Palance “PJ” Harris II: 6-0 · 200 · OF · Frisco, Tex. · Frisco HS
Coach Melendez on PJ:
“PJ is one of the purest left handed hitters in the state of Texas. He possesses great power and is a phenomenal athlete. PJ will pay immediate dividends for our program. He will be a consistent hitter on the college level and will have the opportunity to play professional baseball after three years at ASU. Getting a quality corner guy like PJ is a prime example of where our program is heading. ”
Darren Kelly: 6-4 · 185 · RHP · Ocala, Fla. · Vanguard HS
Coach Melendez on Darren:
“Darren will be an impact pitcher for us right away. He has an imposing frame when on the mound and competes really hard. He is another product from the travel ball organization FTB. He will only get stronger and will be a mainstay in the pitching rotation for the next three or four years.”
Gustavo Rios: 6-3 · 240 · 1B · Kissimmee, Fla. · Osceola HS
Coach Melendez on Gustavo:
“Gustavo is a physical right handed hitter with tremendous power to all fields. We expect him to hit in the middle of our lineup and drive in a ton of runs. Gustavo is an athletic first baseman and will definitely strengthen us on the right side of the diamond.”
