MONTGOMERY – The Alabama State baseball team has signed six players to national letters of intents during the early signing period:
Austin Bizzle
Position: RHP
Ht.: 5-11, Wt. 180
Hometown/ HS: Lynn Haven, Fla./Gulf Coast Comm. College
Carlos Gonzalez
Position: LHP
Ht.: 6-1, Wt.: 201
Hometown/HS: Guardo, P.R./Puerto Rico Baseball Acad.& HS
Terrell McCall
Position: RHP/OF
Ht.: 5-11
Wt.: 185
Hometown/HS: Lithonia, Ga. /Stephenson High
Michael Rivera
Position: RHP
Ht.: 6-3
Wt.: 225
Hometown/ HS: Trujilio Alto, Puerto/International Baseball Acad.
Jon Roblez
Position: RHP
Ht.: 6-3
Wt.: 215
Hometown/ HS: Roeland Park, Kan. /Johnson City Comm. College
Eriq White
Position: MIF/OF
Ht: 5-10
Wt.:170
Hometown/HS: Snellville, Ga. / Shiloh High
Head Coach Mervyl Melendez on Bizzle: “Austin will be counted on as a starter and reliever. He has a rubber arm and unique motion that makes the ball hard to pick up on his release. He’s going to have the experience coming from junior college, and if he comes out of the bullpen, he’s going to pitch a lot of games for us.”
Melendez on Gonzalez: “Carlos is a much-needed left handed arm for our program. As anyone in baseball will say, you need left-handed pitchers, not only as starters but as relievers. He has a very good arm, and has the potential to be very good. He throws three pitches for strikes, and is still learning how to pitch. He’s a guy that is going to blossom, going from mid 80s to the low 90s. We’re looking forward to him continuing to improve.”
Melendez on McCall: “Terrell is an athlete that we love both on the mound and in the outfield. As a position player, he’s got speed and will be able to track balls down in the outfield. When you have speed, you get on base, you create havoc. As a pitcher, he has a good arm, throws three pitches for strikes, and has the potential to be a top pitcher in a short period of time. He has the potential to get a lot of innings as a freshman.”
Melendez on Rivera: “Michael is a big guy whom we believe is going to turn into a weekend pitcher for us. He has the ability to be a power pitcher. He throws in the low 90s, and as a freshman, he’s going to have a chance to get into the starting rotation. He will be utilized a lot, probably as a starter but also as a closer. He throws a lot of strikes.”
Melendez on Roblez: “Jon is a power pitcher that we hope will turn into a weekend guy for us right away. He has the experience from junior college, as well as at Kansas State his first year of college. He’s going to be counted on to be workhorse for us. By being at a Division I school and a junior college, the experience he’s gained from that will help us once he gets into the Black and Gold.”
Melendez on White: “Eric is a player we’ve recruited as both a middle infielder and an outfielder. He’s very versatile and a very good athlete, but also a very good hitter. We had an early commitment from him early last year, and he’s continued to get better and improved his game. His strength is offensively; he steals bases, very aggressive base runner, and is a very aggressive hitter.”
ASU Baseball Adds Amion as Signee
MONTGOMERY – The Alabama State baseball team added one signee on Friday, OF Diondre Amion from Miami Southridge High in Cutler Bay, Fla.
Amion? From Cutler Bay, Florida? Sound familiar? Yes, he’s the younger brother of former Alabama State outfielder Richard, a three-year starter for the Hornets now playing professional baseball with the World Champion San Francisco Giants organization.
“Diondre has all the makings of being a great player like his brother,” ASU head baseball coach Mervyl Melendez said. “He is a left-handed hitter, and will play as a corner outfielder (left or right), rather than center field. We believe he will be a great player at this level, and give us the left-handed hitter we need in the middle of the lineup. We look forward to having Diondre being a part of our baseball family, as his brother had three great years with us before moving on to the professional ranks.”
