Baseball Recruiting Class Ranked Among Nation's Best
6/16/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
June 16, 2005
HOUSTON - The University of Houston baseball team's 2005 signing class was ranked among the nation's best by the staff of StudentSportsBaseball.com.
The class, which consists of seven players, came in at No. 19 nationally. The Cougars were the highest-ranked Conference USA team in the poll.
The group is made up of six high school players and junior infielder Josh Stirneman, who comes to UH from Blinn Junior College.
"With an average-sized recruiting class, this ranking shows the quality of each player in the group," said head coach Rayner Noble, who finished his 11th season at the helm of the Cougar program in 2005. "Each signee is well-respected and has a chance to be a solid performer for us in the future."
Noble and his coaching staff did not need to leave the Lone Star State in their quest for the best players, as six of the players are from Texas. Infielder Carlos Hereaud, who was a ninth-round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in the recent Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, hails from Venezuela but prepped at Elkins High.
The group features three infielders, one pitcher and three players (Luis Flores, Jimmy Raviele and Tommy Williams) who will likely see time at more than one position.
The signing class also showcases family ties to the Cougar program. Catcher/pitcher Luis Flores of Corpus Christi Moody High is the younger brother of former Cougar righthander Gene Flores, who was UH"s lone senior captain in 2005 and recently signed a free-agent contract with the Boston Red Sox.
StudentSportsBaseball.com 2005 Recruiting National Rankings
1. Arizona State
2. Texas
3. UCLA
4. Stanford
5. Miami (Fla.)
6. LSU
7. San Diego State
8. California
9. Vanderbilt
10. Cal State Fullerton
11. Arizona
12. Texas A&M
13. Clemson
14. Arkansas
15. Long Beach State
16. Nevada
17. Kansas
18. South Carolina
19. Houston
20. Georgia
21. Notre Dame
22. Ole Miss
23. Hawai'i
24. Tulane
25. UC Santa Barbara
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON BASEBALL SIGNING LIST
As of 11:40 a.m., June 16, 2005
Player, Pos., B-T, Ht., Wt., Class, Hometown-High School
Travis Cougot, INF, R-R, 5-10, 170, Fr.-HS, Richmond, Texas-Klein Collins
Luis Flores, C/RHP, R-R, 5-10, 185, Fr.-HS, Corpus Christi, Texas-Moody
Carlos Hereaud, INF, R-R, 6-1, 190, Fr.-HS, Venezuela-Elkins
Wes Musick, LHP, L-L, 6-0, 175, Fr.-HS, Lufkin, Texas-Hudson
Jimmy Raviele, LHP/OF, L-L, 6-1, 175, Fr.-HS, Spring, Texas-Foster
Josh Stirneman, INF, L-L, 6-2, 210, Jr.-JC, Cuero, Texas-Cuero (Blinn JC)
Tommy Williams, OF/INF, S-R, 6-2, 215, Fr.-HS, Austin, Texas-Austin