Baseball Adds Three More Signees
8/6/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Aug. 6, 2007
HOUSTON - The University of Houston baseball program recently added three more players to its 2007 signing class with the inkings of David McClain, Caleb Ramsey and Taylor Hammack.
These latest signings under UH assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Kirk Blount pushed the Cougar class to eight after five were signed during the early period in November. McClain, Ramsey and Hammack join pitcher/outfielder Chase Dempsay (Sterling HS), pitcher Jared Ray (Midway HS), pitcher/infielder Ty Stuckey (Klein Collins) and infielders Blake Kelso (Pflugerville HS) and David Murphy (Westbook HS).
"This is an exceptional recruiting class," Noble said. "With Stuckey, Ray, Dempsay, McClain and Hammack, we have five quality arms on the mound. Stuckey, Dempsay and Hammack also have an opportunity to help us at the plate and when you add talented players like Kelso, Ramsey and David and Matt Murphy, you have a solid, all-around class."
All eight players hail from the state of Texas with all but McClain and Hammack competing as true freshmen during the 2008 season. Hammack begins the 2008 campaign as a sophomore, while McClain will be a junior. Both competed as teammates in 2007 at San Jacinto Junior College.
Ramsey joins the Cougar program after helping lead Cy Fair High to the 2007 Class 5A state championship. The Houston native batted .359 with 25 RBIs and 12 stolen bases and was even more dangerous in the state playoffs where he batted .475 with nine RBIs on the way to being named to the State All-Tournament Team.
Hammack enjoyed a stellar freshman season at San Jacinto JC. The Angleton native helped lead the Gators to a 45-16 overall record and a fourth-place finish at the Junior College World Series.
He batted .301 with four home runs and 41 RBIs while striking out 13 in 16.0 innings on the mound.
As a prep player at Angleton High, Hammack earned both AFLAC and Louisville Slugger All-America honors as a senior and was taken by the San Francisco Giants in the 46th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball first-year player draft.
McClain also was a member of the San Jacinto team that competed at the JUCO World Series. As a sophomore, he appeared in 12 games out of the bullpen, with 32 strikeouts and a 3.20 ERA in 25.1 innings. After posting a 3-1 record with a 1.72 ERA following his freshman season, he was drafted in the 31st round by the Seattle Mariners during the annual first-year player draft.
McClain prepped for his father and head coach Mark McClain at North Shore High. There, he was an All-District First-Team honoree as a senior and led all Class 5A pitchers in regular-season strikeouts. Following his high school playing days, he was taken in the 42nd round of the 2005 first-year player draft by the Kansas City Royals.