Houston Baseball Signs 11 Texas High School Players
11/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
HOUSTON - Highlighted by a talented core of Texas high school student-athletes, Houston Baseball has inked 11 National Letters of Intent during the NCAA Baseball Early Signing Period, announced by head coach Todd Whitting Thursday morning.
The 11 high school players all hail from Texas. Five pitchers, two outfielders, one catcher, two utility players and one infielder make of this year's early high school signing class.
All 11 will be welcomed in by Whitting, Recruiting Coordinator Trip Couch, and Assistant Coaches Frank Anderson and Mike Taylor.
"We are extremely excited to welcome this class to campus next fall," Whitting said. "Our recruiting effort led by Coach Couch, who has established himself as one of the top recruiters in the country, was a great success. Because of our progress the last few years on the recruiting trail, I am very excited about the future of our program."
Set to join Houston Baseball for the 2016 season are Satchel McElroy (Clear Creek HS, OF), Joe Davis (Austin Bowie HS, C), Trey Cumbie (Lufkin HS, LHP), Nolan Bond (Klein Oak HS, RHP), Tanner Lawson (Klein Oak HS, LHP), Grayson Padgett (Hardin Jefferson HS, UTL), Mitch Ullom (Sweeny HS, RHP), Riley Richert (Cy-Woods HS, RHP), Caleb Morris (Spring HS, OF), Allonte Wingate (Beaumont Kelly HS, INF), Wendell Champion (St. Thomas HS, UTL).
Satchel McElroy
CF | Clear Creek HS
PG 2014 Underclass 2nd Team
PG 2013 Underclass High Honorable Mention
Ranked 5th in state at CF (PG)
Recruiting Coordinator Trip Couch on Satchel: Satchel is one of the fastest players in the country. He has a great feel on the bases and should have an instant impact at the top of the lineup. He currently plays for Coach Brent Kunfeke at Clear Creek and is the son of former Major League great Chuck McElroy.
Joe Davis
C | Austin Bowie HS
Ranked 2nd in state at C (PG)
6th best catcher in the nation (PG)
PG 2014 Underclass Honorable Mention
PG 2013 Underclass Honorable Mention
2014 Austin American-Statesman Player of the Year
2014 Area Code HR Derby Winner
Recruiting Coordinator Trip Couch on Joe: Joe is one of the more prolific power hitters in the country this past year. He led the state of Texas in home runs and won the homerun hitting contest at the prestigious Area Code games this past summer. He also played on one of the nation's most respected select teams, the Houston Banditos for head coach Ray Deleon.
Trey Cumbie
LHP | Lufkin HS (Lukin, Texas)
PG 2014 Underclass Honorable Mention
Ranked 2nd LHP in state (PG)
Starting QB for Lufkin HS football team
Recruiting Coordinator Trip Couch on Trey: Trey is an impact arm that should step in right away and contribute on one of the nation's best pitching staffs. He is currently the starting QB at Lufkin HS. Trey pitched on the Texas Rangers' Area Code team and also played for the Houston Banditos and head coach Ray Deleon.
Nolan Bond
RHP | Klein Oak HS
35th ranked RHP in state
PG 2014 Underclass Honorable Mention
Recruiting Coordinator Trip Couch on Nolan: Nolan plays for former Houston Cougar Bo Hernandez at Klein Oak HS as well as the Houston Banditos and head coach Ray Deleon. Nolan has tremendous upside as he is 6-foot-5 and a proven strike thrower. He will gain strength and be a force on our staff for many years.
Tanner Lawson
LHP | Klein Oak HS
13-5A 1st Team All-District
13-5A 1st Team All-Metro
13-5A Second Team All-District
Honorable mention All-State
Threw a perfect game his freshman year
Threw a no-hitter his sophomore year
Recruiting Coordinator Trip Couch on Tanner: Tanner also plays for former UH great Bo Hernandez. He is a lefty that really knows how to pitch and is a great competitor. He has really improved his strength over the last year and we are very excited to have him in the mix as soon as possible. He played for the Houston Heat select program.
Grayson Padgett
Util | Hardin Jefferson HS
Recruiting Coordinator Trip Couch on Grayson: Grayson is a tremendous athlete. He is strong, runs a 6.7 and can really hit. He is a switch hitter that should plug in our lineup very quickly and have an impact in the middle of the lineup. He can play numerous positions and has a chance to be a star offensively. Grayson played in the summer for the Kyle Chapman program led by Mike Rutledge.
Mitch Ullom
RHP | Sweeny HS
24-3A All-District MVP
2011 H5AB Fall 5 Championship All-Tournament Team 16U/18U
Recruiting Coordinator Trip Couch on Mitch: Mitch has a great deal of upside. He was Co-Player of the year in his district with present UH freshman Seth Romero. He can really spin the ball and has a chance to be a hard thrower when all is said and done. Mitch plays for head coach David Luster at Sweeny HS and has a very bright future.
Riley Ritchert
RHP | Cy Woods HS
17-5A Second Team All-District
Recruiting Coordinator Trip Couch on Riley: Riley is very interesting as he just started pitching this year. He has a great arm and the makings of a very good breaking ball. He is exciting as he doesn't have a lot of mileage on his arm and has just scratched the surface of what he will be. He also plays OF for head coach Thomas Loria at Cy Woods HS as well as the Houston Banditos.
Caleb Morris
OF | Spring HS
13-5A First Team All-District
PG 2014 Underclass Honorable Mention
PG 2013 Underclass Honorable Mention
Gullo Motors Player of the Month (March)
Recruiting Coordinator Trip Couch on Caleb: Caleb is a big, strong athlete that has a chance to really hit. He has battled back from an arm injury that limited his pitching but has not affected his bat. He can become a middle-of-the-order run-producing bat that can put up big numbers. He plays for Coach Lou Ferrell at Spring HS.
Allonte Wingate
MIF | Beaumont Kelly HS
33rd ranked SS in state (PG)
Recruiting Coordinator Trip Couch on Allonte: Allonte is a guy that really came on this summer after recovering from a foot injury. He has very good actions defensively and has a chance to be a very high level player as he continues to get stronger. He is very athletic as was also a wide receiver on the football team. Played for former UH great Shane Nance on the Mizuno Houston Select travel team.
Wendell Champion
Util | St. Thomas HS
7th ranked OF in the state
Recruiting Coordinator Trip Couch on Wendell: Wendell is a big, strong athlete that also plays football. Once he gets to dedicate his time year round to baseball he sky is the limit for him. He can really run for a big guy and has plus power potential. He will be exciting to watch develop. He played for Houston's Kyle Chapman and Mike Rutledge in the summers.
BUY SEASON TICKETS
Fans can purchase season tickets online by visiting UHCougars.com/Basetickets and following the appropriate links or by clicking here.
To purchase tickets in person, fans can visit the Athletics Ticket Stadium Office located on the northeast corner of TDECU Stadium, just outside of Gate 1 off Cullen Boulevard. Parking is available in the TDECU Stadium parking garage with the first 30 minutes free of charge. Regular business hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m., to 5:30 p.m.
All UH main campus students are admitted FREE to regular-season baseball home games with a valid student ID.
A LOOK AT THE 2015 SCHEDULE
For the ninth consecutive season, Houston will open its slate at Cougar Field, having accumulated a winning record of 14-6, which includes three straight weekend sweeps the past three seasons under Whitting - who will begin his fifth season at the helm.
"I'm really excited about this year's schedule," Whitting said. "It is probably one of the most competitive ones we have made since our staff took over in 2010."
Houston will open the season hosting Minnesota on Feb. 13-15. The Cougars and Gophers will meet for the first time since 1987 as they have met 25 previous times.
The home slate for the Cougars will continue with their third straight weekend series at Cougar Field when it welcomes first-time opponent Columbia for a four-game series, set for Feb. 27-March 1.
"Our fans will have a great opportunity to see us play against great opponents here in our city," Whitting said.
QUICK HITS
OUR CITY
• 31 home games; 36 in the city of Houston
• First seven games of the season played at Cougar Field
• 19 of first 21 games played in the city of Houston
• First five weekends played in city of Houston - four at Cougar Field
OPENING WEEKEND
• Houston will host Opening Weekend for the ninth consecutive season
• Cougars are 14-6 all-time during Opening Weekend under Whitting
• Cougars have swept the last three Opening Weekend series under Whitting
A LOOK BACK AT 2014
Houston is coming off a 2014 season that saw it ranked No. 11 in the nation to finish the year and notch one of the best seasons in program history, tying a program-record with 48 wins and earning its first trip to the NCAA postseason since 2008. The Cougars were ranked nationally for 13 straight weeks during the season, polling in as high as No. 5 in the nation during week 17.
Houston captured the Baton Rouge Regional title with back-to-back wins over LSU to advance to the Austin Super Regional (vs. Texas) - a first since 2003. 2014 also saw Houston win the American Athletic Conference Baseball Championship tournament title with a win over Louisville. The Cougars posted the nation's No. 1 RPI in non-conference, regular-season play with an impressive 27-5 record.
The 27 regular-season, non-conference wins was the most since 27 in 2002 for the program. Houston posted a home record of 25-8 for the most home wins since Cougar Field was redone in 1995. The Cougars opened 2014 with four straight home weekend sweeps, marking the first time in program history to accomplish that feat. Houston saw itself earn a season sweep of Rice - first since 1991 to reclaim the Silver Glove trophy, which has been with the Owls since 2000.
The Cougars were led by one of the nation's top pitching staffs as senior relievers Chase Wellbrock (5-0, 12 SV) and Tyler Ford (9-0, 4 SV) combined for a 14-0 record and 16 saves. Freshman RHP Andrew Lantrip was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American and the conference's Rookie of the Year, while eight other Cougars earned All-League honors.
The postseason saw sophomores Josh Vidales and Kyle Survance earn American Baseball Championship and Baton Rouge Regional Most Outstanding Player honors, respectively. Three Cougars were tabbed All-Region led by seniors Casey Grayson and Chase Wellbrock on the First Team and senior Tyler Ford on the Second Team. Off the field, the Cougars continued to excel in the classroom, led by sophomore Justin Montemayor, who was tabbed a First Team CoSIDA Academic All-District award winner.
STAY CONNECTED
Stay up to date with all Houston Baseball news and highlights by following us on Twitter @UHCougarBB or on Facebook at /HoustonCougarBaseball. Fans can also follow head coach Todd Whitting @toddwhitting on Twitter.
