NORFOLK, Va. – Norfolk State University baseball coach Claudell Clark announced Wednesday the signing of four high school seniors to national letters-of-intent to play for the Spartans beginning in 2009-10.
The recruits are right handed pitcher Greg Abetz (Norfolk, Va./Granby HS), second baseman/shortstop Sammy Serafine (Chesapeake, Va./Greenbrier Christian), first baseman/outfielder Shane Hoggard (Hampton, Va./Bethel HS), and catcher Ryan Montgomery (Prince George, Va./Prince George HS).
“We are very excited to have players of this caliber commit to NSU during the early period. This gives us a great start to our 2009-10 recruiting efforts,” Clark said. “It also shows that we've strengthened our recruiting capabilities in the state and locally. All four of the signees have the potential to excel athletically and academically during their careers at NSU.”
Abetz went 8-2 with a 1.90 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 82 innings pitched as a junior last season at Granby. He was a second-team All-Eastern District selection after leading the Comets to the Eastern Region tournament. Abetz went 14-4 in his first two years at Granby.
“Greg has shown a good command of his pitching repertoire and has a proven ability to perform well in key games on the high school level,” Clark said. “With his size, he should be able to pitch very deep into games as his career progresses.”
Hoggard was a second-team All-Peninsula District selection each of the last two years. As a junior, Hoggard hit .429 with eight home runs and 32 RBI to help the Bruins win the district and regional titles and advance to the state semifinals.
“Shane has the potential to add a good deal of power to our ball club. He is very athletic for his size and has good arm strength,” Clark said. “As his swing progresses, he should get an increasing amount of at-bats in the middle our lineup and should be a key run producer.”
As a junior, Montgomery batted .385 with 13 RBI as Prince George's clean-up hitter. A noted defensive catcher, Montgomery has also played for the Richmond Braves 18-and-under AAU team the last three years.
“Ryan will help to solidify our catching corps immediately. He should be able to throw out a high percentage of runners with his solid footwork and quick release,” Clark said. “As his body strengthens, he should also be a contributor to our offense during his career.”
Serafine was the Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools and Virginia Independent Schools Division II State Player of the Year as a junior at Greenbrier Christian. He batted .446 with 25 RBI, 14 doubles and 15 runs scored to lead the Gators to their second straight state private school championship. He was also the TCIS tournament MVP.
“Sammy has the potential to solidify our middle infield for years to come,” Clark said. “He swings the bat with good power for his size and has the ability to hit for a high average. He will definitely add energy to the team because of the intensity he plays with.”
