Seven Commit to CSU Baseball for 2013 Season

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Five high school seniors, as well as two junior college players, have committed to join head coach Stuart Lake and the Charleston Southern baseball program for the 2013 season.  High school seniors Miller Bonds, Kyle Dyson, Zach Haralambis, Kevin Hickey and Andrew Tomasovich will join the Buccaneers as freshman in 2012-13, while Tory Schroff and Stephen Leopard will transfer from junior colleges.

Overall, the class boasts five players from the Palmetto State, along with one each from New Jersey and Alabama. 

“We have signed seven quality players that will help us address our needs,” comments Lake, who enters his fourth season at the helm of the Bucs.  “Coach Sid Fallaw and Coach Adam Ward have done an excellent job of recruiting a top-notch class that will help us go head to head with the best teams in the Big South and across the country. I am very excited about this class and look for these players to help us compete for championships for years to come.”

Bonds, a right-handed pitcher and third baseman, hails from Mountain Brook, Ala., where he is a three-year starter for Mountain Brook High School.  Bonds was named the 2011 MVP and earned Alabama Baseball Coaches Association All-Star honors as both a sophomore in 2010 and a junior in 2011.   He was also selected to the 2011 Over the Mountain Journal All-Area Team.  The Bucs look for Miller to push for time both on the mound and as a position player in his freshman campaign as he adds to an impressive list of two-way players for CSU.

Local product Dyson comes to CSU out of Hanahan High School and he will join the pitching staff as a right-handed pitcher.   Dyson was named the High School Sports Report Rookie of the Year as a sophomore in 2010 and Pitcher of the Year as a junior in 2011.  He has also competed for the Charleston-based Diamond Devils, earning a spot on the Top 1,000 Prospect list by the Perfect Game Crosschecker.  Charleston Southern will look for immediate contributions from Dyson, as his loose arm and excellent breaking ball will make him an exciting player to watch for the Bucs. 

A catcher out of Chapin High School in Chapin, S.C., Haralambis has been the Eagles’ starter since his eighth-grade season in 2008 and has earned numerous honors since then.  Haralambis earned 2011 3A All-Region Catcher honors and was selected to the Palmetto Games in both 2010 and 2011, garnering Palmetto Games Golden Glove Honors in 2011.  He was a member of the 2010 Irmo/Chapin American Legion State Championship team and the Diamond Devils 2010 WWBA 17U Perfect Game National Championship team.  Coach Lake and the Buccaneers will look for Haralambis to gain valuable playing experience as a freshman.  His arm strength and ability to handle pitchers will make him a mainstay behind the plate for the Bucs in years to come.

Infielder Hickey joins the Buccaneers out of Hilton Head High School in Hilton Head, S.C.  Hickey is expected to see playing time at both shortstop and third base, though his versatility and athleticism could land him in different positions over the course of his collegiate career.  Hickey was among the Low Country leaders in hits with 43 in 2011 and was named Hilton Head’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player.  In 2011, Hickey was invited to the Diamond Prospects Palmetto Games and was ranked as one of the Top 1,000 Prospects by Perfect Game Crosschecker. 

With the signing of the younger Tomasovich, the Bucs add another quality left handed arm to the pitching staff.  Tomasovich, the younger brother of current Buccaneer shortstop Alex Tomasovich, hails from Tega Cay, S.C. where he plays for Fort Mill High School.  An all-region performer in 2011, Tomasovich won the Most Pitching Wins Award at Fort Mill as a junior. In the summer of 2011, Tomasovich was rated the top left-hander in the state by Diamond Prospects as he played with the CBC O’s.  Tomasovich’s plus arm strength, tall frame, funky delivery and ability to pitch from the left side will garner him ample playing time as a freshman.

Leopard will add experience to the signing class of 2012 as he will join the Buccaneers from Spartanburg Methodist College.  Leopard was 3-1 in five starts as a right-handed pitcher for the Pioneers.  Prior to his time at SMC, Leopard was a member of the 2009 and 2010 3A Region 5 Championship team at South Aiken High School in Aiken, South Carolina.  In his senior campaign in 2010, Leopard went 9-1 with six saves as he helped lead the team to a lower state championship.  Leopard has the potential to be used both as a starter and in the bullpen for the Bucs as he will add depth to both. 

Left-handed pitcher Schroff, also a junior college signee, comes to Charleston from Brunswick Community College.  A native of Mount Laurel, N.J., Schroff threw 71.1 innings with a 6-2 record in his first season at BCC where he recorded 71 strikeouts and walked just 20 batters.  His outstanding freshman campaign allowed him to finish in the top 10 in the nation in many key statistical categories, including the third-best ERA in the NJCAA with a 1.26.  Prior to his time at BCC, Schroff earned both First Team All-Conference and Second Team All-County as a senior for Mount Laurel HS. 

Charleston Southern opens the 2012 season at home starting on February 17 when they host the Big East’s Georgetown Hoyas for a three-game series at CSU Ballpark.