Silverdale's Spencer Mossburg delivers a first inning pitch against Arts and Sciences Thursday in an error-filled District 5 Championship gameLee University baseball coach Mark Brew announced 14 spring and summer recruits this past week, and they include former Silverdale Baptist Academy standout Spencer Mossburg from Motlow State, fellow Motlow transfers Peyton Meeker and John Reese Gilmer and infielder/pitcher Mitch Duncan from Ooltewah High School.
The group includes six players in all from Tennessee plus others from Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, New York and Japan. Ten are transfers with collegiate experience.
"Coach (Justin) Dedman, with assistance from Coach (Richie) Goodenow, has once again put together another A-plus recruiting class," Brew said in a Lee release. "The signing of these 14 players complements our returning 18 players and fall signees very well. They are all great young men and will represent the university and our program very well.
"This recruiting class provides us with lots of versatility on the mound and at positions around the field. It also provides us with immediate experience but has a great core group of freshmen. Our depth will be much improved."
Outfielder Mossburg was second-team All-TCCAA this spring after batting .356 with seven home runs, three triples, 10 doubles, 36 RBIs, 42 runs scored and 10 stolen bases in 12 tries for the Bucks. Motlow coach Dan McShea said he "is one of those unbelievable athletes. He is a guy that excelled in every sport he has ever played. I'm thankful he chose baseball and chose Motlow. He was a unanimous selection to be team captain, which is voted on by the players, and was our catalyst offensively."
Said Dedman: "He has terrific speed, good power and plays the game with relentless energy. He has experience playing all three outfield positions and the speed to be a shutdown outfielder."
Meeker is a 6-foot-2, 225-pound first baseman from Manchester who also was second-team All-TCCAA and hit .333 with 10 homers, 10 doubles, 48 RBIs and 39 runs in 2016.
"Peyton was another multisport athlete out of high schol that was in the middle of our lineup all year," McShea said.
Gilmer is a right-handed submarining pitcher from Hillsboro, Tenn., who had a 4.02 earned run average in 31 1/3 innings and 24 appearances for the Bucks. McShea praised his ability to come in and get the team out of jams.
Duncan batted .402 with 14 extra-base hits, 19 walks, 26 RBIs, 18-of-18 steals and 32 runs scored for Ooltewah this past season, and he was 5-2 with a 3.15 ERA and 49 strikeouts in nine starts and 46 2/3 innings on the mound.
"Mitch is a potentially dynamic athlete that does many things well," Dedman said in the release. "He is a physical middle infielder with a very strong arm, athleticism and offensive ability that projects well. He has a mid to occasional upper 80s fastball with a good breaking ball. Mitch has the ability to be an impact."
The other Tennesseans in the group are catcher/first baseman Chase Andrews from Lebanon High and infielder/outfielder Dalton Ney from Franklin Road Academy. And 6-3 pitcher Davis Gurosky is coming from Vestavia Hills High in Alabama.
Other transfers joining the Flames are NJCAA All-American Jordan Howard from Stockbridge, Ga., and Gordon State and fellow infielder Jeffrey Chapuran from Lexington, Ky., and Southeastern Illinois Community College; Christian college All-America infielder/outfielder Drew Johnson from Mason, Ohio, and Cedarville University; left-handed pitcher Kyle Pate from Fayetteville, Ark., and Crowder CC; and right-handed pitchers Jay Prior from Greenwood, Ind., and Lincoln Trail CC, Wes Albert from New Rochelle, N.Y., and Westchester CC and Jumpei Akanuma from Kyoto, Japan, by way of College of the Desert in California.
Howard hit .368 with eight homers, five triples, 12 doubles, 34 walks, 61 runs, 40 RBIs and 27-of-30 steals last spring, and Dedman called him "a dynamic athlete who can impact the game in a multitude of ways."