Husker Baseball team Lands Nine Recruits in Early Period

Lincoln - In his first early recruiting class at Nebraska, Baseball Coach Dave Van Horn signed nine recruits to play baseball at Nebraska, he announced on Thursday. The list includes six pitchers (four lefthanders) and three infielders. Five players are currently high school seniors and three are from the junior college ranks.

"I am extremely pleased with this class," Van Horn said. "In the fall you try to sign two or three quality players, but our coaches did an outstanding job and put in a lot of time and travelled all over the country to find these players. Nobody took any vacations, and it seemed like every weekend we had two coaches on the road. It feels like we have seen about every kid in the country.

"Pitching was the priority with this class. We have a lot of outstanding young position players and if we can get these guys to bypass the draft, that makes our 2000 program very exciting with the expectations of being in a new stadium in the next few years."

Here is a list of the Huskers' early signees:

Andy Bent, RHP, Cloud County Community College (Concordia Kan.), Beatrice, Neb.
Andy Bent, a native of Beatrice, Neb., was 5-4 last season for Cloud County. In nine starts, Bent had 51.1 innings pitched, struck out 33, had a 7.50 earned-run average, but opponents only had a .268 batting average against him.

"The coaches are going to help me out a lot," Bent said. "They were very helpful in my decision and playing so close to home, my family will have a great opportunity to see me more."

Quoting Van Horn: "He has gained a lot of valuable experience and his arm strength has improved tremendously. He has a great fastball between 88-92 mph and we are really excited to sign a player like him early."

Waylon Byars, LHP, Southeast Warren High School, Milo, Iowa
Waylon Byars, a two-sport standout athlete at Southeast Warren High School, helped his team go 25-6 in Iowa's Class 1A and advance to the state tournament while earning third-team all-state honors. As a pitcher, Byars was 6-1 with a 1.47 earned-run average. He struck out an impressive 149 in only 80.1 innings pitched. As an outfielder, he hit .396 with five home runs and 32 RBI. Byars averaged 17 points per game for the Southeast Warren basketball team.

"The coaches are great," Byars said. "They are still pretty young guys, and they can relate to the players of today. The indoor facilities are awesome and give Nebraska a big advantage."

Quoting Van Horn: "He has a good chance to be one of the top high school pitchers in the Midwest this season. He is throwing in the upper 80s and his curve ball has excellent movement. He will shore up our future pitching staff."

Brandon Claussen, LHP, Howard College (Big Springs, Texas), Roswell, New Mexico
Brandon Claussen, a left-handed pitcher from Howard College in Big Springs, Texas, was the last player to sign in the early period. Claussen, a 34th round draft pick by the New York Yankees, was 4-3 with one save and posted a 2.89 earned-run average for the Hawks. In 55.2 innings pitched, he struck out 34 while walking just 28.

Quoting Van Horn: "He is a tall left-hander and his better days are in front of him. He is the No. 1 pitcher on his team, and we are looking for him to step in and contribute immediately."

Brent Hraban, RHP/Catcher, Lincoln Pius X, Lincoln, Neb.
Brent Hraban is the first player from Lincoln to sign for Van Horn. Hraban had a solid season at Lincoln Pius X last year with a 2-3 record and an impressive 2.33 earned-run average in 27 innings pitched. He was an all-state honorable-mention selection.

Quoting Van Horn: "Brett Hraban has outstanding potential and we have had a chance to watch him throw at our camps. He has a late-breaking curve ball that can catch hitters by surprise. With his size and arm strength he has a great future."

Jeff Leise, INF, Omaha Creighton Prep, Omaha, Neb.
Jeff Leise, a first-team all-state selection as an outfielder in his junior year, had a tremendous season last year for third-ranked Creighton Prep. Leise was sixth in the state with a .477 batting average. His .477 batting average was tops among underclassmen. In 30 games, he had 41 hits in 86 at bats while scoring 31 runs. He had 35 RBI, six triples, seven home runs and 15 stolen bases.

Quoting Van Horn: "He was one of our key position recruits. He can step in as a freshman and play a lot and probably will start for us. He has outstanding speed and could be a leadoff guy with his ability to make contact or hit the ball out of the park. He is the type of player we are looking for."

Greg McGill, INF, Omaha Creighton Prep, Omaha, Neb.
Greg McGill is one of two players from Omaha Creighton Prep to sign with the Huskers in the early period. McGill, a second-team all-state selection and an all-metro pick had an outstanding junior year for the Bluejays. In the spring, McGill had a batting average of .420 with 34 hits and 35 runs scored in 30 games.

Quoting Van Horn: "He has outstanding power and speed and can play anywhere for us. He is one of the best athletes in the state as far as baseball shape. He can play shortstop or in the outfield. We are very excited to sign him because he was one of the top high school prospects in the state."

 Brian Minks, LHP, Neosho (Kan.) Community College, Mulvane, Kan.
Brian Minks, a 38th round draft pick by the Cleveland Indians in 1998, picked Nebraska over Kentucky, North Carolina and Southwestern Louisiana. Minks started 13 games last season at Neosho and posted a 6-3 record with four complete games. In 69.2 innings pitched, he struck out 56 and allowed only 42 earned runs for a 3.93 ERA.

Quoting Van Horn: "He is a left-hander with a lot of experience and has outstanding stuff. His velocity was in the upper 80s when we saw him, so that was impressive. He is their No. 1 starter and their staff depends a great deal on him. He is one of the best junior college pitchers in the Midwest."

Peter Orr, INF, Galveston (Texas) College, Newmarket, Ontario, Canada
Peter Orr, a 39th round draft pick by the Texas Rangers in 1997, is a left-handed hitting, right-handed throwing shortstop. Orr hit .321 with five home runs, 47 runs scored, three home runs and 32 runs batted in as Galveston College finished the season with a 47-11 record. He visited South Carolina and Houston before choosing Nebraska.

"The coaching was the No. 1 reason I picked Nebraska," Orr said. "The coaches are awesome guys, and the strength program offers a lot of benefits. The excitement around the program also helped. They are definitely on the upswing and I want to be a part of that."

Quoting Van Horn: "He is a left-handed-hitting shortstop with outstanding speed. He can play either third or shortstop and is a good athlete who is very versatile."

John Thomas, LHP, Righetti High School, Orcutt, Calif.
John Thomas is one of two left-handed high school pitchers to sign with Nebraska. Thomas chose the Huskers over College World Series finalist Arizona State and Fresno State. Thomas had an 11-1 record as Righetti High School (Division II) was 25-2 and won the league championship. He had an impressive 1.38 earned-run average and struck out 70 in 67 innings pitched while walking only 18.

"I loved the coaches and I loved the college-town atmosphere that Nebraska offered. I lived in Iowa for two years so I know what the Midwest is all about."

Quoting Van Horn: "He was a big sign for us. He is a big kid with big potential, and he really knows how to pitch. He is a professional prospect, and we have to keep an eye on him so he doesn't bypass college."