Dec. 7, 2007
University Park, Pa. - Penn State head baseball coach Robbie Wine today announced that five student-athletes have signed national letters of intent to attend and play baseball at Penn State next year. Among this group of five fall signees are three high school players and two junior college transfers. All five will begin at Penn State next fall and will play with the Nittany Lions beginning with the 2009 season.
Joey DeBernardis of Lake Zurich, Ill., Sean Deegan of Flemington, N.J., Mike Glantz of Marietta, Ga., Blake Lynd of Deer Park, Texas, and Jordan Steranka of Pittsburgh, Pa. have all signed national letters of intent with the Nittany Lions.
"We are very pleased and excited once again about our recruiting class that will be enrolling here at Penn State next year," commented Wine. "[Assistant coaches] Eric Folmar and Jason Bell have done another great job of filling our needs with well-rounded individuals. Our goal is to recruit student-athletes that will make an immediate impact on the field as well as who are quality students and people off the field. This group fills our needs and will keep the future of Penn State Baseball on the road to success."
DeBernardis will be a second-generation Penn Stater as his father also attended Penn State. He is the son of John and Joyce DeBernardis and will be the second in his family to play baseball collegiately as his oldest brother Jon played baseball at Pittsburgh. An infielder, DeBernardis currently attends Lake Zurich High School in Lake Zurich, Ill. As a junior last season, he hit .400 with a .484 on base percentage and a .789 slugging percentage, slugging 10 home runs and driving in 39 as the team went 24-10 and won the North Suburban Conference championship. He was named All-Conference, All-Area and All-County while serving as a team captain. As a sophomore, he hit .423 with four home runs and 33 RBI to go with a .486 on base percentage while the team went 22-9. He was also an All-Conference and All-Area pick. He also played on the varsity squad as a freshman, hitting .341 with a .443 on base percentage. He is ranked by Perfect Game, a high school baseball ranking service, as the 10th best player in Illinois, the fourth-best infielder, and is ranked No. 322 in the top prospects in the country rankings. DeBernardis chose the Nittany Lions over Pitt, Iowa, Michigan State and Northern Illinois.
"Joey is a solid defensive corner infielder and a right handed offensive threat," said Wine.
Deegan is currently a senior at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Flemington, N.J. where he has been on the varsity team for the last two seasons. He is the son of Kevin and Pamela Deegan. As a junior last season, the outfielder hit .465 with 25 extra base hits including four home runs to go along with 28 RBI, 24 stolen bases and 42 runs scored. He was named the West Jersey Player of the Year, first team All-State in Group IV and second team All-State for all groups. He set single season school records for hits, doubles and runs and also set the career record for doubles. He helped lead the team to a 22-7 record and the Hunterdon/Warren County championship. As a sophomore, he hit .360 as the team went 16-9. Deegan chose Penn State over Delaware, St. John's, Monmouth, Coastal Carolina, Marist and Seton Hall.
"Sean is a proven left-handed hitter and a base stealing threat," Wine remarked. "His speed will allow him to cover a lot of ground in the outfield."
Glantz will come to Penn State next year from the same junior college that produced current Nittany Lions Mike Deese and Drew O'Neil, Young Harris College in Young Harris, Ga. An infielder, he helped lead Young Harris to the Junior College World Series last year as the team finished eighth in the nation and compiled a 46-22 record. He hit .333 before an injury ended his season prematurely. Prior to coming to Young Harris, Glantz played high school baseball at George Walton High School in Marietta, Ga., where he was selected as one of the top 80 high school players in the state of Georgia. As a senior, he was selected to the Georgia Dugout Club All-Star Team. The son of Andy and Michelle Glantz, Mike chose Penn State over Georgia State, Georgia Southern and Kennesaw State.
"Mike was a big part of his junior college World Series team last year. He is a strong-armed middle infielder that we project to hit in the middle of our order next season," said Wine.
Lynd is the other junior college player in this fall class of signees. The son of Greg Lynd and Joan Dugan, Blake currently attends Alvin Community College in Alvin, Texas. An outfielder, he hit .370 last year as the team went 31-13. Lynd attended high school at Deer Park High School in Deer Park, Texas, where he was named a Texas Scholar. On the field in high school, he hit .440 at a senior, was named to the All-Greater Houston Team and played in the Houston Area Coach's Association 5A All-Star game. As a junior, he his .528 and led the team in all offensive categories except for home runs. He won the District 23-5A batting championship and helped lead the team to a district championship. He was an All-Greater Houston Area Team selection and had the second-highest batting average in the Greater Houston Area. Lynd chose the Nittany Lions over San Diego, Texas A&M, UAB and New Mexico State.
"Blake will be our spark plug," commented Wine. "He is a hard-nosed, left-handed, leadoff-type hitter that will make things happen. His speed will help us in the outfield and on the bases."
An infielder, Steranka currently attends Mount Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh, where he is a member of the National Honor Society and is on the high honor roll. The son of Mark and Sarah Steranka, Jordan will the second of three children in his family to play collegiate baseball. His older brother Justin played at Marietta (Ohio) College where he was a four-year starter and member of the Division III national championship team in 2006 and was also the MVP of the College World Series. Jordan hit .420 with six home runs, 23 RBI and 22 runs scored as a junior last year. He was a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette All-Star and was named All-Section. As a sophomore, he hit .414 with seven home runs and 28 RBI to go along with 29 runs scored, including a three-home run game against Mount Lebanon rival Upper St. Clair en route to a WPIAL championship and an 18-7 record. He also hit .322 on the varsity squad as a freshman. He has been a two-year member of the Allegheny Pirates Fall Scout Team for the each of the last two seasons and has also been on the Almanac Diamond Dozen Team for two years as well. Steranka is ranked as the 14th best player in Pennsylvania by Perfect Game, the fourth-best infielder in the state, No. 673 on the top prospects list, and the 28th rated first baseman in the country. He chose Penn State over Winthrop, Pitt, Maryland and West Virginia.
"Jordan is a solid defensive corner infielder and a proven left handed hitter," said Wine.