Dec. 9, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Head coach Robbie Wine announced, Tuesday, that nine student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Penn State baseball team. The Nittany Lions signed three of the top prospects from the state of Pennsylvania, along with top recruits from Florida, Georgia, New Jersey and Texas. The incoming class consists of five pitchers and four position players, all of who will join the Nittany Lions in the fall of 2009.
The five high school players to don blue and white next year include Neal Herring (Malvern, Pa./West Chester East), Luis Montesinos (Miami, Fla./Miami Palmetto), Renny Parthemore (New Cumberland, Pa./Cedar Cliff), Steve Snyder (Malvern, Pa./West Chester East) and Johnny Walter (Haddonfield, N.J./Haddonfield Memorial). Four players are transferring to University Park, consisting of Mario Eramo (Houston, Texas/Blinn College), Heath Johnson (Alamogordo, N.M./Frank Phillips College), Brett Kinsel (Baytown, Texas/Alvin College) and CJ Smith (Temple, Ga./Young Harris College).
"We are very pleased with this year's recruiting class," Wine said. "We feel the players we have signed are going to be excellent additions to our program both on and off the field.
Herring and Snyder hail from West Chester East High School, which has been a premiere hotspot for the Penn State baseball team in past years. Currently, the Nittany Lions have three former Vikings on their roster - Brett DiFelice, David Lutz and Bobby Jacobs
"Our staff has accomplished our goal of signing the best players from around the country who will help us achieve our short- and long-term goals," Wine proclaimed. "Each player brings something that we are going to need next year, whether it's a bat in the middle of the lineup or a pitcher in our rotation. Equally important, they're all strong character guys who come from good families."
Penn State brings in CJ Smith, one of many players from Young Harris College to journey to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. On its current roster, Wine's squad consists of two players, Michael Glantz and Mike Deese, from the Georgia baseball breeding ground that has produced Major League talent, such as the Baltimore Orioles' Nick Markakis.
"Throughout the early signing period, we were able to address many of our needs for next year and we will continue to piece together the 2010 class as we move into spring.
"With so many graduating seniors this year, we are very excited about the immediate impact these players are capable of having on our club. Once again, [assistant coaches] Eric Folmar and Jason Bell have done a great job of assembling a group of talented players who will contribute to our program's success. We are thrilled to have these student-athletes join the Penn State family."
The Nittany Lions open their 2009 season February 20-22 in St. Petersburg, Fla. at the inaugural Big Ten/Big East Challenge against St. John's, the reigning Big East champion, Northwestern and Seton Hall. Penn State plays its first home series at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park on March 20-22 when it hosts New York Tech.