CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. ? Austin Peay State University continued its early signing period with the addition of right-handed pitcher Eric Davis, of Pontiac, Ill., and first baseman John Hogan, of Imperial, Mo., who each signed a national letter of intent.
Davis, a 6-1, 195-pound right-handed pitcher, started his freshman campaign as a closer for Rend Lake College but ended the season with a start in the Region XXIV championship game. He finished the campaign with a 2-4 record, 7.61 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 36.2 innings pitched.
“Eric changed our recruiting plans after we saw him this fall,” said McClure. “He showed us he was young man with a very strong arm, who could locate his pitches, and already had a legitimate out pitch. As soon as we saw him we targeted him as a guy we really wanted and we are extremely excited he chose to sign with us over several other schools.
“Eric pitches at a solid 87-89 miles per hour and has been up to 92 with very good sink and run on his fastball. He has an excellent curveball that is a true out pitch and an adequate change up that he can throw for strikes. With all that said, a huge factor in choosing Eric was his ability to pitch, his command, and his competitiveness, all things that can't be taught but are extremely important in winning. With those attributes we feel Eric can come in and play a big role on our pitching staff immediately.”
Hogan, a 6-0, 200-pound first baseman, played for Vianney High School and led the Griffins to the St. Louis Metro Catholic Conference title last season. He batted .429 last season with 22 RBI and 12 doubles while compiling a .495 on-base percentage.
During the summer, Hogan played for the Rawlings Prospects travel squad and posted a .437 batting average in 119 at-bats with 29 RBI. He had 13 doubles among his 52 hits and recorded 19 walks against seven strikeouts.
“John is one of those players that the more you see him the more you like him because he doesn't do anything special, but he always gets the job done,” said McClure. “He is always the dirtiest guy on the field and is having a lot of fun playing the game. He flat out loves to play the game and is what many refer to as a baseball rat. He is a left-hand hitter who is strong and uses the whole field and he has some power but rarely strikes out.
“When I saw him play he reminded me of a guy who was a very good player in the big leagues at one time as well as a guy for which I had great respect because of the way he played. That player was John Kruk; he wasn't always pretty getting the job done nor the most athletic, but when the year was over he had always put up the kind of offensive numbers you needed from a middle of the lineup guy to have if you were going to win.”
2010 Austin Peay Baseball Incoming Class
? Alex Belew, 6-2, 190-pound, left-handed pitcher, O'Fallon, Mo. (Ft. Zumwalt West HS)
? Eric Davis, 6-2, 195-pound, right-handed pitcher, Pontiac, Ill. (Rend Lake College)
? John Hogan, 6-0, 200-pound, first baseman, Imperial, Mo. (Vianney HS)
? Cody Hudson, 5-11, 175-pound, outfielder, Germantown, Tenn. (Houston HS)
? Matt Marsh, 6-3, 185-pound, right-handed pitcher, Clinton, Tenn. (Clinton HS)
-AP-
