Metro State Roadrunners Baseball News
Metro State Roadrunners Baseball News www.GoMetroState.com For immediate release: Sept. 1, 2010
Metropolitan State College of Denver • Department of Athletics • Fax: 303-556-2720 Mail: Campus Box 9 • P.O. Box 173362 • Denver, CO 80217 • Ship: 1201 5th St. • Denver, CO 80217 Sports Info. Director: Andy Schlichting, O: 303-556-3431, C: 612-964-1281, [email protected]
Metro State Signs Fourteen for 2011 DENVER - Metro State baseball coach Tom Carcione announced the addition of 14 student-athletes for the 2010-11 school year on Wednesday. Transfers Forrest Carpenter (Longmont, Colo.), Zach Cleveland (Golden, Colo.), Corey Collins (Littleton, Colo.), Ty Jacobs (Denver) and Robbie Nickels (Phoenix) join freshmen Darryl Baca (Loveland, Colo.), Eli Ford (Casper, Wyo.), Patrick Gojan (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Ty Hancock (Winslow, Ariz.), Alex Hill (Casper, Wyo.), Brian Keelan (Lakewood, Colo.), Chase Leonard (Canon City, Colo.), Tyler Leonard (Canon City, Colo.) and Chris Spirek (Arvada, Colo.) to make up the 2011 newcomers. “We brought in some pitchers who will have an immediate impact and will compete in this conference,” Carcione said. “We also have a number of freshmen who can play at this level. We’re very excited for the potential this class has to develop and contribute to our program.” Carpenter is a 6-foot left-handed pitcher/outfielder and joins Metro State after playing two years at NCAA Division I University of Northern Colorado. While at UNC, he saw limited action on the mound as a freshman and moved to the outfield in 2010, where he hit .176 in 17 at bats. At Golden High School, he was an all-state pitcher and posted the state’s lowest ERA as a senior at 1.17. Cleveland is a 6-foot-1 right-handed pitcher and comes to the Roadrunners after a year at NCAA Division I University of New Mexico. He transferred to the Lobos after two years at Central Arizona College. Cleveland brings an impressive résumé as he has twice been drafted, once out of high school in the 35th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, and again in 2009 after his two years at Central Arizona in the 50th round by the Chicago Cubs. Though he threw just one inning last season at New Mexico, he led CAC to the NJCAA World Series in 2008, and as a sophomore in 2009, he posted a 0.52 ERA. Collins is a 6-foot-6 right-handed pitcher from NCAA Division I Mississippi State University, where he made 15 appearances for the Bulldogs in 2010, going 1-0 with a 9.17 ERA in 17.2 innings with 17 strikeouts. He joined MSU after two seasons at Seward County Community College, where he was 9-3 with a 2.59 ERA in 2009. Collins was named honorable mention all-state at Chatfield High School as a senior in 2007. Jacobs is a 5-foot-11 shortstop/pitcher and comes from Seward County C.C., following a year at UNC. As a sophomore at Seward County, he hit .325 with nine doubles, five home runs and a triple. As a freshman at UNC, he hit .232 and had a 2-1 record with a 4.34 ERA in 19.1 innings. In his senior year at Cherokee Trail High School, he was the Class 4A Pitcher of the Year in Colorado. Nickels is a 6-foot catcher and is also a two-year transfer, coming from Glendale Community College in Arizona. As a sophomore, he hit .243 with 12 runs batted in and 10 runs scored. At Horizon High School he helped his team to three state championship appearances and two state titles. Baca, a 6-foot-2 catcher, broke the Loveland High School career home run record with 18 homers in his career. As a senior, he batted .440 with 34 RBIs, nine doubles and eight home runs and he was twice named first team all-conference. Ford is a 6-foot-1 right-handed pitcher Kelly Walsh High School in Casper, Wyo., where he played for the Casper Oilers American Legion. As a senior, he was named second team all-state and batted .410 with seven home runs as a position player. Ford teamed with Alex Hill, another signee, with the Casper Oilers. Hill is a 6-foot-2 left-handed pitcher/outfielder and was named first team all-state in 2010 after hitting .524 with 10 home runs in 66 games. Gojan is a 6-foot-6 right-handed pitcher from Mountain Vista High School. He was a two-year letterwinner and helped MVHS to a runner-up finish at the state tournament as a junior. Hancock is a 6-foot-2 corner infielder/pitcher and was a standout at Winslow High School in Arizona. He was twice named all-state and twice named region offensive player of the year. As a senior, he hit .489 with 49 RBIs, 12 doubles, eight home runs and three triples, while going 8-1 on the mound. Also an excellent student, he graduated as salutatorian.
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Keelan is a 5-foot-10 left-handed-hitting outfielder and was a 2005 graduate of Lakewood High School. He is expected to bring speed to the top of the lineup for the Roadrunners. Chase and Tyler Leonard are twin brothers from Canon City High School. Chase is a 6-foot catcher and was named second team all-conference as a senior and honorable mention academic all-state. He hit .356 with three doubles and a home run as a senior in 2010. Tyler is a 6-foot right-handed pitcher and was the South Central League Most Valuable Player this past spring, going 7-1 with 75 strikeouts and hitting .428 with seven doubles. Spirek is a 5-foot-6 second baseman/outfielder from Ralston Valley High School. He led RVHS to a state championship as a sophomore and a runner-up finish in 2010, hitting .360 with 16 stolen bases as a senior. Metro State finished 2010 with a 21-23 record in Carcione’s first season, including 18-12 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Roadrunners return eight starting batters and three of their four starting pitchers. 2010 Class Darryl Baca Forrest Carpenter Zach Cleveland Corey Collins Eli Ford Patrick Gojan Ty Hancock Alex Hill Ty Jacobs Brian Keelan Chase Leonard Tyler Leonard Robbie Nickels Chris Spirek
Pos. C P/OF P P P P IF/P P/OF SS/P OF C P C 2B/OF
B-T R-R R-L R-R R-R S-R R-R R-R L-L R-R L-L R-R L-R R-R L-R
Ht. 6-2 6-0 6-1 6-6 6-1 6-6 6-2 6-2 5-11 5-10 6-0 6-0 6-0 5-6
Wt. 220 182 185 200 170 165 215 180 185 180 196 200 185 140
Yr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Fr.
Hometown/Previous School (High School) Loveland, Colo./Loveland H.S. Longmont, Colo./Univ. of Northern Colorado (Niwot H.S.) Golden, Colo./University of New Mexico (Golden H.S.) Littleton, Colo./Mississippi State University (Chatfield H.S.) Casper, Wyo./Kelly Walsh H.S. Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista H.S. Winslow, Ariz./Winslow H.S. Casper, Wyo./Kelly Walsh H.S. Denver/Seward County C.C. (Cherokee Trail H.S.) Lakewood, Colo./Lakewood H.S. Canon City, Colo./Canon City H.S. Canon City, Colo./Canon City H.S. Phoenix/Glendale C.C. (Horizon H.S.) Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley H.S.
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Metropolitan State College of Denver • Department of Athletics • Fax: 303-556-2720 Mail: Campus Box 9 • P.O. Box 173362 • Denver, CO 80217 • Ship: 1201 5th St. • Denver, CO 80217 Sports Info. Director: Andy Schlichting, O: 303-556-3431, C: 612-964-1281, [email protected]
Metro State Signs Fourteen for 2011 DENVER - Metro State baseball coach Tom Carcione announced the addition of 14 student-athletes for the 2010-11 school year on Wednesday. Transfers Forrest Carpenter (Longmont, Colo.), Zach Cleveland (Golden, Colo.), Corey Collins (Littleton, Colo.), Ty Jacobs (Denver) and Robbie Nickels (Phoenix) join freshmen Darryl Baca (Loveland, Colo.), Eli Ford (Casper, Wyo.), Patrick Gojan (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), Ty Hancock (Winslow, Ariz.), Alex Hill (Casper, Wyo.), Brian Keelan (Lakewood, Colo.), Chase Leonard (Canon City, Colo.), Tyler Leonard (Canon City, Colo.) and Chris Spirek (Arvada, Colo.) to make up the 2011 newcomers. “We brought in some pitchers who will have an immediate impact and will compete in this conference,” Carcione said. “We also have a number of freshmen who can play at this level. We’re very excited for the potential this class has to develop and contribute to our program.” Carpenter is a 6-foot left-handed pitcher/outfielder and joins Metro State after playing two years at NCAA Division I University of Northern Colorado. While at UNC, he saw limited action on the mound as a freshman and moved to the outfield in 2010, where he hit .176 in 17 at bats. At Golden High School, he was an all-state pitcher and posted the state’s lowest ERA as a senior at 1.17. Cleveland is a 6-foot-1 right-handed pitcher and comes to the Roadrunners after a year at NCAA Division I University of New Mexico. He transferred to the Lobos after two years at Central Arizona College. Cleveland brings an impressive résumé as he has twice been drafted, once out of high school in the 35th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, and again in 2009 after his two years at Central Arizona in the 50th round by the Chicago Cubs. Though he threw just one inning last season at New Mexico, he led CAC to the NJCAA World Series in 2008, and as a sophomore in 2009, he posted a 0.52 ERA. Collins is a 6-foot-6 right-handed pitcher from NCAA Division I Mississippi State University, where he made 15 appearances for the Bulldogs in 2010, going 1-0 with a 9.17 ERA in 17.2 innings with 17 strikeouts. He joined MSU after two seasons at Seward County Community College, where he was 9-3 with a 2.59 ERA in 2009. Collins was named honorable mention all-state at Chatfield High School as a senior in 2007. Jacobs is a 5-foot-11 shortstop/pitcher and comes from Seward County C.C., following a year at UNC. As a sophomore at Seward County, he hit .325 with nine doubles, five home runs and a triple. As a freshman at UNC, he hit .232 and had a 2-1 record with a 4.34 ERA in 19.1 innings. In his senior year at Cherokee Trail High School, he was the Class 4A Pitcher of the Year in Colorado. Nickels is a 6-foot catcher and is also a two-year transfer, coming from Glendale Community College in Arizona. As a sophomore, he hit .243 with 12 runs batted in and 10 runs scored. At Horizon High School he helped his team to three state championship appearances and two state titles. Baca, a 6-foot-2 catcher, broke the Loveland High School career home run record with 18 homers in his career. As a senior, he batted .440 with 34 RBIs, nine doubles and eight home runs and he was twice named first team all-conference. Ford is a 6-foot-1 right-handed pitcher Kelly Walsh High School in Casper, Wyo., where he played for the Casper Oilers American Legion. As a senior, he was named second team all-state and batted .410 with seven home runs as a position player. Ford teamed with Alex Hill, another signee, with the Casper Oilers. Hill is a 6-foot-2 left-handed pitcher/outfielder and was named first team all-state in 2010 after hitting .524 with 10 home runs in 66 games. Gojan is a 6-foot-6 right-handed pitcher from Mountain Vista High School. He was a two-year letterwinner and helped MVHS to a runner-up finish at the state tournament as a junior. Hancock is a 6-foot-2 corner infielder/pitcher and was a standout at Winslow High School in Arizona. He was twice named all-state and twice named region offensive player of the year. As a senior, he hit .489 with 49 RBIs, 12 doubles, eight home runs and three triples, while going 8-1 on the mound. Also an excellent student, he graduated as salutatorian.
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Keelan is a 5-foot-10 left-handed-hitting outfielder and was a 2005 graduate of Lakewood High School. He is expected to bring speed to the top of the lineup for the Roadrunners. Chase and Tyler Leonard are twin brothers from Canon City High School. Chase is a 6-foot catcher and was named second team all-conference as a senior and honorable mention academic all-state. He hit .356 with three doubles and a home run as a senior in 2010. Tyler is a 6-foot right-handed pitcher and was the South Central League Most Valuable Player this past spring, going 7-1 with 75 strikeouts and hitting .428 with seven doubles. Spirek is a 5-foot-6 second baseman/outfielder from Ralston Valley High School. He led RVHS to a state championship as a sophomore and a runner-up finish in 2010, hitting .360 with 16 stolen bases as a senior. Metro State finished 2010 with a 21-23 record in Carcione’s first season, including 18-12 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Roadrunners return eight starting batters and three of their four starting pitchers. 2010 Class Darryl Baca Forrest Carpenter Zach Cleveland Corey Collins Eli Ford Patrick Gojan Ty Hancock Alex Hill Ty Jacobs Brian Keelan Chase Leonard Tyler Leonard Robbie Nickels Chris Spirek
Pos. C P/OF P P P P IF/P P/OF SS/P OF C P C 2B/OF
B-T R-R R-L R-R R-R S-R R-R R-R L-L R-R L-L R-R L-R R-R L-R
Ht. 6-2 6-0 6-1 6-6 6-1 6-6 6-2 6-2 5-11 5-10 6-0 6-0 6-0 5-6
Wt. 220 182 185 200 170 165 215 180 185 180 196 200 185 140
Yr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Fr. Fr. Fr. Jr. Fr.
Hometown/Previous School (High School) Loveland, Colo./Loveland H.S. Longmont, Colo./Univ. of Northern Colorado (Niwot H.S.) Golden, Colo./University of New Mexico (Golden H.S.) Littleton, Colo./Mississippi State University (Chatfield H.S.) Casper, Wyo./Kelly Walsh H.S. Highlands Ranch, Colo./Mountain Vista H.S. Winslow, Ariz./Winslow H.S. Casper, Wyo./Kelly Walsh H.S. Denver/Seward County C.C. (Cherokee Trail H.S.) Lakewood, Colo./Lakewood H.S. Canon City, Colo./Canon City H.S. Canon City, Colo./Canon City H.S. Phoenix/Glendale C.C. (Horizon H.S.) Arvada, Colo./Ralston Valley H.S.
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