Baseball Completes 2007 Recruiting Class

[Guest Blevins]

Baseball Completes 2007 Recruiting Class

For Immediate Release: August 2, 2006

TULSA?Oral Roberts University baseball head coach Rob Walton today announced the signing of seven student-athletes to financial aid packages, completing the Golden Eagles? 2007 recruiting class.

Signing with ORU are: C Brett Burch (Midland, Mich.); C/INF David Genao (Bloomfield, N.J.); LHP Michael Jarman (Stigler, Okla.); C Joe Patterson (Owasso, Okla.); RHP Dale Reneau (Moore, Okla.); C/OF Brian Van Kirk (Southwest Ranches, Fla.); and INF/OF Tyler Warmerdam (Lodi, Calif.).

These signees join five players who signed during the Fall Early Signing Period.

Brett Burch * C * 5-11 * 185 * Midland, Mich. (Bullock Creek HS)

Earned Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Star honors following his senior season at Bullock Creek HS ? batted .494-3-45 in 29 games as a senior for BCHS, also earning all-state and all-conference honors ? a four-time all-conference selection and three-time pick to the Midland News All-Area Dream Team ? also lettered in football and basketball ? says Walton: ?Brett?s already a good ?catch-and-throw? guy. He?s very projectable for the future. He needs to become more physical, and if his bat comes alive he could be pretty good.?

David Genao * C * 5-11 * 205 * Bloomfield, N.J. (Globe Tech)

Played two seasons at Globe Institute of Technology in Manhattan, N.Y. ? batted .425 as sophomore with 11 doubles, five triples, two home runs and 41 RBI ? selected to play in the NJCAA All-Star game ? 2004 graduate of St. Benedict?s Prep in Newark, N.J. ? batted .578 with six home runs and 42 RBI as a senior ? says Walton: ?David is a converted infielder who?s only been catching for two years. He?s physically strong and an upbeat, intelligent player. He also has a lot of untapped ability. His make-up and work ethic give him a chance to have an impact for us next year.?

Michael Jarman * LHP * 6-1 * 190 * Stigler, Okla. (Seward County CC)

Spent sophomore season at Seward County Community College in Liberal, Kan., after beginning collegiate career at Oklahoma State ? earned second-team all-conference honors after compiling a 7-3 record and 2.79 ERA at SCCC? struck out 94 batters in 87.0 innings ? spent the 2005 season at OSU, appearing in seven games for the Cowboys ? went 0-0 with a 7.36 ERA in 3.2 innings of work, striking out eight ? helped lead Edmond North High to the state title game as a senior ... named to the Daily Oklahoman All-Big City team as a senior ... went 8-2 with a 1.22 ERA and 103 strikeouts ... also named to the All-Edmond team ... earned four letters as a pitcher ... drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 39th round of the 2004 draft ... played for the Edmond Stars in American Legion over the summer ... helped lead the team to the state and regional championships ... playing this summer for the St. Cloud RiverBats in the Northwoods League, where he was recently named to the all-star team ? chose ORU over Oklahoma, Missouri and Texas A&M ? says Walton: ?Michael?s pretty projectable. He throws in the upper 80?s with a plus curveball. He?s flexible enough to fill a variety of roles for us, and we expect him to have a significant impact on our pitching staff.?

Joe Patterson * C/1B * 6-0 * 195 * Owasso, Okla. (Owasso HS)

Left-handed hitting catcher considered one of the top prep hitters in Oklahoma ? originally signed last fall with Arkansas but was released from his scholarship in July ? helped lead the Rams to a No. 1 national ranking (USA Today) during the 2006 regular season by batting .355-7-44 with 11 doubles, despite playing most of the season with a shoulder injury ? Owasso lost in the 6A state title game and ended the year ranked No. 13 ? selected first-team all-Frontier Valley Conference and earned Tulsa World All Metro 2nd-team honors as a senior ? had a pair of doubles for the Large East squad in the Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State game in July at ORU?s J.L. Johnson Stadium ? hit .363-6-36 as a junior as Owasso finished as state runner-up ? also excelled in football as a quarterback, earning All-State honors ? says Walton: ?Joe is an offensive catcher. He?s a good athlete with a lot of power. If he cleans up his defense he has a chance to be a special player. His bat gives him a chance to play right away.?

Dale Reneau * RHP * 6-2 * 240 * Moore, Okla. (Seminole State)

Hard-throwing right-handed reliever ? throws fastball between 88-90 mph with good movement ? two-year letterwinner at Seminole State ? appeared in 12 games as a sophomore, posting a 2.87 ERA in 15.2 innings, with 19 strikeouts and nine walks as a set-up man ? pitching this summer for the Moses Lake Pirates in the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League, where he earned All-Star honors ? also earned All-Star honors during the 2005 summer season while pitching for Galesburg in the Central Illinois Collegiate League ? prepped at Westmoore High School in Oklahoma City ? chose ORU over Long Beach State, Washington and Oklahoma ? says Walton: ?Dale?s velocity improved significantly this summer. He has a good fastball with really good movement. He?s going to make our bullpen stronger as either a closer or set-up man. He can eat a lot of innings for us.?

Brian Van Kirk * OF * 6-0 * 215 * Southwest Ranches, Fla. (Univ. of Tennessee)

Junior transfer has two seasons of eligibility remaining ? played last season at the University of Tennessee where he batted .346 with four home runs and 22 RBI in 45 games, with 37 starts ? excelled in SEC play, batting .354-3-10 in 23 games (22 starts) ? originally signed with Florida Atlantic out of high school, but attended Miami-Dade Community College instead ? batted .288-5-28 in 39 games for MDCC which was nationally ranked all season and finished the year at No. 14 ? 2004 graduate of national prep powerhouse Westminster Academy in Ft. Lauderdale, the same school which produced Alex Rodriguez ? enjoyed a stellar prep career as a catcher, earning first-team All-America and all-state honors as a senior, and Miami Herald Offensive Player of the Year honors as junior when he batted .490-8-33 ? drafted in the 20th round of the 2004 MLB Draft by Boston ? won the 2004 South Florida ?Power Showcase? home run derby with 38 home runs ? helped lead the Florida Bombers to the 2004 Connie Mack World Series ? playing this summer with the Peninsula Oilers in the Alaska League ? says Walton: ?Brian is an excellent hitter whom we expect to fill the shoes of (7th-round draft pick) Andy Bouchie. He owns plus-plus power at the plate in addition to his fine all-round hitting skills. He can catch and play the outfield, and we?ll find out in the fall where he fits best. Regardless, he?ll bat in the middle of our lineup.?

Tyler Warmerdam * INF/OF * 6-0 * 175 * Lodi, Calif. (Sacramento City College)

Strong utility player will add depth to both the infield and outfield ? can play second base and shortstop as well as both corner outfield positions ? spent two seasons at Sacramento City College, the same school which produced former ORU stars Josh Lex and Justin Ramsey ?earned 2nd-team All-Big 7 Conference honors as a sophomore after hitting .298-3-29 in 46 games as the Panthers lead-off hitter ? helped lead Sac City to a runner-up finish in the state tournament ? hit .324 during the state tourney ? batted .244-2-13 in 29 games as a freshman ? prepped at Galt High School in Lodi, Calif. ? batted .462-9-27 in 27 games as a senior, with an .890 slugging percentage ? says Walton: ?Tyler comes from a very good junior college program, and he?s a really good athlete. He?ll be battling for a starting job somewhere during fall practice. His versatility really helps us, and we expect him to see time at several different positions. He was a key signee for us.?

Complete 2007 ORU Baseball Recruiting Class

Stephen Barnes * RHP * 6-4 * 220 * Jacksonville, Fla. (First Coast HS/Lake City CC)

Brett Burch * C * 5-11 * 185 * Midland, Mich. (Bullock Creek HS)

David Genao * C * 5-11 * 205 * Newark, N.J. (Globe Tech)

Jeremy Hefner * RHP * 6-5 * 200 * Perkins, Okla. (Perkins-Tryon HS/Seminole State)

Michael Jarman * LHP * 6-1 * 190 * Stigler, Okla. (Seward County CC)

Joe Patterson * C/1B * 6-0 * 195 * Owasso, Okla. (Owasso HS)

Dale Reneau * RHP * 6-2 * 240 * Moore, Okla. (Westmoore HS/Seminole State)

Jeff Scardino * OF/LHP * 5-8 * 170 * Tulsa, Okla. (Bishop Kelley HS)

Jerry Sullivan * RHP * 6-4 * 200 * Budd Lake, N.J. (Mt. Olive HS)

Brian Van Kirk * OF/C * 6-0 * 215 * Southwest Ranches, Fla. (Univ. of Tennessee)

Tyler Warmerdam * INF/OF * 6-0 * 175 * Lodi, Calif. (Galt HS/Sacramento City Coll.)

Adam Younger * SS * 6-1 * 190 * Cape Coral, Fla. (Ft. Myers HS/Seminole CC)

--ORU--

[tmh8286]

Owasso continues to be fertile ground for ORU recruiting.  I noticed this line in Joe Patterson's bio: "Left-handed hitting catcher considered one of the top prep hitters in Oklahoma ? originally signed last fall with Arkansas but was released from his scholarship in July ? helped lead the Rams to a No. 1 national ranking (USA Today) during the 2006 regular season by batting .355-7-44 with 11 doubles, despite playing most of the season with a shoulder injury . . ."   

I wonder what happened?  Think ol' Joe had second thoughts about becoming a Hog after he saw ORU manhandle Arkansas (and OSU) in the Regionals???

[MrsSmith]

This was obviously just recently in the Tulsa World.  I remembered it because I thought it was terrible what Arkansas did to Joe.

I can't believe I actually get to post something of interest before the die hards out there.

Owasso catcher Joe Patterson will not play for Arkansas this season.

JAMES GIBBARD / Tulsa World

All-State Games: Baseball: Catcher changes his plans

By LYNN JACOBSEN World Sports Writer

7/26/2006

After signing with Hogs, he is told there is no room for him.

Sometimes life throws you a curve. Just ask Joe Patterson.

The Owasso catcher signed a letter of intent with the University of Arkansas last fall, and with that decision out of the way, Patterson settled in for his senior baseball season at Owasso.

Despite a nagging shoulder problem, Patterson batted .355 with seven home runs and 44 RBIs for the Class 6A state runner-up Rams.

The unexpected curve came three weeks ago when Patterson received a call from Razorbacks head coach Dave Van Horn.

"He called and said their catcher didn't graduate," Patterson said. "They said it would probably be best for me to go to a junior college. I don't really know what happened. I was kind of in shock."

With the return of Union alum Brian Walker and the signing of Santa Fe senior Ty Weeden, there apparently was no need for a third catcher. Weeden, who also pitches and plays first, is expected to catch at Arkansas.

"They didn't actually drop the scholarship, it's good for a year," Patterson said. "They just said it wouldn't make much sense to come."

So Patterson asked for and received his release. He was hoping a good outing in the 

Large School All-State game might earn him a late scholarship.

Patterson doubled in the fourth to start a two-run East rally that fell short to the West, 4-2.

"I'm talking to some schools," Patterson said. "It caught us off guard, but we'll figure something out."

If it sounds like Patterson is taking the news in stride, it's because he is.

His father, Bill, an Owasso football coach, offered some sage advice.

"He just told me that's life," Joe said. "He said if I couldn't handle this, I didn't have what it takes anyway. . . . Everything happens for a reason. I'll deal with it."

Patterson has approached Oral Roberts, Eastern and Cowley County (Kan.).

"I'm just waiting to see who has money left," he said.

[tmh8286]

I guess I was a little off on who was stiffing whom . . .

[tmh8286]

While looking for the final score of the Large School All-State game I found the article posted by MrsSmith, and there was this picture of Joe to go along with it:

Caption: "Owasso catcher Joe Patterson will not play for Arkansas this season.

JAMES GIBBARD / Tulsa World"

[oru86alum]

It's nice to see I'm not the only one who closes my eyes when catching a ball!   

[tmh8286]

Still have your front teeth???