ORU Baseball Tabs 11 Athletes to Early Signing Period

[Bogus Smith]

ORU Baseball Tabs 11 Athletes to Early Signing Period

TULSA –- Oral Roberts’ baseball head coach Rob Walton announced the signing of 11 student-athletes to National Letters-of-Intent on Monday.

Nine of the players come from the junior college ranks, while two of the prep athletes are still in high school. The Golden Eagles signed three outfielders, one infielder, one catcher, four pitchers, and two multi-positional athletes.

The incoming class of 2008 includes; RHP Drew Bowen (Tulsa Memorial H.S.), RHP/INF Jeff Burleson (Bakersfield College), RHP/OF Andrew Dilling (Rocklin High School), OF Chris Elder (Sacramento City College), C Seth Furmaneck (Chandler-Gilbert C.C.), OF Tyler Garewal (Bakersfield College), RHP Brent Klinger (Glendale C.C.), RHP Spencer Roberts (Chandler-Gilbert C.C.), RHP Taylor Stanton (Diablo Valley J.C.), INF Louie Templeton (Yavapai College), and OF Ronnie Welty (Chandler-Gilbert C.C.).

“We are very pleased with this class, we did very well on the west coast (California and Arizona) and I feel really good about Drew Bowen from Tulsa, said Walton. “Bowen has a chance to be a special player and is good to have in our program because he is a local guy.”

The Golden Eagles continue to use their West Coast Pipeline as five of the signees hail from California and four recruits are from Arizona. Seth Furmaneck, one of the four players from Arizona, actually signed with the Golden Eagles last Fall, but stayed at Chandler-Gilbert C.C. this season to transition to catcher.

“We filled multiple needs in the outfield led by Ronnie Welty from Chandler-Gilbert Community College. Welty is a key sign for us and has great tools. He is a guy who can run, has an outstanding arm, and can hit for power.”

Both Welty and Seth Furmaneck, teammates at Chandler-Gilbert, were named to the 2007 All-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference All-Region teams as Welty earned first-team honors as an outfielder and Furmaneck earned the honor as a utility player. Welty finished tops in the conference with 43 RBI, while Furmaneck was second with 39 RBI.

Walton is also very high on Andrew Dilling, a high school senior from Rocklin High School in Roseville, Calif.

“Dilling has a chance to be very good for us, he has a power arm and is a young two-way guy. He throws 90 plus with a major league breaking ball and has the ability to swing the bat. He is as close to former ORU All-American Dennis Bigley we had since. Andrew Dilling is a very good find for us from the state of California and is one of the best signees we have had in the long time.

“From an overall player standpoint, I am very pleased with these incoming athletes because they are all impact players who will come right into our program and contribute,” Walton said.

2008 Baseball Recruiting Class

Player  Pos. Ht.  Wt.  Hometown/Previous School

Drew Bowen  RHP 6-2 200 Tulsa, Okla./Memorial High School

Jeff Burleson RHP/INF 6-3 200 Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield, Calif.

Andrew Dilling RHP/OF 6-0 185 Roseville, Calif./Rocklin High School

Chris Elder OF 6-0 190 Suisun, Calif./Sacramento City College

Seth Furmaneck C 6-1 198 Gilbert, Ariz./Chandler-Gilbert C.C.

Tyler Garewal OF 6-0 195 Bakersfield, Calif./Bakersfield College

Brent Klinger RHP 6-4 190 Phoenix, Ariz./Glendale C.C.

Spencer Roberts RHP 6-2 210 Littleton, Colo./Chandler-Gilbert C.C.

Taylor Stanton RHP 6-2 225 San Francisco, Calif./Diablo Valley J.C.

Louie Templeton INF 6-1 190 Peoria, Ariz./Yavapai College

Ronnie Welty OF 6-5 195 Gilbert, Ariz./Chandler-Gilbert C.C.

Drew Bowen

Currently a senior at Tulsa Memorial High School ... Playing for head coach Sandy Farrell and is a three-time all-conference performer for the Chargers ... Has led the Chargers to conference champions three consecutive years ... Posted 10 strikeouts in a game during his junior year ... Choose ORU over Oklahoma, Kansas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State.

Walton on Bowen, “He has a chance to be a very special player for us because of his athleticism. He throws hard (90 plus) and competes well and will be good to have in our program because he is a local guy.”

Jeff Burleson

Currently a sophomore at Bakersfield College in Bakersfield, Calif. ... One of the best hitters for the Renegades in 2006 with a .331 average with two home runs, 27 RBI, while leading the team in both stolen bases (14) and triples (4) ... A 2006 graduate of Liberty High School in Bakersfield, Calif., Burleson played for head coach Rob Amble and was named Southeast Yosemite League co-MVP ... Also earned honors in football. Choose ORU after entertaining offers from New Mexico State, Southeast Missouri State and Cal-State Fullerton.

Walton on Burleson, “Has a chance to be a great two-way guy, very good defensively and great on the mound with 90 plus arm and is a great athlete. Burleson had a chance to play Division I football as a defensive back out of high school so we are very lucky to sign such an athletic guy.”

Andrew Dilling

Will arrive at ORU in the fall of ’08 after finishing his senior year at Rocklin High School under head coach Roc Murray ... Multi positional athlete who plays in the outfield and pitcher ... Hit .319 with a league-leading seven home runs, nine doubles and 27 RBI in his junior year ... Also went 5-2 with 25 strikeouts in 31.1 innings of work ... Named 2007 Sierra Foothill League Honorable Mention and 2005 Freshman MVP ... Also lettering in football ... Choose ORU over Oregon.

Walton on Dilling, “He has a chance to be very good for us, he has a power arm and is a young two-way guy. He throws 90 plus with a major league breaking ball and has the ability to swing the bat. He is as close to former ORU All-American Dennis Bigley we had since. Andrew Dilling is a very good find for us from the state of California and is one of the best signees we have had in the long time.”

Chris Elder

Left-handed hitter that batted .340 in 43 games with a home run and 35 RBI for the Panthers in 2007 ... Was tops on the team in hits (55) and second on the squad with 11 doubles ... Prepped at Armijo High School in Fairfield, Calif.

Walton on Elder. “Left-handed hitting outfielder that can really swing the bat and can hit for power. Has tremendous bat speed and the ball really comes off his bat. Solid outfielder, good kid and comes from a great program.”

Seth Furmanek

Furmanek, who originally signed with ORU last fall, decided to stay at Chandler Gilbert C.C. for his sophomore year to transition to catcher ... In 2007, Furmaneck saw time as a pitcher and as a positional player for the Coyotes while earning second-team all-Arizona All-Community College Athletic Conference ... The Gilbert, Ariz. native hit .302, while ranking tops in the team with nine home runs, second in RBI with 39, and a tie for second in doubles with 10 ... On the mound, Furmaneck went 2-2 with a 4.54 ERA and 23 K’s in 32.1 innings of work ... A 2006 graduate of Mesquite High School in Gilbert, Ariz., Furmanek lettered four years at Mesquite and garnered many awards ... His senior year he hit .430 with 12 homeruns while also compiling a 9-1 record on the mound ... In 2006 he was named Fiesta Region All-Conference Player of the Year, and was named to the Arizona Baseball Coaches Association 5A All-State First Team and the Arizona Republic All-Arizona Baseball Team ... Furmanek played for the South Team in the 2006 Arizona Baseball Coaches Association 5A All-Star Game ... He entered his senior season on the School Sports Top 50 Pitchers in the Nation list ... He was a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks scout team and the Rocky Mountain Baseball Academy ... Furmanek garnered all-area code honors in 2006 and also helped his summer league team advance to the Connie Mack World Series in 2004 and led his Arizona Freebirds to the championship in 2006 ... Seth is also the cousin of Major League pitcher John Smoltz ... Furmaneck choose ORU over Arizona State, Oregon, Arkansas, and USC.

Walton on Furmaneck, “Talented athlete who is also great Christian kid that fits in well here at Oral Roberts. He is currently making a position change to catcher so he can fit right on with us next year. For his future it is a wise move. Overall Seth is a great kid from a great family and we are expecting big things from him.”

Tyler Garewal

Currently a sophomore at Bakersfield College in Bakersfield, Calif. ... Batted .345 with four homeruns in 2007 for the Renegades ... 2006 graduate of Centennial High School ... Earned first-team all-league three years, twice all-area, named league MVP, and earned second-team all-state at CHS .... Led CHS to capture league championship every year and did not lose a single league game in his three years at the high school ranks ... Broke the school’s single-season homerun record by hitting 12 in one year and set the school record for homeruns in a career with 20 ... Choose ORU over UC-Santa Barbara, Long Beach State, UC-Riverside

Walton on Garewal, “Very good runner with speed who also shows some power with his bat. Is a hard nose player that fits the program well, knows how to compete, and will be a key piece to our program in the future.”

Brent Klinger

Currently a sophomore at Glendale Community College in Glendale, Ariz. ... Played in 13 games for the Gauchos in 2007, posting a 1-2 record with 20 strikeouts in 19.2 innings ... Led the squad with 1.02 strikeouts per inning ... Prepped at Greenway High School in Phoenix, Ariz., playing in the 4A Wells Fargo 1 League under head coach Ryan Holtorf ... Named second-team all-region and Spring Classic All-Tournament team.

Walton on Klinger, “Chance to have a power arm, a lot of upside. Good athletic body with good size. He has a good release and the ball jumps out of his hand very well. We expect big things out of Brett and his best baseball is in front of him. Although he throws 90 plus, his pitches are sneaky quick.”

Spencer Roberts

Will arrive at ORU in the fall of ’08 from Chandler-Gilbert C.C. ... In 2007, Roberts appeared in five games as a pitcher at UNLV ... Prepped at Chatfield High School in Littleton, Colo. ... Lettered three years in baseball for the Chargers ... Earned all-conference honors in 2005 and 2006 ... Named to the Mile High Top 20 as a senior ... Played four years for the AAU team Playball Sports in Denver. ... Choose ORU over Arkansas and others.

Walton on Roberts, “High profile guy out of high school that has all the tools to be very good, very competitive and simply knows how to pitch. If he gets all of his tools and talents to work he will be a great fit here.”

Taylor Stanton

Currently a sophomore at Diablo Valley Junior College in Pleasant Hill, Calif. ... Spent his freshman year playing at St. Mary’s College and made 16 appearances and three starts as a true freshman in 2007 ... Primarily served as the team’s closer leading the team with five saves and finished 1-6 with a 4.09 ERA ... Struck out 20 batters in 33 innings pitched while holding opposing batters to a .244 mark ... Prepped at Deer Valley High School in Antioch, Calif., where he earned four letters in baseball, two in football and three in soccer ... garnered first-team all-league honors three years and first-team All-Contra Costa Times ... Finished 9-2 with three saves while striking out 70 and a 1.33 ERA his senior season ... Also hit .370 with seven doubles ... Was also a football and soccer all-league selection five times.

Walton on Stanton, “Big right-handed pitcher with plus-power arm that throws 92-94 mph. Unlimited potential who is just coming in his own. If he tightens his command, breaking ball especially, he can be very special and we are excited about his power arm being in our program here.”

Louie Templeton

Spent this past summer playing for the Blazers Baseball Club out of Prescott, Ariz. Led the club in hitting with a .397 average with four home runs and 29 RBI ...

Prepped at Sunrise Mountain High School ... Led Sunrise Mountain to three-time region champions and was named first-team all-state in 2005 ... Originally signed with New Mexico State out of high school but did not attend.

Walton on Templeton, “Comparison to former ORU great Grant Plumley (first-team All-Mid-Continent Conference as a shortstop in 2004), where Templeton is very solid on the defensive side. Great arm, great range, and is typical of the short stops we have had here in the past and present with Adam Younger. Makes things easy and has a chance to hit somewhere in the middle of the lineup. Out of all the shortstops I saw in Arizona and California, Louie is the best one and the sky is the limit for him. He has a chance to be a very good player for us.”

Ronnie Welty

Currently a sophomore at Chandler-Gilbert C.C. ... Led Chandler-Gilbert with 43 RBI, six triples and 12 doubles in 2007 while earning all-Arizona All-Community College Athletic Conference first-team honors ... Also named all-Arizona All-Community College Athletic Conference First-Team All-Region ... Batted .381 with four home runs and eight stolen bases in 47 games played for the Coyotes ... Prepped at Mesquite High School in Gilbert, Ariz. ... Named MVP during the 2005 and 2006 seasons ... Choose ORU over Univ. of Arizona and Univ. of Southern California.

Walton on Welty, “We filled multiple needs in the outfield led by Welty from Chandler-Gilbert C.C. He is a key sign for us and has great tools. He is a guy who can run, has an outstanding arm, and can hit for power.”

[Cletus]

Looking forward to another great year in ORU baseball!

[tmh8286]

Tulsa Memorial and Yavapai College in Prescott, AZ continue to produce for ORU.  ORU has had a string of great short stops and second basemen, and it sounds like the kid out of Yavapai, Louie Templeton, continues the tradition.  According to Walton, "Out of all the shortstops I saw in Arizona and California, Louie is the best one and the sky is the limit for him."

We also could always use quality help at catcher, and it looks like Walton picked up a good one in Seth Furmaneck: “Talented athlete who is also great Christian kid that fits in well here at Oral Roberts. He is currently making a position change to catcher so he can fit right on with us next year. For his future it is a wise move. Overall Seth is a great kid from a great family and we are expecting big things from him.”  Furmaneck choose ORU over Arizona State, Oregon, Arkansas, and USC.

Sounds like we picked up several other great players as well.

[ORUTerry]

We are so blessed to have Rob Walton as our coach. I am so impressed with his calm and unflappable demeanor. His teams reflect his confidence and never-say-die attitude. Love his fierce competitiveness. I hope (but don't expect) he will stay for a long time.

[Bogus Smith]

We are so blessed to have Rob Walton as our coach. I am so impressed with his calm and unflappable demeanor. His teams reflect his confidence and never-say-die attitude. Love his fierce competitiveness. I hope (but don't expect) he will stay for a long time.

Totally agree with you, Terry.  Rob is a quality guy and knows how to evaluate talent and, once it arrives, develop the player into a better player before he leaves ORU.

As for Rob's tenure at ORU, I would beg to differ.  Although we aren't the highest paying employer in college baseball, we are competitive.  Additionally, we provide an environment where Rob can recruit and excel in his profession.  I think that he truly believes that he can get to the College World Series at ORU.  Based on the talent that he recruits, and the ability to get the most out of players - both quality and marginal - I think that Rob will get ORU back to the CWS in a matter of time.  He has some great talent already lined up without the recruiting class announced yesterday.  The team has the foundation to be able to reach the heights of college baseball that Rob desires.  With Rob's head coaching appointment by Baseball USA and the facilities that he works out of, he is destined to attract top-level talent and develop a great team.  The only thing that I scratch my head about is why there is only an average of 300 - 500 people that come to ORU's baseball games when the weather is decent???

[tmh8286]

It would be great to see a little money spent to upgrade our 70's era stands to go with our truly outstanding field.  Possibly a name change to go with it - Mart Green Statdium has a nice ring to it.

But on the other hand, if we're only able to get 500 or fewer in the stands, maybe it's not a cost-effective move.  I just think that with the great facilities we have otherwise a little renovation of the stands is in order.

At least a score board that works .

[ORUTerry]

The scoreboard is supposed to fixed this year - with a video board coming next year.

Don't get me started on the name of the stadium. There is no way the stadium should be named JL Johnson - the guy never gave the funds that he he promised... and still has a stadium named after him. I say we approach SemGroup and ask them for funds to renovate the stadium and re-named it SemGroup Field.

[tmh8286]

The scoreboard is supposed to fixed this year - with a video board coming next year.

Don't get me started on the name of the stadium. There is no way the stadium should be named JL Johnson - the guy never gave the funds that he he promised... and still has a stadium named after him. I say we approach SemGroup and ask them for funds to renovate the stadium and re-named it SemGroup Field.

Hey -- I like it!!  Sky boxes and double-decker??