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It's been an interesting year for Georgia Tech baseball this season. They've definitely had their ups and their downs, but they always managed to surprise people (me, at least). Unfortunately, this season is over, and there isn't a major sport to hold us over until the fall.
Since this was my first Beesball season writing with From the Rumble Seat, I would just l like to thank Joey for giving me the opportunity to help cover Beesball this season. I have thoroughly enjoyed it and hope to see this team continue to grow and get better in the coming seasons. If you're reading this and think I'm leaving, don't get your hopes up. I'm just a big sap.
Now that the season is over, I want to also thank all of the seniors from this season: "Trusty" Dusty Isaacs, Jonathan Roberts, Mott Hyde, and Mitch Earnest. Thank y'all for everything you have done for Beesball. We're going to miss all of you.
Now, because we have some guys leaving, that means we'll also have some new guys coming in, so I also want to take a quick look at our current recruiting class.
Courtesy of Beesball.com, the Yellow Jackets currently have 6 signees and 2 verbal commitments for the 2014 recruiting class.
| Signees | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | B-T | Height | Weight | Location (High School) |
| Wade Bailey | IF | R-R | 5-9 | 180 | Villa Rica, GA (Villa Rica) |
| Jared Datoc | RHP | R-R | 5-9 | 190 | Atlanta, GA (Pace Academy) |
| Daniel Gooden | LHP | S-L | 6-3 | 205 | Griffin, GA (Griffin) |
| Blake Jackson | 3B | R-R | 6-2 | 180 | Warner Robbins, GA (Houston County) |
| Kel Johnson | OF | R-R | 6-3 | 180 | Palmetto, GA (Homeschool) |
| Patrick Wiseman | RHP | L-R | 6-4 | 210 | Roswell, GA (Pope) |
| Verbal Commitments | |||||
| Name | Position | B-T | Height | Weight | Location (High School) |
| Trevor Craport | C | R-R | 5-11 | 190 | Norcross, GA (Norcross) |
| Cody Worthy | RHP | R-R | 6-3 | 195 | Winston, GA (Alexander) |
Below is the information on the signees via RamblinWreck.com
Wade Bailey | 5-9 | 170 | IF/OF | Villa Rica, Ga./Villa Rica HS
Ranked the 17th-best middle infielder nationally by Perfect Game... Played for East Cobb Yankees.Coach Hall on Bailey: "We're very excited to have Wade in this class. He's one of the best pure baseball players we've signed. He can play any position and a great competitor."
Jared Datoc | 5-9 | 190 | RHP/UTL | Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy
Ranked as the seventh-best right-handed pitcher in Georgia by Perfect Game... Honorable Mention Perfect Game Underclass All-America... Pace Academy is the same school that produced Tech great Brandon Thomas.Coach Hall on Datoc: "We see a lot of potential in Jared. His fastball is in the upper 80's, but a very good slider. We're looking for him to add depth to our bullpen."
Blake Jackson | 6-2 | 190 | 3B | Warner Robins, Ga./Houston County HS
Ranked the 16th-best third baseman nationally by Perfect Game... Also had interest from Florida State, Alabama, NC State and Vanderbilt among others.Coach Hall on Jackson: "Blake is an outstanding hitter, and we're very excited about what he brings defensively at third base."
Kel Johnson | 6-4 | 215 | OF/1B | Palmetto, Ga./Home Schooled
Ranked as the 36th-best player overall nationally by Perfect Game... Won a Gold Medal with Team USA's 18U National Team at the 2013 IBAF 18U/'AAA' World Cup in Taichung, Taiwan... Finished second in the MLB Junior Select Home Run Derby with 13 home runs at Citi Field during the Major League Baseball All-Star Game festivities.Coach Hall on Johnson: "We feel Kel is one of the best players in the country. He played on the gold-medal winning USA Team. We project him as a mid-lineup hitter from his freshman year on."
Daniel Gooden | 6-3 | 205 | LHP | Griffin, Ga./Griffin HS
Ranked as the 13th-best left-handed pitcher nationally by Perfect Game... Turned down a wrath of offers, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Clemson, Florida, Georgia.Coach Hall on Gooden: "In our minds, Daniel's the best left-handed pitcher in the state of Georgia. He also can be a two-way guy with a lot of power at the plate. Again, a power-arm guy that reminds me a lot of Jed Bradley."
Patrick Wiseman | 6-6 | 220 | RHP/1B | Roswell, Ga./Pope HS
Ranked as the No. 6 right-handed pitcher in Georgia by Perfect Game... Played for East Cobb Yankees... Is the brother of current Tech RHP Joe Wiseman.Coach Hall on Wiseman: "We feel he's one of the best right-handed pitchers in Georgia. He's a left-handed hitter, a right-handed thrower and can play first base.
Like Danny Hall, my favorite player in this class is Kel Johnson. I'm about 95.8% sure they brought the fences in for the Junior Home Run Derby at Citi Field, but still, 13 home runs is pretty ridiculous. He will bring some much-needed power to this lineup.
Another guy I'm excited about is LHP Daniel Gooden. He's one of the best young pitchers in the state of Georgia, he turned down uga, and my oldest sister goes to church with him and his family. What's not to like?
A lot of things could change between now and the MLB Draft, but we'll cross that bridge when it comes. Right now, I'm excited for this recruiting class.
How do y'all feel about this season in Beesball? What about the recruiting class thus far? Who are your season MVPs (offense, defense, and pitching)? Early predictions for next year?