Compiled by Will Kimmey and Alan Matthews
November 25, 2005

Baylor came within five outs of making the first College World Series appearance in school history in 2003, and recruiting coordinator Mitch Thompson hoped to use that success to lure more top players to campus.

Less than two months later, Baylor basketball player Carlton Dotson was charged in the killing of teammate and roommate Patrick Dennehy. That wasn’t exactly news to print in a recruiting guide.

“The basketball thing had an impact. There’s no question about that,” said Thompson, who’d rather point out that Baylor owns the most Big 12 Conference wins in the league’s 10-year history.

“I had what I considered the eight best players in the state lined up for campus visits, and only one came. One by one, they called with different explanations.”

If the commitments during the 2005 early signing period serve as an indicator, Baylor has put the tragedy in the past. Five top 100 players signed national letters of intent with the Bears, and there’s no shortage of impact talent.

“If I start naming guys, I’m going to leave guys out,” Thompson said.

Let us help. Righthander Shawn Tolleson (No. 12) has produced two dominant summers for Team USA’s youth and junior national teams, while lefthander/first baseman Aaron Miller (25) rates as one of the best two-way talents in the high school class of 2006. Add in a pair of 6-foot-4 righthanders in Ryan Jenkins (58) and Kendal Volz (85), and Baylor has assembled the makings of a pitching staff that could rival the 2005 Bears staff that ranked 12th nationally in ERA and led the school to that elusive first Omaha trip.

Infielders Dustin Dickerson (64) and Raynor Campbell should also make quick impacts.

Unlike in 2003, Baylor was able to parlay its on-field success into recruiting gains, and these commitments couldn’t have come at a better time. The 2005 team featured a host of experienced players, with just three recruits from the 2003 or 2004 classes playing key roles. Now, those players are the upperclassmen, so this class and a solid one from a year ago will provide the foundation for Baylor’s future.

Keeping Their Commitments

Though Hurricane Katrina’s impact was felt on the campuses of New Orleans and Tulane, at least a handful of players stuck to their commitments. A trio of seniors from Bellaire High in suburban Houston—Jim McGongile (New Orleans), Hunter Johnson (Tulane) and Drew Zizinia (Tulane)—weren’t sure initially if honoring their commitments was in their best interest, but after speaking with the coaching staffs of the two colleges, all three players are still bound for the Big Easy.

“Before I had heard from (New Orleans head coach Tom Walter), I was very worried as far as going there,” McGonigle said. “I started calling some of the other coaches but after UNO called me and gave me a report on their facilities, I thought that it would be a good choice.

“I was hoping to maybe help rebuild the program a little bit and maybe bring some new fans if we can get a good enough team going. I’m looking forward to helping New Orleans compete for a conference championship my freshman year and who knows what else after that.”

The players’ loyalty is commendable, and made an impression on the coaching staffs of Tulane and New Orleans.

“With the challenge we have faced this fall due to Hurricane Katrina, I couldn’t be more excited about this class,” Tulane coach Rick Jones said. “I am very proud of the fact that these young men and their families are excited about coming to Tulane and the great city of New Orleans.”

Recruiting Rations

• Virginia successfully signed one of New Jersey’s top prep players for the third year in a row, as Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic senior Ryan Kalish (76) made the decision to follow sophomore Sean Doolittle and freshman Shooter Hunt to Charlottesville. Kalish, a lefthanded pitcher and outfielder, is also a standout football player and was considering playing both sports at Rutgers. While football isn’t out of the question at Virginia, he expects to play only baseball as a freshman.

• Kalish was one of more than a dozen standout football players featured in the top 100. Riley Cooper (11) and Derrick Robinson (16) are toolsy outfielders who received several Division I offers to play both sports. Toby Gerhart (50) said he planned to play both sports in college, and had narrowed his list of schools to six, including Kansas, Stanford and Utah. Ferndale (Wash.) High’s Jake Locker is one of the most intriguing athletes in the class, though he failed to make the top 100 cut. A quarterback and righthanded pitcher whose fastball has been up to 94 mph, Locker signed with Washington.

• T.J. Warren (73) decided to wait until after the Nov. 17-21 Baseball America/Perfect Game World Wood Bat Association Fall Championship to make his college choice. Loyola Marymount was among the schools the 6-foot-5 outfielder from Vallejo, Calif., was considering.

• Texas signed two Florida high school players in top 100 talents Marcus Lemon (30), a shortstop from Eustis and the son of former major leaguer Chet Lemon, and Carmine Giardina (23), a lefthander from Valrico. The Longhorns roster hasn’t featured a Floridian since Jason Moore in 1998, coach Augie Garrido’s second year there. Texas also signed Clint Stubbs, the younger brother of junior center fielder and likely first-round pick Drew Stubbs.

• After summers that carried them across the country, Chris Duffy and D’Arby Myers elected to stay close to home when it came time to make their early commitments. Duffy, a first baseman/outfielder with plus raw power from Orlando’s Cypress Creek High, signed with Central Florida while Myers, a speedy outfielder from Los Angeles, made a verbal commitment to Southern California.

• Many Hollywood hopefuls head to California after high school for a chance at stardom, but Arizona State signee Tyler Hoechlin traded his hairspray for eye-black. Hoechlin starred in “7th Heaven” and “Road To Perdition” as a teen, but hoped to parlay his baseball talents into his next leading role.

• Oklahoma State signed lefthander Brett Anderson, the No. 6-rated player in the country. Some might figure netting the son of Cowboys head coach Frank Anderson wouldn’t take much effort, but the dad stayed out of it and had assistants Greg Evans and Billy Jones adhere to the same process they use to woo other prospects.

HEAD OF THE CLASS

The top 100 prospects for the class of 2006, as ranked by Perfect Game USA, with college commitments. Football prospects are noted in parentheses.

Rank	Name	Pos	Ht	Wt	B	T	High School	College
1	Jordan Walden	rhp	6-4	185	R	R	Mansfield HS, Arlington, Texas	Texas
2	Cody Johnson	of/1b	6-4	190	L	R	Mosley HS, Lynnhaven, Fla.	Florida State
3	Jason Place	of	6-3	205	R	R	Wren HS, Piedmont, S.C.	South Carolina
4	Kyle Drabek	rhp/ss	5-11	175	R	R	The Woodlands (Texas) HS	Undecided
5	Matt Latos	rhp	6-6	200	R	R	Coconut Creek (Fla.) HS	Undecided
6	Brett Anderson	lhp	6-3	205	L	L	Stillwater (Okla.) HS	Oklahoma State
7	Dellin Betances	rhp	6-9	215	R	R	Grand Street HS, New York	Undecided
8	Colton Willems	rhp	6-3	170	R	R	John Carroll HS, Fort Pierce, Fla.	Florida
9	Chris Tillman	rhp	6-5	185	R	R	Fountain Valley (Calif.) HS	Cal State Fullerton
10	Jeremy Jeffress	rhp	6-1	170	R	R	Halifax County HS, South Boston, Va.	Undecided
11	Riley Cooper	of	6-3	200	R	R	Clearwater (Fla.) Central Catholic HS	Undecided (FB)
12	Shawn Tolleson	rhp	6-2	215	R	R	Allen (Texas) HS	Baylor
13	Kasey Kiker	lhp	5-11	175	L	L	Russell County HS, Seale, Ala.	South Alabama
14	Chris Parmelee	1b	6-1	195	L	L	Chino Hills (Calif.) HS	Cal State Fullerton
15	Chris Marrero	3b	6-3	195	R	R	Monsignor Pace HS, Opa Locka, Fla.	Miami
16	Derrick Robinson	of	5-10	160	B	L	P.K. Yonge HS, Gainesville, Fla.	Florida (FB)
17	Ryan Adams	2b	6-0	180	R	R	Jesuit HS, New Orleans	Louisiana State
18	Jason Stoffel	rhp	6-2	195	R	R	Agoura (Calif.) HS	Arizona
19	Devin Shepherd	of	6-4	221	R	R	Oxnard (Calif.) HS	Oklahoma
20	Max Sapp	c/1b	6-2	210	L	R	Bishop Moore HS, Orlando	Florida State
21	Hank Conger	c/3b	6-0	205	B	R	Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS	Southern California
22	Mark Sobolewski	if	5-11	185	R	R	Sarasota (Fla.) HS	Miami
23	Carmine Giardina	lhp	6-3	185	R	L	Durant HS, Plant City, Fla.	Texas
24	Grant Green	ss	6-3	170	R	R	Canyon HS, Anaheim	Southern California
25	Aaron Miller	lhp/of	6-3	190	L	L	Channelview (Texas) HS	Baylor
26	Torre Langley	c	5-9	170	R	R	Alexander HS, Douglasville, Ga.	Georgia Tech
27	Nic Akins	ss	6-0	175	R	R	Los Angeles (Calif.) HS	San Diego State
28	David Christensen	of	6-1	190	R	R	Douglas HS, Parkland, Fla.	Miami
29	Nathan Bridges	3b/2b	6-1	170	R	R	Villa Park (Calif.) HS	Cal State Fullerton
30	Marcus Lemon	ss	5-10	155	L	R	Eustis (Fla.) HS	Texas
31	Cory Rasmus	rhp	6-0	198	R	R	Russell County HS, Seale, Ala.	Auburn
32	Clayton Kershaw	lhp	6-3	210	L	L	Highland Park HS, Dallas	Texas A&M
33	Ryan Jackson	ss	6-2	165	B	R	Gulliver Prep, Miami	Miami
34	Jeff Rapoport	of	5-11	173	R	R	Westlake (Calif.) HS	UCLA
35	Bryan Morgado	lhp	6-1	175	L	L	Florida Christian HS, Miami	Tennessee
36	Nathan Karns	rhp	6-3	198	R	R	Martin HS, Arlington, Texas	Texas
37	Billy Rowell	3b	6-4	195	L	R	Bishop Eustace Prep, Pennsauken, N.J.	Alabama
38	Taylor Hammack	lhp	6-2	210	L	L	Angleton (Texas) HS	Texas
39	Brandon Belt	lhp	6-3	175	L	L	Hudson HS, Lufkin, Texas	Texas
40	Josh Thrailkill	rhp	6-4	180	R	R	T.C. Roberson HS, Arden, N.C.	Clemson
41	Travis Snider	of	6-2	220	L	L	Jackson HS, Mill Creek, Wash.	Arizona State
42	Drew Poulk	of	6-3	185	R	R	West Carteret HS, Morehead City, N.C.	North Carolina
43	Michael Demperio	2b	5-11	165	R	R	Kell HS, Marietta, Ga.	Texas
44	Jared Mitchell	of	6-0	195	L	L	Westgate HS, New Iberia, La.	Undecided (FB)
45	Nick Fuller	rhp	6-1	175	R	R	Kell HS, Marietta, Ga.	South Carolina
46	Josh Ravin	rhp	6-3	180	R	R	Chatsworth (Calif.) HS	Undecided
47	Graham Stoneburner	ss/rhp	6-0	165	R	R	Mills Godwin HS, Richmond	Clemson
48	D’Vontrey Richardson	of	6-2	200	R	R	Lee County HS, Leesburg, Ga.	Florida State (FB)
49	Drew Rundle	of	6-2	160	L	L	Bend (Ore.) HS	Arizona
50	Toby Gerhart	of	6-1	218	R	R	Norco (Calif.) HS	Undecided (FB)
51	Robbie Alcombrack	c	6-0	200	R	R	Bear River HS, Grass Valley, Calif.	Arizona State
52	Andrew Clark	1b	6-2	195	L	L	New Palestine (Ind.) HS	Mississippi
53	Ross Smith	of	6-2	185	R	R	Dodge HS, Eastman, Ga.	Auburn
54	Taylor Thompson	rhp	6-4	210	R	R	Saint James School, Montgomery	Auburn
55	Brandon Holden	rhp	6-3	178	R	R	Douglas HS, Parkland, Fla.	Florida
56	Addison Johnson	of	5-10	170	L	L	North Forsyth HS, Winston-Salem, N.C.	Clemson
57	Chad Arnold	rhp	6-4	175	R	R	South Ridge HS, Kennewick, Wash.	Washington State
58	Ryan Jenkins	rhp	6-5	195	R	R	Cypress Falls HS, Houston	Baylor
59	James Gillheeney	lhp	6-1	176	L	L	Bishop Hendricken HS, Warwick, R.I.	North Carolina State
60	Cedric Hunter	of	6-0	170	L	L	Martin Luther King HS, Lithonia, Ga.	Undecided
61	Jason Taylor	ss	6-1	195	R	R	Kellam HS, Virginia Beach	Clemson
62	Matthew Petiton	lhp	6-0	170	L	L	Garden City (N.Y.) HS	North Carolina
63	Andy Oliver	lhp	6-3	200	L	L	Vermilion (Ohio) HS	Oklahoma State
64	Dustin Dickerson	1b	6-4	180	L	R	Midway HS, Henrietta, Texas	Baylor
65	Del Howell	lhp	6-4	180	L	L	American Christian Academy, Northport, Ala.	Alabama
66	Kyle Snyder	rhp	6-2	170	R	R	Wellington (Fla.) HS	Miami
67	Tommy Pham	if/rhp	6-2	185	L	R	Durango HS, Las Vegas	Cal State Fullerton
68	Austin Rauch	c	6-3	205	B	R	El Capitan HS, Lakeside, Calif.	San Diego State
69	Jonathan Edwards	of	6-4	210	R	R	Keller (Texas) HS	Undecided
70	Brandon May	if	6-0	180	R	R	Lassiter HS, Marietta, Ga.	Alabama
71	Austin Evans	rhp	6-3	185	R	R	Chamberlain HS, Tampa	Alabama
72	Jacob Brigham	rhp	6-2	185	B	R	Central Florida Christian, Ocoee, Fla.	Central Florida
73	T.J. Warren	of	6-4	180	R	R	Bethel HS, Vallejo, Calif.	Undecided
74	Josh Prince	ss/of	6-1	175	R	R	Barbe HS, Lake Charles, La.	Texas
75	Michael Morrison	rhp	6-1	180	R	R	Cypress (Calif.) HS	Cal State Fullerton
76	Ryan Kalish	of	6-1	190	L	L	Red Bank (N.J.) Catholic HS	Virginia
77	Jonathan Pigott	of	6-2	175	R	R	Seabreeze HS, Daytona Beach, Fla.	Florida
78	Stephen Englund	ss	6-2	185	R	R	Bellevue (Wash.) HS	Washington State
79	Kyler Burke	of/lhp	6-3	197	L	L	Ooltewah (Tenn.) HS	Vanderbilt
80	Lars Anderson	1b/of	6-4	190	L	L	Jesuit HS, Fair Oaks, Calif.	California
81	Brent Brewer	of	6-0	180	R	R	Sandy Creek HS, Tyrone, Ga.	Undecided (FB)
82	Charles Brewer	rhp	6-4	180	R	R	Chaparral HS, Scottsdale, Ariz.	UCLA
83	Chase Anderson	rhp	6-5	235	R	R	Mandarin HS, Jacksonville, Fla.	Undecided (FB)
84	Justin Reed	of	5-11	190	L	R	Hillcrest Christian HS, Jackson, Miss.	Mississippi (FB)
85	Kendal Volz	rhp	6-3	190	R	R	Smithson Valley HS, Spring Branch, Texas	Baylor
86	Cam Nobles	lhp	5-11	165	L	L	Jackson HS, Mill Creek, Wash.	Washington
87	Brandt Walker	rhp	6-2	165	R	R	Saint Stephen’s Episcopal HS, Austin, Texas	Stanford
88	A.J. Wirnsberger	3b	6-1	175	B	R	Tuscaloosa County HS, Northport, Ala.	Georgia Southern
89	Diego Seastrunk	if	5-8	180	B	R	Channelview (Texas) HS	Rice
90	Travis Tartamella	c	6-0	187	R	R	Los Osos HS, Alta Loma, Calif.	Pepperdine
91	Gabby Saade	2b	5-10	175	R	R	Gulliver Prep, Miami	Unavailable
92	Daniel Cropper	rhp	6-4	180	R	R	Snow Hill (Md.) HS	UNC Wilmington
93	Sam Dyson	rhp	6-1	170	R	R	Jesuit HS, Tampa	South Carolina
94	John Bivens	of	6-1	195	L	R	Prince George (Va.) HS	Undecided
95	Preston Claiborne	rhp/3b	6-3	190	R	R	Newman Smith HS, Carrollton, Texas	Tulane
96	Erik Castro	c	6-1	175	L	R	Fallbrook (Calif.) HS	Arizona
97	Billy Bullock	rhp	6-6	210	R	R	Riverview (Fla.) HS	Florida
98	Kevin Cravey	ss	6-1	170	R	R	Klein Oak HS, Spring, Texas	Texas A&M
99	Clint Franklin	rhp	6-3	175	R	R	Lyman HS, Longwood, Fla.	Florida
100	Gavin Brooks	lhp	6-2	190	L	L	Rancho Buena Vista HS, Vista, Calif.	UCLA