The University of Mississippi Athletics
Collegiate Baseball Ranks Ole Miss' 2005 Recruiting Class Eighth Nationally
9/27/2005 | Baseball
Sept. 27, 2005
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss baseball pulled in another top 10 recruiting class in baseball this season, as Collegiate Baseball recently released its ranking of 2005 recruiting classes, placing the Rebels as the eighth-ranked class in the nation.
The class, which features four Louisville Slugger All-American selections, two Gatorade Players of the Year and three players drafted in the 2005 Major League Baseball first year player draft, is the third in five years to rank in the top 10 nationally for head coach Mike Bianco and the Rebels.
"Obviously we addressed some needs after the losses we had from last year's team. To have the eighth-ranked class in the nation shows the work that Dan McDonnell has done to keep us in a position to continue to compete nationally. This is our fifth consecutive year to have a recruiting class ranked nationally."
Ole Miss saw eight players drafted from last year's squad, including four players in the top 100 picks. The Rebels were the only school to have four players drafted in the first 100. Drafted were All-America selections Stephen Head and Brian Pettway, along with starting pitchers Mark Holliman, Eric Fowler, Matt Maloney and Anthony Cupps. Also drafted were catcher Barry Gunther and second baseman Cooper Osteen.
Pitching proved to be the highlight of the 2005 recruiting class as the Rebels signed three pitchers sought after by professional organizations, in Lance Lynn, Cody Satterwhite and Phillip Irwin.
Lynn, a 6-5 right-handed pitcher from Brownsburg, Ind., was drafted in the sixth round by the Seattle Mariners with their fourth pick of the draft. Lynn went 16-0 with two saves in 18 appearances and a 0.71 ERA as a senior at Brownsburg High School. He also performed well at the plate, hitting .473 for his career with 23 home runs and 92 RBI.
Satterwhite, a 6-4 right-handed pitcher, played for Hillcrest Christian, the same school that produced All-America selections Seth Smith and Stephen Head. Satterwhite was drafted by Cleveland in the 37th-round of the draft, after posting a career record of 13-4 on the mound with one save and a 2.56 ERA. The Jackson, Miss., native pitched a no-hitter in his first start on the mound at Hillcrest.
Both Lynn and Satterwhite were named Gatorade Players of the Year for their respective states.
Irwin, a right-handed pitcher from Memphis, earned All-State honors from the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association as he helped lead his team to the State Championship as a senior and a runner-up finish his junior season at Christian Brothers High School. He went 21-4 for his career with an outstanding senior season. As a senior, Irwin went 9-2 with a 0.97 ERA as he struck out 76 and walked 10 in 55 innings of work.
The Rebels also added three JUCO transfers to the pitching ranks who were drafted out of high school, including a pair of southpaws in Craig Rodriguez and Garrett White. Rodriguez, who was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2004, attended Pearl River Community College, where he helped lead Pearl River to a No. 1 national ranking as a sophomore and earned First Team All-America honors. White came to Ole Miss from San Jacinto Junior College where he helped lead his team to a national runner-up finish in the 2004 season. White was drafted by Minnesota in the 24th round of the 2004 MLB draft.
Nick Hetland from Clarendon Junior College also signed with the Rebels. The right-handed pitcher went 17-1 in two seasons at Clarendon.
Ole Miss also signed a complete infield with the 2005 signing class, and added the 2005 JUCO Player of the Year with designated hitter/outfielder Kyle Mills from Itawamba Community College. Mills hit .445 at Itawamba with 20 home runs and 97 RBI.
Included in the 2005 signing class:
Brett Basham, C - Knoxville, Tenn. - TBCA All-Region selection from Bearden High School. Cullan Kight, 1B - Magee, Miss. - All-State selection from back-to-back State Champions Simpson Academy Zach Miller, 2B - Germantown, Tenn. - Two-time TBCA All-Region selection from 2005 State Champion Germantown-Houston High School. Evan Button, SS - St. Louis, Mo. - All-State selection from DeSmet Jesuit. Devin Hicks, 3B - Bartlett, Tenn. - All-State selection in 2005 from Bartlett High School. Wade Broyles, RHP - Madison, Miss. - Louisville Slugger All-American from Madison Central High School. Rory McKean, RHP - Montgomery, Ala. - All-Conference and All-Metro selection from Trinity Presbyterian. Ryan White, C - High Point, N.C. - All-Conference and All-Area selection from Ledford High School. Chase Ware - Southaven, Miss. - All-District and All-Metro Selection from Olive Branch High School.
Ole Miss is currently in the middle of fall practice, and will open the 2006 season on February 17, 2006, with a three-game series against St. Louis. It is part of a 14-game home stand to open the season for the Rebels.