The University of Mississippi Athletics
Diamond Rebs Sign Trio Of Mississippi Standouts
11/14/2011 | Baseball
Nov. 14, 2011
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss picked up a trio of standout Mississippi players as a part of its signing class for the 2013 season with the signing of Matt Denny, Zach Irwin and Chase Nyman to a national letter of intent, head coach Mike Bianco announced on Monday.
The trio of players is the first group of announced signees for the Rebels and will be joining the team beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year.
Denny will come to the Rebels from Jackson Academy where the infielder/left-handed pitcher helped JA claim the Class 3A state title in 2010 on the way to being named an ESPN RISE Baseball All-America selection. It was the first for Jackson Academy since the 2002 season as the Raiders finished the year with a 29-8 record.
The southpaw posted a 10-0 record on the mound in his junior season, tallying 101 strikeouts and a 2.49 ERA in 64.0 innings of work. At the plate, he hit .473 with 12 home runs and 56 RBI. Denny set the school record for home runs, RBI and doubles as a hitter, and his 101 strikeouts was a school record for a pitcher.
Denny earned All-Conference honors from the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools and was named the Class 3A North Player of the Year and named MAIS Co-Player of the Year for the state.
"Matt is talented left-handed pitcher we're excited to have join the program," said Ole Miss assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Carl Lafferty. "He's a great high school athlete on both the football field and the diamond. He's the ultimate competitor when on the mound."
Irwin comes to the Rebels from Madison Central where he helped lead the Jaguars to a District Championship last season.
The left-handed pitcher and first baseman turned in solid numbers in his junior campaign, batting at a .398 clip with 10 home runs, 12 doubles and 40 RBI. On the mound, the southpaw posted an 8-1 record with a 1.48 ERA in 52.0 innings of work.
Irwin also turned in four complete games on his way to first team All-State honors for Class 6A and is the 173rd-rated prospect in the nation by PerfectGame.
"Zach is a power left-handed arm and a guy who can run his fast ball up over 90," Lafferty said. "He's the ultimate competitor. He comes from a great high school program and will have the opportunity to both pitch and swing the bat for us."
Nyman comes to the Rebels from Pascagoula High School where he helped lead the Panthers to the state playoffs a year ago. As a junior, the middle infielder hit .359 with eight doubles, five home runs and 19 RBI. He also tallied eight steals.
The rising senior is the 115th-rated prospect in the country by PerfectGame and played with Marucci in the World Wood Bat Championship and also played at the East Coast Pro Showcase in Florida.
Nyman was also named a second team All-State selection as a junior.
"We're obviously very excited about Chase joining the program next year," Lafferty said. "He's one of the best left-handed hitters in the country and is very good defensively in the middle infield."
