Baseball Announces Signing Class
12/9/2009 4:16:51 PM | Baseball
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The University of North Florida baseball team announced its 2010-11 signing class. The class is comprised of seven signees, six high school seniors and one junior college transfer, and five additional preferred walk-ons.
The class consists of Alex Bacon (Tampa, Fla.), Jamie Cardwell (Jupiter, Fla.), Caleb Denmark (Jacksonville, Fla.), Dillon Ennis (Ocala, Fla.), Garrick Ferguson (Jupiter, Fla.), Nathan Gahafer (Fort Myers, Fla.), Alex Hernandez (Lake Worth, Fla.), Joseph Iorio (Venice, Fla.), Shane Kennedy (Orlando, Fla.), Tyler Moore (Ormond Beach, Fla.), Blake Prince (Winter Park, Fla.) and Evan Stermer (Wellington, Fla.). The class includes a combination three outfielders, four infielders, three pitchers and two multi-positional players.
Bacon is an outfielder from Jesuit High School in Tampa, Fla. He lettered three years, helping the Tigers to a 47-10 record during his sophomore and junior seasons. Bacon was named a 2009 and 2010 Preseason Under Armour All-American. In 2009, he helped Jesuit to 23 victories in a row and an undefeated record in the regular season.
Cardwell is a pitching commitment from Jupiter High School in Jupiter, Fla. He lettered two years for the Warriors, playing first base and pitching. Cardwell helped JHS to the JV Championship in 2007 and 2008. He was named First Team All-District as a junior and 2009 National Grand Slam Most Outstanding Player. Cardwell is an honor student with a 3.96 GPA, raking 13th out of 778 people in his class.
Denmark is a signee out of the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Fla. He lettered each year of high school playing primarily at third base. Denmark led the Bulldogs to the District Championship in 2007 and 2009, as well as the 2007 and 2009 Regional Championships and a State Championship in 2009. He was named First Team All-State and All-First Coast as a junior. Denmark helped the Bolles School to an impressive 31-4 record his junior season.
Ennis signed a national letter of intent out of Forest High School in Ocala, Fla. He helped lead the Wildcats to the postseason the last three years and a District Championship in 2009. Ennis is also ranked on the Perfect Game High Follow List for the 2010 MLB Draft and has proven to be one of the fastest players in the state of Florida. As an honor student, he is ranked in the top five percent of his graduating class.
Ferguson is an outfielder who signed with UNF out of Jupiter High School in Jupiter, Fla. He was named Second Team All-Area as a junior, leading the Warriors to the National Grand Slam title. Ferguson was named to the 2009 National Grand Slam All-Tournament team. In addition to his efforts on the field, he is also an honor student and member of the U.S. History Honor Society.
Gahafer is a signee out of Riverdale High School in Fort Myers, Fla. He is a left handed pitcher who helped lead the Raiders to the 2008 LCAC Championship, District Championship, Regional Championship and the Florida State Finals. Gahafer led Riverdale to a 28-8 record as a sophomore en route to a State Runner-Up finish. He was named First Team All-State, All-District, All-Area and All-Region as a sophomore. Gahafer was also named All-District and All-Area as a junior. In addition, Gahafer lettered for three years in football, leading RHS to the 2009 District Championship. He also was named to the All-Star team as a senior.
Hernandez signed with the Ospreys out of Palm Beach Central High School in Lake Worth, Fla. He started at both middle infield positions earning All-District accolades as a sophomore (second team) and a junior (first team). Hernandez helped the Broncos to District Championships in 2007, 2008 and 2009, as well as a Grand Slam Championships in 2007 and 2008. He led Palm Beach Central to the postseason as a freshman, sophomore and junior.
Iorio is an infielder out of Venice High School in Venice, Fla. He helped lead the Indians to the District and State Championship in 2007. Iorio led VHS to the postseason as a freshman, sophomore and junior. For his efforts, he was named All-County as a junior. In addition, Iorio was the VHS Most Valuable Player and an academic honoree in 2009. He is a multisport athlete who also played football, junior varsity basketball and is a black belt in tae kwon do.
Kennedy committed to the UNF baseball team after playing high school ball at Olympia High School in Orlando, Fla. After playing on the junior varsity as a freshman, Kennedy saw limited action as a sophomore and junior, recovering from an injury. He boasts a 3.0 grade point average and can play either middle infield positions.
Moore signed with North Florida out of Seabreeze High School in Ormond Beach, Fla. He was named First Team All-District and First Team All-Area as a junior. Moore helped the Sandcrabs to the postseason as a sophomore, serving as a pitcher, first baseman and third baseman. As a junior, he boasted a 6-2 record on the mound with a 2.29 ERA. Moore won the SHS Best Offensive Player award in 2007 and 2008, as well as the SHS Cy Young award in 2009.
Prince committed to UNF out of Edgewater High School in Winter Park, Fla. He helped the Eagles advance to the postseason as a freshman, sophomore and junior. Prince earned All-District and All-Metro accolades as a junior. He was named Preseason All-Junior Team and 2009 Under Armour Preseason All-American. Prince led the 2009 Prospect Wire State Championship with 10 hits, including four doubles, batting .620, en route to being named All-Tournament Team.
Stermer signs with the Ospreys out of Palm Beach Community College. The Wellington, Fla. native played his prep ball at Wellington High School. Stermer is expected to play first base and be used as a left handed pitcher. He was named All-Area as a senior at WHS, helping the Wolverines to the 2008 District Championship. Stermer was a Dick Howser All-Star Game MVP. He was an honorable mention All-Conference selection at Palm Beach Community College.
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Name
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Position
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Hometown / Previous School
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Alex Bacon
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OF
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Tampa, Fla. / Jesuit HS
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Jamie Cardwell
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LHP
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Jupiter, Fla. / Jupiter HS
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Caleb Denmark
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INF/OF
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Jacksonville, Fla. / The Bolles School
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Dillon Ennis
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OF
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Ocala, Fla. / Forest HS
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Garrick Ferguson
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OF
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Jupiter, Fla. / Jupiter HS
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Nathan Gahafer
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LHP
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Fort Myers, Fla. / Riverdale HS
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Alex Hernandez
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INF
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Lake Worth, Fla. / Palm Beach Central HS
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Joseph Iorio
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INF
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Venice, Fla. / Venice HS
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Shane Kennedy
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INF
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Orlando, Fla. / Olympia HS
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Tyler Moore
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RHP
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Ormond Beach, Fla. / Seabreeze HS
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Blake Prince
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INF
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Winter Park, Fla. / Edgewater HS
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Evan Stermer
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1B/LHP
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Wellington, Fla. / Palm Beach CC
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