Aggie Baseball Inks 15 Players in Early Signing Period
Nov 24, 2003 | Baseball
November 24, 2003
Texas A&M head baseball coach Mark Johnson announced the signing of 15 players to national letters of intent in November's early signing period.
Of the 15 signees, 11 hail from the state of Texas and 12 are high school standouts.
"We are very pleased that we signed a group of young men that are looking forward to being Aggies," commented Johnson, who earned his 800th win at Texas A&M last season. "Going into the recruiting process, we wanted to find athletes that could play multiple positions. We are excited to see what this group of players is going to bring to the table next fall."
The newly acquired players will be eligible for participation at Texas A&M in the fall of 2004.
Last season the Aggies finished the year ranked No. 14 nationally after posting a record of 45-19 and advancing to the finals of the NCAA Regional held at Olsen Field.
2004-05 Texas A&M Baseball Early Signing Class
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Hometown (High School) |
| Buenger, Jess | INF | 6-0 | 180 | Fr-HS | Bellville, TX (Bellville) |
| Carpenter, Will | INF | 6-0 | 178 | Fr-HS | Sugar Land, TX (Elkins) |
| Corgan, Chance | RHP/INF | 6-5 | 205 | Fr-HS | Forney, TX (Forney) |
| Gattis, Evan | C | 6-3 | 235 | Fr-HS | Forney, TX (Bishop Lynch) |
| Gerald, Evan | RHP | 6-4 | 213 | Fr-HS | Amarillo, TX (Tascosa) |
| Glover, Brandon | OF | 5-10 | 170 | Fr-HS | McKinney, TX (McKinney) |
| Hernandez, Michael | OF | 6-0 | 175 | Jr-TR | Bronx, NY (Xaverian/Connors St. CC) |
| Hohman, Tyler | INF | 6-0 | 170 | Fr-HS | Tomball, TX (Tomball) |
| Howes, Andy | INF | 6-4 | 215 | So-TR | Phoenix, AZ (Chaparral/Chandler-Gilbert CC) |
| Jones, Chris | RHP/OF | 6-1 | 198 | Fr-HS | Dove Canyon, CA (Mission Viejo) |
| Paulson, Erik | RHP/INF | 6-3 | 188 | Fr-HS | Midland, TX (Midland) |
| Sebek, Todd | INF | 6-1 | 180 | Fr-HS | Kerrville, TX (Tivy) |
| Sokol, Justin | RHP | 6-3 | 200 | Jr-TR | Rochester, MN (Mayo/Iowa Central JC) |
| Stouffer, Blake | INF | 6-0 | 170 | Fr-HS | San Antonio, TX (Alamo Heights) |
| Stein, Keith | INF | 5-11 | 170 | Fr-HS | College Station, TX (A&M Consolidated) |
Jess Buenger * INF * Bellville, Texas (Bellville)
Jess Buenger is a strong athlete with the versatility to play several infield positions. Buenger hit .420 with 43 RBI and went 12-4 with a 0.96 ERA to earn first-team all-state honors as a pitcher his sophomore season. As a junior, Buenger hit .460 to earn all-state honors as a shortstop. Buenger played with the Houston Heat this past summer, hitting .485 with seven homeruns. He also has led his high school football to team to a 37-3 record in three seasons as the quarterback and his team is still alive in this year's high school playoffs.
Will Carpenter * INF * Sugar Land, Texas (Elkins)
Will Carpenter is a strong athlete and comes from a winning program. Carpenter played shortstop for Elkins the last two seasons and helped guide the Rams to back-to-back class 5A state championships. Last season, Carpenter hit .336 with seven homeruns and 38 RBI to earn all-district and all-state tournament honors. Carpenter was invited to the area code tryouts and the Texas Scout Association All-Star Game.
Chance Corgan * RHP/INF * Forney, Texas (Forney)
Chance Corgan is a possible high-draft choice because of his arm strength and has the potential to be a position player as well. Corgan was named to the Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association All-State team after allowing just 22 hits in 60 innings as a junior. Corgan also struck out 90 opposing hitters, had an earned-run average of 1.04 while hitting .461 with five homers and 25 stolen bases as a junior. Corgan was also named the district*s MVP following his junior year. In the summer following his sophomore year, Corgan played shortstop for the Dallas Panthers, who won the bronze medal at the Junior Olympic selection tournament in Jupiter, Fla. Corgan played football for Plano High in the fall of his junior year and started at quarterback and safety and also punted and returned punts and kickoffs.
Evan Gattis * C * Forney, Texas (Bishop Lynch)
Evan Gattis is strong and has a large frame with the potential to hit for power. Gattis pitched his sophomore year at Forney High School but transferred to Bishop Lynch where he has predominately played catcher. Gattis has consistently been timed at 1.9 seconds from home to first and has a quick transfer to compliment his strong arm. His most appealing quality as a prospect, however, is his bat. Gattis hits with equal power to all parts of the ballpark and he led his team to a 23-8 record last season.
Evan Gerald * RHP * Amarillo, Texas (Tascosa)
Evan Gerald is a tall hard-throwing righty who has a bright future because of his command of the strike zone. Gerald pitched on the Tascosa varsity since his freshman season. He has more than 100-career strikeouts, averaging a strikeout per inning, and was named first-team all-district last year as a junior. In the summer following his sophomore season, Gerald helped lead the Dallas Knights to the Mickey Mantle World Series championship.
Brandon Glover * OF * McKinney, Texas (McKinney)
Brandon Glover is a good defensive outfielder that can cover a lot of ground and possesses an above-average arm. Glover earned second-team all-district honors as an outfielder after his junior season at McKinney. Glover also played for the Texas Rangers Area Code team and was invited to play in the Texas Scouts Association All-Star Game. Glover also played varsity football for three years and was the team captain as a senior.
Michael Hernandez * OF * Bronx, NY (Xaverian/Connors State Community College)
Michael Hernandez has the potential to be an outstanding middle-of-the-order hitter. Hernandez will play his sophomore season at Connors State Community College in Warner, Okla., after transferring from Daytona Beach Community College in Daytona Beach, Fla. As a freshman at Daytona Beach, Hernandez hit .316 and led the team with 54 RBI in just 45 games. Also led the team with eight homeruns, 11 doubles, 92 total bases and a .529 slugging percentage. Hernandez, who hit in the clean-up spot in the lineup, led Daytona Beach CC to its first-ever conference championship.
Tyler Hohman * INF * Tomball, Texas (Tomball)
Tyler Hohman is a quality young hitter that hits the ball hard on a line or on the ground. Hohman has played three varsity seasons at Tomball. Hohman was leading the Houston area in batting (.469) at the start of district play with a but was hit by a pitch and suffered a hand injury, finishing the year with a .348 average. Hohman played in the Kyle Chapman League last summer hitting .500 with 8 homeruns.
Andy Howes * INF * Phoenix, Ariz. (Chaparral/Chandler-Gilbert Community College)
Andy Howes is a solid contact hitter that has a big power potential. Howes redshirted his first year at Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Phoenix, Ariz., after being struck in the hand and suffering a season-ending injury in the fourth game of the season. Howes hit .386 with six doubles, two triples, four homeruns and 18 RBI this past summer.
Chris Jones * RHP/OF * Dove Canyon, Calif. (Mission Viejo)
Chris Jones is a gap-to-gap power hitter that could also add depth to the pitching staff. Jones is ranked No. 68 in Baseball America*s High School Class of 2004 National Top 100 prospects. Last season, Jones hit .350 with seven homeruns and 16 RBI while going 6-2 with a 2.32 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 50 innings of work. Jones also was a USA Junior Team invitee and played for the Milwaukee Brewers area code team. Jones* dad played for coach Johnson at the University of Arizona.
Erik Paulson * RHP/INF * Midland, Texas (Midland)
Erik Paulson has great potential as a hard-throwing right-handed power pitcher. Paulson is ranked No. 144 on the Team One High School Seniors Top 200. Last season, Paulson appeared in 13 games and struck out 48 hitters in 39 innings of work. Paulson also played on the junior Sunbelt team.
Todd Sebek * INF * Kerrville, Texas (Tivy)
Todd Sebek is a strong athlete who can play many positions with potential power. As a sophomore, Sebek hit .360 with four homeruns, 35 RBI and backed that up as a junior with .354 average 10 stolen bases. This past summer, playing with the San Antonio Hackers, Todd hit .380 with five homeruns, 20 doubles, seven triples, 35 RBI and 23 stolen bases.
Justin Sokol * RHP * Rochester, Minn. (Mayo/Iowa Central Junior College)
Justin Sokol is a solid right-handed pitcher who has enjoyed success at every level. Sokoll was a 17th-round draft pick by San Diego Padres in the 2003 Major League Baseball amateur draft. As a freshman at Iowa Central Junior College in Fort Dodge, Iowa, Sokol went 8-2 with a 2.20 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 69 innings. For his efforts on the mound, Sebek earned NJCAA Division II second-team all-American and first-team all-region honors. This past summer, Sokol played for Thunder Bay in the Northwoods league went 5-3 with 3.97 ERA.
Blake Stouffer * INF * San Antonio, Texas (Alamo Heights)
Blake Stouffer is a solid middle infielder and strong switch-hitter with line-drive gap power. As a junior at Alamo Heights, Stouffer hit .443 with six homeruns and 29 RBI to earn first-team all-district, all-San Antonio area and all-state honors. Stouffer was the only San Antonio player to be invited to the Texas Scouts Association All-Star Game. Stouffer played summer ball for the San Antonio Hackers and hit .385 with two homers.
Keith Stein * INF * College Station, Texas (A&M Consolidated)
Keith Stein is a good left-handed hitter that can play either corner on the infield. Helped the A&M Consolidated baseball team reach a No. 1 national ranking last season as a junior. Hit .415 with five homeruns, 37 RBI and had a slugging percentage of .804. In the 2003 Junior Sunbelt Classic, Stein hit .400 with a pair of doubles.
