November 14, 2005
The Texas A&M baseball program inked 12 Texas high school players in the 2005 Fall Signing Period, announced first-year head coach Rob Childress on Monday.
"We are excited about our first signing class at Texas A&M," Childress said. "Coach (Matt) Deggs, coach (Jeremy) Talbot, and the rest of our staff did an excellent job of filling some of our anticipated needs for the 2007 season."
Of the 12 signees, all are high school standouts and all hail from the state of Texas. Seven of the signees are pitchers, three are position players, and two are two-way athletes.
"We are in one of the top baseball states in the country," said Childress. "And we are in close proximity to some of the finest high school and summer programs in the country. We are proud to have Texas players who want to stay at home and compete."
All of the signed players are currently seniors in high school and will be reporting to the A&M campus in the fall of 2006.
Texas A&M opens the 2006 season on February 10 at Olsen Field when they host Northwestern State.
Texas A&M Baseball Fall 2005 Signing Class (12)
| Name | Pos. | Cl. | Ht. | Wt. | B-T | Hometown (Current School) |
| Kevin Angelle | LHP | Fr. | 6-3 | 185 | L-L | Bridge City, Texas (Bridge City) |
| Zack Britton | LHP | Fr. | 6-3 | 180 | L-L | Weatherford, Texas (Weatherford) |
| Jake Bussey | RHP/INF | Fr. | 6-0 | 200 | R-R | La Porte, Texas (La Porte) |
| Kevin Cravey | RHP | Fr. | 6-1 | 175 | R-R | Spring, Texas (Klein Oak) |
| Clayton Ehlert | RHP/OF | Fr. | 6-1 | 185 | R-R | Orange, Texas (Little Cypress-Mauriceville) |
| Kevin Gonzalez | C | Fr. | 5-10 | 180 | R-R | Houston, Texas (Mayde Creek) |
| Michael Heard | LHP | Fr. | 5-11 | 170 | L-L | Montgomery, Texas (Montgomery) |
| Clayton Kershaw | LHP | Fr. | 6-4 | 210 | L-L | Dallas, Texas (Highland Park) |
| Shane Minks | RHP | Fr. | 6-3 | 190 | R-R | West Columbia, Texas (Columbia) |
| Mitch Nelson | LHP | Fr. | 6-2 | 180 | L-L | Magnolia, Texas (Tomball) |
| Nick Papasan | INF | Fr. | 5-11 | 175 | R-R | Granbury, Texas (Granbury) |
| Matt Sulentic | OF | Fr. | 5-10 | 175 | L-R | Dallas, Texas (Hillcrest) |
Signee Profiles
Kevin Angelle (LHP) - Bridge City, Texas (Bridge City)
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Named to the all-state team after his sophomore and junior seasons at Bridge City High School ... earned numerous awards, including district MVP and Orange County Player of the Year ... struck out 117 hitters in 59 innings of work as a sophomore and tossed three no-hitters, while fanning 177 in 89 innings as a junior ... hit the game tying homerun, the go-ahead double and struck out 16 hitters in the final game of a three-game series to send Bridge City to the state tournament last year ... was a member of the 2004 USA Junior National Team that won the gold medal in the Junior Olympics ... listed as the No. 20 prospect in the Texas Baseball News' Texas Top 25.
SCOUTING REPORT: Angelle is a solid left-handed pitcher with a fastball in the upper 80's. He supplements the fastball with an above-average curveball and is a winner with tremendous potential that is ready to compete and pitch immediately.
Zack Britton (LHP) - Weatherford, Texas (Weatherford)
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Earned two varsity letters for coach Flint Wallace at Weatherford High School ... helped lead his team to the third round of the playoffs in 2005, posting a 9-2 record with 135 strikeouts ... earned first-team all-district honors as a junior.
SCOUTING REPORT: Britton possesses a loose, quick arm that produces a fastball in the upper 80's. He projects very well because of his arm action and frame and could be a front-line type of left-handed pitcher in the near future.
Jake Bussey (RHP/INF) - La Porte, Texas (La Porte)
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Was 7-2 with a 2.61 ERA and 106 strikeouts in 75 innings of work as a junior at La Porte High School ... hit .354 with six doubles and 30 RBI ... named to the Houston Chronicle's All-Greater Houston Area Team and was a unanimous first-team all-district selection.
SCOUTING REPORT: Bussey is a legitimate two-way prospect. He possesses excellent defensive actions and a plus arm. Along with his patience at the plate, he possesses power to both alleys. On the mound, he has command of three solid pitches and features a fastball in the 87 to 91 m.p.h. range.
Kevin Cravey (RHP) - Spring, Texas (Klein Oak)
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Two-year starter for Klein Oak HS ... Hit .333 in both his sophomore and junior seasons ... listed as No. 16 prospect in Texas and No. 98 nationally by Baseball America ... participated in the 2005 Texas Scout's Association All-Star game ... had a solid summer with the Houston Miracles batting .453 in 46 games while posting a 6-1 record and 0.77 ERA, including a 42-inning stretch with only one earned run allowed .... two-year starter on the Klein Oak football team as a safety.
SCOUTING REPORT: Cravey is a highly competitive right-handed pitcher who shows command of three pitches. His fastball has good life and ranges from 88 to 92 m.p.h. He has an above-average power curveball that ranges from 78 to 82 m.p.h. and a solid change.
Clayton Ehlert (RHP/OF) - Orange, Texas (Little Cypress-Mauriceville)
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Listed as the No. 19 prospect by Texas Baseball News' Top 25 ... three-year letterwinner for coach Steve Griffith at Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School ... earned the district's Newcomer of the Year award after his freshman season and has twice been named to the all-district team ... helped lead the Southeast Texas Sundevils to the Junior Olympics Championship in 2004 ... has accumulated 23 wins in his first three years of varsity baseball.
SCOUTING REPORT: Ehlert is another legitimate two-way player. He features plus command with his 88 to 92 m.p.h. fastball as a right-handed pitcher. He supplements the fastball with a very above-average change. He is an above average runner in the outfield with natural instincts and a plus arm.
Kevin Gonzalez (C) - Houston, Texas (Mayde Creek)
SCOUTING REPORT: Gonzalez is an above-average receiver behind the plate with a solid an accurate arm. He is consistently 1.90 to 2.00 seconds from home to second and is a clutch hitter who has strength in his swing.
Michael Heard (LHP) - Montgomery, Texas (Montgomery)
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Three-year letterwinner at Montgomery High School ... hit a combined .370 with 20 doubles, seven triples and four homers in his three years of high school ball ... enters his senior year with an all-time high school record of 26-3 ... in 182 innings, he has fanned 289 hitters and has an ERA of 1.23 ... opponents are hitting just .097 off of him ... named to the TPX All-American team in 2005 ... two-time all-state selection by the Texas High School Coaches' Association ... also selected to the Houston Chronicle's All-Greater Houston Area team ... father Clint was an infielder for Texas A&M from 1981-1983 and was a co-captain of the 1983 squad.
SCOUTING REPORT: Heard is a quick-armed left-handed pitcher who attacks the strikezone at 86 to 88 m.p.h. He is a competitor who has an above-average, late-breaking curveball.
Clayton Kershaw (LHP) - Dallas, Texas (Highland Park)
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Highly-recruited left-handed pitcher listed as the No. 4 prospect in Texas Baseball News' Top 25 ... played for the 2005 Texas Rangers Area Code Team and Junior National Olympic Team ... named to the 2005 Texas Sportswriters Association All-State team ... earned first-team all-district honors after his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons ... named the district's Underclassmen of the Year in 2003 and the district's MVP in 2005 ... has accumulated 298 strikeouts in three varsity seasons ... was selected by his teammates to be the 2006 team captain.
SCOUTING REPORT: Kershaw is a left-handed pitcher who powers the ball down the mound in the 88 to 92 m.p.h. range. He throws a heavy ball that will bore into the hands of hitters. Complements his fastball with a tight-rotating braking ball. He will continue to improve and has a great make-up and potential.
Shane Minks (RHP) - West Columbia, Texas (Columbia)
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Earned all-county first-team after his junior year ... is also the starting quarterback for the Columbia Roughnecks football team ... played summer ball for the Columbia Angels.
SCOUTING REPORT: Minks has a bulldog mentality on the mound and always wants the ball. He competes with a 87 to 90 m.p.h. fastball and possesses an above average slider in the 78-83 m.p.h. range.
Mitch Nelson (LHP) - Magnolia, Texas (Tomball)
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Two-year letterman in baseball at Tomball High School ... was 3-0 as a sophomore and a whopping 12-1 as a junior last year ... posted an ERA of 1.50 while striking out 85 and allowing just 19 walks ... named to the 5A all-state team by the Texas High Scholl Baseball Coaches' Association as well as first-team all-district and second-team All-Greater Houston Area after his sophomore campaign.
SCOUTING REPORT: Nelson pitches with plus command of three pitches. Will use all three pitches at any time in the count and lives on the edges of the plate.
Nick Papasan (INF) - Granbury, Texas (Granbury)
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Led the Ft. Worth area in hitting his junior year last year with a .564 average ... belted seven homers and, 11 doubles, three triples, and drove in 32 runs in just 31 games ... named the district 4-5A Offensive MVP and was also named to the Ft. Worth Star Telegram's Super Team.
SCOUTING REPORT: Papasan is a natural hitter with strong hands and above-average power for his size. Is solid defensively with a good arm, actions and hands. He also shows good instincts for the game.
Matt Sulentic (OF) - Dallas, Texas (Hillcrest)
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Three-year starter at Hillcrest High in Dallas ... earned the district's Newcomer of the Year award after his freshman season and the district MVP after his sophomore year ... hit .504 in 2005 placing him second in the Dallas area ... hit .463 for his Dallas Baseball Academy Connie Mack squad in the summer of 2005 ... chosen by major league scouts to play in the 2005 Texas Scout's Association North-South All-Star Game ... twice named to the Dallas Independent School District All-City Academic Team.
SCOUTING REPORT: Sulentic is a pure left-handed hitter with above-average power for his size. He is a good base runner with aggressive instincts.