Baseball Announces 2011 Early Signing Class

12/2/2010 1:57:57 PM

Eagles Sign A Total Of Eight Players For 2012 Squad

ROCK HILL, SC – First-year head baseball coach Tom Riginos has announced the signing of eight players to play for the Winthrop baseball program beginning in 2012.

The eight signees the Eagles obtained during the early signing period are: Elliott Caldwell, Michael Gilroy, Clay Altman, Stephen Howell, Preston Johnson, Patrick McLendon, Patrick O'Leary and Josh Strong.

The signing class consists of two left-handed pitchers, three right-handed pitchers, one infielder/outfielder, one catcher/first baseman and one infielder. They come from various parts of the country including the states of Pennsylvania, Florida, South Carolina, Texas and Georgia.

“I am very excited about my first incoming class at Winthrop,” said Riginos. “I want to thank Coach Mike McGuire, Coach Clint Chrysler and Coach Jeff Stanek for the extremely hard work that they performed over the last six weeks. They did an outstanding job evaluating talent over a short period of time putting this recruiting class together. From the day I was hired, we were off-and-running with the recruiting process and that shows with the quality of kids that we signed. I feel we went out and satisfied all of the needs for the 2012 team. We recruited quality kids that are very athletic.”

The eight members of the 2011 early signing class, along with Coach Riginos' thoughts on each, are:

Elliott Caldwell (Infielder/Outfielder, Easley H.S., Wren, SC)
Elliott has been a participant at the Perfect Game National Showcase and is listed as one of the top 500 players in the country and 17^th best player in the state of South Carolina by Perfect Game USA. Caldwell also ranks as the third-best third baseman in the state of South Carolina and 29^th overall by Diamond Prospects. He was a three-sport participant at Wren High School earning four varsity letters for baseball, three varsity letters in football and one varsity letter for basketball. Caldwell played on two Region Championship squads at Wren in baseball (2010) and football (2009). Elliott earned All-State, All-Area and All-Region honors in baseball under Coach Randy Thompson, and was also recognized as a 2010 Wendy's High School Heisman. Within the last two seasons, he has received numerous athletic accolades on the baseball diamond including: 2009 Defense Award, 2010 Golden Bat Award (.488 Avg., 10 HR, 38 RBI, 21 SB), 2010 Most Valuable Teammate Award, 2010 St. Francis Sports Medicine Athletic/Scholar Challenge Winner and the 2010 Mingo Bay Baseball Classic MVP. Elliott is the son of Mark and Dephanie Caldwell.

Coach Riginos on Caldwell: “Elliott is an extremely athletic player. He is able to play multiple positions and swings the bat really well.”

Michael Gilroy (Left-handed Pitcher, Brookland-Cayce H.S., West Columbia, SC)
Michael is considered one of the top left-handed pitchers in the state of South Carolina. He played for one of the premier summer baseball programs around in Canes Baseball. Gilroy was also a participant in the 2009 and 2010 Palmetto Games, and a member of Team SC in 2009-10. He earned All-State recognition in 2009 and 2010, as well as an All-Region member in 2010. Michael lettered in baseball for four years under Coach Brian Hucks at Brookland-Cayce High School. Gilroy is considered the second-best pitcher and 19^th overall in the state of South Carolina by Diamond Prospects. The 2008 squad he was a member of captured the South Carolina Class AAA State Championship, while both the 2009 and 2010 teams won the Class AAA District Championship. Michael is the son of Robert and Carole Gilroy.

Coach Riginos on Gilroy: “Michael Gilroy has played against some of the best competition in the country throughout his career. He is one of the most competitive players that I have recruited. Michael has a chance to be an impact pitcher here at Winthrop.”

Clay Altman (Catcher/First Baseman, Conway H.S., Conway, SC)
Clay comes to the Winthrop baseball program after playing at Conway High School and one of top summer baseball programs in the Southeast and South Carolina, the Diamond Devils. He was rated as the fourth-best catcher in South Carolina, playing for Coach Anthony Carroll at Conway. Altman is the son of Mike and Mary Altman.

Coach Riginos on Altman: “Clay is a very good offensive player. I expect big things out of him in years to come. He is one of the best catching prospects in the state of South Carolina.”

Stephen Howell (Right-handed Pitcher, Indian River State University, Lake Worth, FL)
Stephen will join the Eagles after previously spending time at Indian River State College in Fort Pierce, FL. He played for Coach Mitch Markham, a former player of Tom Riginos at Stetson University, at Indian River State, and also spent this summer playing baseball for current Winthrop pitching coach Clint Chrysler on the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs. The Diamond Dawgs capped off a memorable season by capturing the Florida League Championship. Howell earned two varsity baseball letters under Coach Larry Greenstein at Park Vista High School, and finished as the State Runner-Up during his junior season and made it to the State Semifinals as a senior. He was named to the Dick Howser All-Star Team in 2009 at Park Vista and made the Southern Conference Junior College All-Star Team at Indian River State. Stephen is the son of Bryan and Cindy Wood.

Coach Riginos on Howell: “Stephen has a very live arm and an extremely athletic body. He is going to come in right away and compete for innings on the mound.”

Preston Johnson (Right-handed Pitcher/Infielder, Peachtree Ridge High School, Duluth, GA)
Preston was rated as the 483^rd player nationally by Perfect Game USA and 39^th in the state of Georgia. He participated in the Perfect Game National Showcase and played travel baseball for the prestigious East Cobb program. Johnson plays at Peachtree Ridge High School under Coach Ryan Hanik. Preston is the son of Kyle and Robin Johnson.

Coach Riginos on Johnson: “Preston is a very athletic player with an extremely live arm. He has a chance to be a very special two-way player at Winthrop. I am very excited he is part of our program.”

Patrick McLendon (Middle Infielder, Carroll Senior High School, Southlake, TX)
Patrick enters the Eagle baseball program after playing at Carroll Senior High School, one of the best high school baseball programs in the state of Texas, and travel ball for one of the top programs in the Dallas Patriots. He is rated as one of the best 1000 prospects nationally by Perfect Game USA, while earning three varsity letters at Carroll. His 2010 Carroll team posted a 22-14 record on the diamond and led the squad in extra-base hits. McLendon was named the 2010 Colt/Warrior Classic MVP and participated on the Texas Connie Mack State Championship team. He played for Coach Larry Hughes at Carroll and is the son of Scott and Amanda McLendon.

Coach Riginos on McLendon: “Patrick is an offensive middle infielder. His offensive skills are very advanced for a kid his age. I am very fortunate to have him in our program.”

Patrick O'Leary (Right-handed Pitcher, Council Rock North High School, Washington Crossing, PA)
Patrick was rated as the 465^th best player nationally by Perfect Game USA and 12^th in the state of Pennsylvania. He played at Council Rock North High School under Coach Matthew Schram earning both a State and District Championship. O'Leary also earned two varsity letters in baseball at Council Rock North. He is the son of Dave and Georgeann O'Leary.

Coach Riginos on O'Leary: “Patrick has one of the top arms in the country. He has a chance to be a dominant pitcher for Winthrop in the years to come. I am excited about him being part of our program.”

Josh Strong (Left-handed Pitcher, Dr. Phillips High School, Orlando, FL)
Josh is considered one of the top left-handed pitchers in the state of Florida and is rated in the top 1000 nationally by Perfect Game USA. He played travel baseball for the Orlando Scorpions, one of the top travel ball programs in Florida, and competed in some of the top tournaments throughout the country with them. Strong was named the Cy Young Award winner at Dr. Phillips High School in 2009 and 2010, and was an Honorable Mention All-Metro selection. He earned two varsity letters playing for Coach Michael Bradley at Dr. Phillips. Josh is the son of Kyle and Robin Strong.

Coach Riginos on Strong: “Josh has outstanding command of all three pitches. He is very competitive, athletic and has a chance to make an impact with our program early on is his career. I am extremely excited he is part of our program.”

Print Friendly Version