Baseball America Recognizes Husky Recruiting Class
Husky Baseball fans should be excited about what Baseball America calls Washington’s “best class in years.” The University of Washington’s 2012 recruiting class was ranked 33rd in the nation by Baseball America, an excellent source for information on baseball prospects.
The recruiting class of 2012 is highlighted by four high school players who have committed to play for the UW despite being selected in the MLB draft. Infielder Trevor Mitsui from Shoreline, WA was picked in the twelfth round by the Tampa Bay Rays and was selected as the Gatorade Washington baseball Player of the Year after hitting .712 with 13 homeruns in his senior year.
Switch-hitting shortstop Erik Forgione and pitching recruits George Asmus and Jared Fisher—both with fastballs that have been clocked in the low 90’s—round out the list of the high school recruits that passed up MLB contracts to don purple and gold.
The Huskies also had a strong class of junior college signees, including Santa Rosa Community College transfer Jayce Ray. The centerfielder received American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-America honors.
Redmond, Washington native Mac Acker is another strong junior college recruit signed by Lindsay Meggs and has staff. The left-handed pitcher and infielder also received ABCA All-America honors as well as the NWAACC Most Valuable Player award at Columbia Basin College.
While the news of a strong signing class for the Husky baseball team is encouraging, the news isn’t all good. Although the recruiting class was ranked 33rd in the nation, it was still in the bottom half of the conference.
Four Pac-12 teams (Oregon State, Oregon, USC, and Arizona) had recruiting classes that managed to crack the top 25 and Stanford and UCLA also surpassed the UW—making the Huskies 7th in the conference.
So, while the Huskies did an excellent job of attracting talent for next year’s team, it may not be enough to propel them toward the top of the Pac-12.
Nevertheless, Husky fans can take comfort in the fact the team is gaining recognition and moving in the right direction.