INDIANA, PA – IUP baseball coach Jeff Ditch has announced the commitments of seven future student-athletes as the Crimson Hawks welcome Hunter Bigler, Justin Charles, Zach DeTillio, Matt Douglas, Jordan Giannini, Rick Jones, and Joey Samuele to campus for the 2013 season after signing their national letters of intent.

“This class is a direct reflection of our current team,” said Ditch. “It is a group of very solid student-athletes who feel a strong bond to IUP and support our 'WINwithCLASS' team goals.”

Bigler, an outfielder and left handed pitcher from Washington, plays his high school ball at Trinity for coach Levi Brewster, where he'll be a four-year letterman. A first team all-section pitcher, he struck out 30 batters in 29.1 innings work, posting an ERA of 0.47. Also a second team all-section pick as an outfielder, he was selected to play for Team Pennsylvania in 2011 and spends his summers playing for the Steel City Wildcats and his falls playing for the Allegheny Pirates.

“Hunter is a versatile spark plug and will give us a hard nose, aggressive style of play and an offensive threat of scoring runs,” said Ditch, “and also has the ability to be a situational left handed pitcher.

“He was excited about IUP from the beginning and will contribute to our team-first attitude.  Hunter was teammates with Zach DeTillio on coach Fred Albert's Allegheny Pirates fall team.”

Charles is a right handed pitcher from Dillsburg, playing his high school ball at Northern York. A 2011 PIAA AAA All-State selection, he's played with Go Wags Starz and PA Select in the summer, while also playing for PA Select in the fall.

“Justin flashes an explosive fastball and is a stellar student with a goal to be an engineer,” said Ditch. “His lanky body gives him a tremendous ceiling as a pitcher and has the mentality and drive needed to succeed as a student-athlete.  Justin has a long association with IUP as his grandfather was an instructor in IUP's Criminology Department and more recent as he comes from the same high school as Corey and Colby Betz.”

Douglas, the younger brother of current IUP pitcher Chris, is a righty from Canonsburg and plays his high school ball at Canon McMillan. Striking out 25 in 30 innings pitched last year, Douglas posted a 3.30 ERA, also racking up a .366 average at the plate. The team captain plays for Houston Legion Post 902 in the summer and Mac Fall Ball in the autumn.

“We have watched Matt grow up the past four years as Chris' younger brother and now developed it a big, strong athlete,” said Ditch. “He is a significant talent on the mound and ready to make his own mark in the PSAC.  His bulldog approach, along with outstanding pitching mechanics and sharp breaking pitch will impact our staff.”

The right-handed DeTillio is a starting pitcher for Seneca Valley, the 2011 WPIAL AAAA state champion. He plays for Sid Bream and the Seneca Valley WPEBL in the summer, where he's the number one starter and doubles as a third baseman, where he batted .435. From Seven Fields, he plays for the Allegheny Pirates in the fall.

“We saw Zach by far more than any of our signees during the evaluation period and have a really good idea of his abilities,” said Ditch. “He comes from a strong baseball background having been coached by Sid Bream and Eric Semega (Seneca Valley coach). Zach, along with each pitcher in this class, will bring us a high level of ability and much needed depth. Zach rounds out a strong group of western Pennsylvania recruits.”

Giannini is from Latrobe where he plays shortstop for Greater Latrobe High School. A varsity starter since his sophomore season, Giannini is a member of the AAU Atlantic Coast Baseball League all-star team, batting .411 with 21 stolen bases. A lefty at the plate, he plays for the Pennsylvania Huskies in the summer and fall.

“Jordan is our most local recruit,” said Ditch. “We first saw him two years ago and have hoped for a long time that he would join us.

“Along with Bigler, he adds a significant left handed bat to our lineup.  He fits the mold of our recruiting plan, which is to recruit versatile shortstops that are athletic, strong, and possess a high level of skill and tools.”

Jones, another shortstop recruit, is from Ellwood where he plays at Laurel High School. A three-time first team All-WPIAL section pick, he holds the school record for triples in a season with five. The right handed bat plays for Rondinelli Tuxedo in the summer and the Lawrence Country 9's in the fall.

“Rick will give our team a boost with both his glove and bat,” said Ditch. “He has a quiet, confident personality that fits perfect with our team's makeup. We will be eager to get him on the field and watch his talent. 

“Both Jones and Giannini continue the strong core of infielders who have contributed to our recent success in the PSAC.”

Samuele, a lefty, enters his senior year at Lake Catholic High School in Mentor, Ohio with a 9-3 overall record on the mound. His 73 strikeouts as a junior is the second highest total in Lake Catholic's history, helping them advance to regionals in the state playoffs each of his two varsity seasons. He plays his summer ball with Team Ohio/OTN and his pitching coach is Doc Schadler.

“Joey is our second recruit from Ohio and our first to sign during the early November signing period,” said Ditch. “We saw him late but were lucky to be able to have him and his family visit our campus just prior to the signing period. He can flat out pitch and being left handed is a bonus.  He has been successful at the highest levels of Ohio high school and summer baseball and will bring that same success to the PSAC.

“The November signing date is always a time to project into the future and feel excited,” Ditch continued about the class. These seven players are a welcomed addition to our program and it will be fun to watch them compete in the PSAC.  With the graduation of five seniors (Craig Hibell (New Bethlehem/Redbank Valley), Cory Sawka (Uniontown/Uniontown), Chris Douglas (Canonsburg/Canon-McMillan), Dylan Songer (Baden/North Allegheny), and Greg Stewart (Kittanning/Elderton)), we will count on this class to come in a help right away.

“We had an outstanding fall and are now deep into our skill instruction and strength and conditioning phase as we need to continue with our day-to-day process of improving and creating team chemistry for our 2012 season and a chance to pursue a PSAC championship. 2011's run in the PSAC tournament and the championship game's experience gave us an outstanding base for this year's team.”