Maloney Adds Six Recruits During Early Signing Period
11/14/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan head baseball coach Rich Maloney signed six players during the November early signing period (Nov. 8-15), with three from Michigan including highly touted Jackson Lumen Christi outfielder Ryan LaMarre (Jackson, Mich./Lumen Christi), infielder Garrett Stephens (Davison, Mich./Davison HS) from Davison and right-handed pitcher Kolby Wood (Berrien Springs, Mich./Berrien Springs) from Berrien Springs
Maloney, who has inked 29 players in his first five early signing periods at Michigan, signed the three players from Michigan and one player each from Georgia, Ohio and Texas. Eighteen of Maloney's 29 early signings have been from Michigan.
The six players signed in the current signing period include (in alphabetical order): OF Bryce Aspinwall (Sharpsburg, Ga./Woodward Academy), C/RHP Tyler Burgoon (Defiance, Ohio/Defiance), LaMarre, RHP Travis Smith (Austin, Tex./Stephen F. Austin HS), Stephens and Wood.
"I'm very excited about our fifth group of early signees," said Maloney. We have signed six and might add another. These new players should complement our returning team members for the 2008 season."
"This class, like my recruiting classes in the past, is filled with top-notch student-athletes and they have enjoyed success both on the field and in the classroom.
"We always are faced with replacing some veterans and this group will play an important role in the continued success of the program. It is also important to realize they are student-athletes who will continue to make the Michigan family proud."
Aspinwall has hit 18 homers and driven in 68 runs in the past two seasons playing for coach Jim Minor at Woodward Academy. "Bryce is a centerfielder with some bat speed that should give him line drive ability. He has good speed who could add depth to the outfield," said Maloney.
Burgoon hit .380 as a junior at Defiance with 40 runs scored and 19 stolen bases while catching, pitching and playing third base. On the mound Burgoon was 10-3 for the Bulldogs with 115 strikeouts in 73.1 innings. "Tyler is an excellent student and he is a good athlete. He throws in the 90s and could provide depth in a closing role, said Maloney.
LaMarre hit .529 with 12 homers and 49 RBI for Lumen Christi while playing for former Wolverine catcher Mick Kalahar (1995-98). A talented athlete, LaMarre has earned all-state honors in baseball, all-conference and all-area honors in football and all-league first team honors in hockey. "Ryan could be an impact player as he has power potential and speed. He has shown his leadership qualities serving as captain of his football team as a senior," said Maloney.
Smith was 15-4 this past season with four shutouts and while playing first base he hit .385 and chipped in with three home runs. Smith was ranked 67th in the nation at the Perfect Game National Showcase in November, and Baseball America listed him in the top 20 prospects in Texas in November of 2005. "Smith is tall and wiry and he is the type of pitcher that has a good upside," said Maloney.
Stephens is a three-sport athlete at Davison High and earned All-Big Nine honors in football, basketball and baseball. A three-year letterwinner in baseball for the Cardinals, Stephens led the league in homers (8) and earned all-district and all-region honors while also being named second team all-state. "Garrett is a good athlete. He is a wide receiver and his team is still in the playoffs. He is a lefthanded hitting infielder and could provide power."
Wood is a three-sport athlete at Berrien Springs and earned all-league honors in baseball twice and all-state honors as a junior when he was 10-2 with a 0.96 ERA. "Kolby is tall and lanky, has an upside as a pitcher, and he is a good athlete as shown by the fact he plays football, basketball and baseball. He fits the mold of some of my pitchers in the past," said Maloney.
The Wolverines open the 2007 season in Florida playing three games against Bethune-Cookman (Feb. 23-25) in the New York Mets spring training complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Michigan opens the home schedule with a four-game weekend series vs. Oakland (March 23-25) and starts Big Ten action with a four-game series at Northwestern (March 30-Apr.1) before hosting Minnesota (Apr. 6-8).
Michigan Baseball Signees (as of 11/14/06)
| Name | Pos. | B-T | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown (High School) |
| Bryce Aspinwall | OF | R-R | 6-0 | 175 | Sharpsburg, Ga. (Woodward Academy) |
| Tyler Burgoon | C/RHP | R-R | 5-11 | 160 | Defiance, Ohio (Defiance) |
| Ryan LaMarre | OF | R-L | 6-2 | 195 | Jackson, Mich (Lumen Christi) |
| Travis Smith | RHP | R-R | 6-5 | 190 | Austin, Texas (Stephen F. Austin) |
| Garrett Stephens | IF | L-R | 6-3 | 195 | Davison, Mich (Davison) |
| Kolby Wood | RHP | R-R | 6-6 | 185 | Berrien Springs, Mich. (Berrien Springs) |
N O T E S
Bryce Aspinwall hit .432 as a sophomore with 11 homers and 14 stolen bases. In his junior season he hit .419 with seven homers and 16 stolen bases. His high school highlight is collecting seven RBI in a game with a grand slam and a three-run homer vs. Westminister.
Tyler Burgoon was named first team all-league (Western Buckeye League) and all-district while earning team MVP honors as a junior while playing for coach Tom Held. A member of National Honor Society, Burgoon has made the Career All A's Honor Roll with Academic Achievement. As a junior catcher he tossed out seven of 13 runners attempting to steal.
Ryan LaMarre played on a pair of state championship football teams for Lumen Christi. LaMarre has served as a captain for two seasons in hockey for the Titans and has led the team in scoring three consecutive seasons and has scored more than 100 goals. In baseball he has hit 20 homers in the past two seasons and he had 20 tackles in the 2005 state championship football game.
Travis Smith comes from athletic family as his father Casey played football at Texas and signed as a free agent with the Atlanta Falcons in 1984. Smith's uncles Ted and Kevin played football at Texas A&M, his grandfather Lynn Smith played basketball at Texas A&M and Houston, and his cousin Lauren Smith played volleyball at Texas A&M Corpus Christi. In summer action Smith had 15 strikeouts in seven innings against Houston Heat, and his greatest sports memory is turning an unassisted triple play in Little League action.
Garrett Stephens has a .410 career batting average while playing shortstop at Davison. He has a .463 career on-base percentage and a .691 slugging percentage. His greatest sports memory is a three-homer game as a junior, and one of his high school highlights is scoring a 64-yard touchdown reception to beat Howell in the final seconds to keep his current team undefeated.
Kolby Wood had 82 strikeouts and just 11 walks in 73 innings last year. He considers winning the state championship in baseball last season as his greatest sports memory. His basketball team lost in the state finals a year ago.
Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
