Justin Vaughn, RHP, Bourbon County HS (KY)

Vaughn, son of Sharon and Doug Vaughn, is a lanky RHP with a lot of upside whose best days as a pitcher are still ahead of him.  He commands a couple of pitches for strikes and his fastball shows great life in the zone.  At Bourbon County, Justin compiled a 16-3 career record to go along with three saves.  Vaughn struck out 145 while walking just 54 during his four year high school career.  Justin plans to major in Sports Administration in the Sports Studies Department here at Shawnee State.  He has one sister, Jessica.

Ryan Houser, OF, Milford HS

Ryan comes to us as a three year letter winner at one of the top baseball programs in southwest Ohio in Milford.  He is an athletic outfielder who has a good feel for his swing at the plate.  With added strength, we expect to see Ryan in the lineup very soon at SSU.  During his senior season, he helped lead the team to a sectional championship while being named 2^nd Team All-FAVC.  During that senior season, he compiled a .352 batting average while scoring 25 runs.  He plans to major in Sports Administration while at Shawnee State.  Ryan is the son of Mike and Debbie Houser and has one sister, Emily. 

Brandon Boyd, RHP, Russell HS (KY)

Brandon is a very talented young pitcher who shows a great deal of potential with added strength and development.  He has the ability to throw a couple of pitches for strikes right and has had a great deal of success over the course of his high school career.  Brandon has been twice named All-District in his junior and senior seasons, and was named Honorable Mention All-State this year.  In his senior season, Boyd compiled a 9-2 record with a 1.75 ERA and struck out 97 batters in 74 innings.  Brandon is the son of Bobby and Wendy Boyd and has three sisters, Faith, Brooklyn, and Carley, and a brother, Eric.  He is currently undecided on what he wants to study at SSU.

Matt Jones, IF/RHP, Greenup County HS (KY)

Matt is an extremely talented young player from a highly respected high school program at Greenup who will play both ways for us at Shawnee State.  He is a left-handed swinger who projects to hit for both power and average in his career and is already an above average defender in the infield.  On the mound, Matt has very good stuff and throws three pitches for strikes.  We are counting on Matt to make an impact right away at both positions.  At Greenup County, Matt was named to the Kentucky State All-Star team twice, was an All-Region player twice, and was All-District three times.  In his senior year, Matt hit .436, 6 homeruns, 17 doubles, and 46 RBI.  He also struck out 113 hitters as a pitcher.  Matt is the son of Donna and Tom and has one sister, Destiny, and one brother, Tommy.  He plans on majoring in Athletic Training at SSU.

Cody Strayer, RHP, Worthington Kilbourne HS

Cody is a tough pitcher who throws from numerous arm angles and has had a great deal of success over the course of his high school career.  We look for him to step in and help us right away while he continues to develop into a great college pitcher.  He is a two time First Team All-OCC performer and was named Honorable Mention All-Columbus Dispatch Team.  In 2010, Cody was named OCC Player of the year and in 2011He was named Kilbourne Pitcher and Offensive Player of the year.  Cody compiled a 17-5 career record and holds school records for wins (17), wins in a season (8), single season ERA (1.97), and innings pitched in a season (64).  He is the son of Robin and Jeff Strayer and has one brother, Jared.  Cody plans to major in Sports Administration while at SSU.

Cody Spires, INF/RHP, Bloom Carroll HS

Cody is a player we expect to make immediate contributions on both sides of the ball.  He is a talented defender who can play in the middle infield and has enough versatility to play outfield as well.  He has also developed into an outstanding hitter, hitting .500 as a senior with 26 doubles and three homeruns to his credit.  Cody will also see time on the mound, primarily coming out of the bullpen to help us finish games.  At Bloom Carroll, he compiled a 7-2 record with a 2.38 ERA and 56 strikeouts during his senior season.  Cody is a two time First Team All-Mid State Conference performer and was named first team All-Metro and Mid State Player of the year as a senior.  He was also named Fairfield County Player of the Year and was an alternate to the Mizuno All-Ohio.  Cody is the son of Pam and Shon Spires and has one sister, Ashlee.  He is undecided on his field of study. 

Brad Cornwell, C, Boyd County HS (KY)

Brad is an excellent defensive catcher and natural leader who should compete for playing time right away.  He has played in a top notch high school program with success and his understanding of the game will help us tremendously.  He has been named to the All-Area team three times and was a member of the Kentucky All-State Junior Showcase Team.  During his senior season, Brad hit .375 with 35 RBI and 28 runs scored.  He also threw 50% of would-be base stealers.  Brad is the son of Peggy and Kenny Cornwell and has one sister, Taylor.  He plans on majoring in nursing while at Shawnee State. 

Cody Gibson, RHP, Pleasure Ridge Park HS (KY), Morehead State University

Cody comes to us as a transfer and looks to step in and compete for a starting spot.  He has a good fastball and commands three other pitches in the zone with great effect.  We will lean on Cody heavily to be an anchor and leader of the starting staff.  He was a two year letter winner at Morehead State and pitched in the Great Lakes League this past summer for the Southern Ohio Copperheads, compiling an impressive 1.10 ERA as a setup man.  Cody was also a part of PRP’s state championship team as a junior. 

Alex Taku, LHP, Santa Cruz HS (CA), Lee University

Alex is a very polished pitcher who has the ability to get batters out is a lot of different ways.  He is a three pitch guy who pounds the strike zone and pitches with composure and confidence.  He transferred to us from Lee University and was a starting pitcher for the southern Ohio Copperheads in the Great Lakes League this past summer.  During the year, he compiled a 3-0 record and a 1.20 ERA in 30 innings pitched.  He also struck out 25 hitters against just four walks.  Alex is another guy who we will depend upon heavily as a starter.  Alex is the son of Anne and Dennis Taku and has one brother, Chris.  He plans to major in education while at SSU. 

Thomas Ludwig, 1B/OF, Dublin Coffman HS

Thomas is an athletic first baseman who is a projectable player for us at Shawnee State.  With continued development, we think Thomas has the chance to be a very productive player who will hit for some power.  Thomas comes to us from a very successful high school program and we look forward to his contributions.  In the summer, Thomas played for the North Columbus Bruins where he compiled a .323 with 13 RBI.  Thomas is the son of Mike and Jane Ludwig, and has one sister, Katherine, and one brother, Stephen.  Thomas plans to major in Paramedics at SSU.

Doug Burchfield, RHP, Troy HS

Doug comes to us a projectable RHP with the ability to throw a very good curveball with continued progress.  He is a lanky pitcher who we very much believe has his best pitching days in front of him.  With continued development, Doug can be an important part of our staff right away.  Among his honors in high school, Doug was a two time All-GWOC Honorable Mention selection.  During his senior year, he posted a 3-3 record with a 3.34 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 33 innings pitched.  Doug is the son of Jenny and Doug Burchfield and has one sister, Madison. 

Tate Banks, IF/RHP, Lawrence County HS (KY)

Banks comes to us from a great program at Lawrence County and is another two-way player who projects to make an immediate impact for SSU.  He played SS in high school but probably profiles best as a 2^nd baseman that can hit.  As a senior, he hit .447 with 5 homeruns and 47 RBI.  Tate was named to All-District and All-Region Teams in both his junior and senior seasons.  On the mound, Tate commands three pitches for strikes and will be a valuable part of the Shawnee State bullpen closing out games.  He is the son of Tana and Fred Banks and has two brothers, Tarren and Trenon. 

Travis Orr, RHP, Eastern Brown HS, Cincinnati Clermont

Travis comes to us from UC Clermont as a RHP who looks to provide much needed depth and experience to the SSU staff.  He was a talented and highly decorated pitcher out of Eastern Brown High School and looks to continue that tradition with the Bears.  Travis was names All-SHL three times in his career and was an All-District performer once.  Travis is the son of Lisa and Rory Orr and has one sister, Hope, and one brother, Aaron.  He is majoring in exercise science. 

Brandon Blackburn, RHP, Piketon HS, Ohio Valley University

Brandon is a RHP with great stuff who will see significant innings this year if he is able to progress.  He possesses a good fastball and has a potentially devastating curveball, reminiscent of recently graduated standout Andy Carter.  At Piketon, Brandon was an All-SVC and All-District athlete.  He is the son of Judy and Bruce Blackburn and is majoring in athletic training.   

Justin Marrero, INF/C, Reynoldsburg HS, Lee University

Justin returns to Ohio after spending a year at Lee University where he was an All-Conference performer as he split time between 2^nd base and catcher.  Prior to that, Justin was an All-Conference player at both   Sinclair Community College and Northwest Florida College.  Originally, he is from Reynoldsburg High school where he hit above .500 in both his junior and senior seasons.  Justin is another player that looks to make an immediate impact on our program.  He is the son of Desiree and Concepcion Marrero, and has three brothers, Jared, Jordan, and Mike. 

Joe Ramirez, INF, Centennial HS (CA) , Lee University

Joe comes to us an as talented infielder who is ready to play right away.  He spent last season as the starting SS at Lee University and hit .349 for a team that went to the NAIA World Series.  Prior to that, Joe played at Bakersfield (CA) Community College where he started both years and hit over .300 in each season.  Joe has the ability to be a difference maker in our program.  He is the son of Celia and Jack Ramirez, and has one sister, Jacqueline, and two brothers, Jacob and Gabriel.  Joe is a Health Education major. 

Carter Bash, RHP, Cardington Lincoln HS

Carter is a very physical RHP who has the ability to get outs for SSU right away if he makes an adjustment to the college game.  He has the ability to throw four different pitches and has a great ability to keep hitters off balance.  During his senior season, Carter compiled a 2.01 ERA and was named MVP of the Cardington baseball team.  Carter is the son of Cathy Bash and Joe Bash and he plans to major in Business Administration while at SSU. 

Kohl Johnson, RHP, Sheridan HS

Kohl comes to us as a talented RHP whose fastball shows very good life and deception.  If he is able to make the adjustment to the college game, he can have an immediate impact with our club.  Kohl was a First Team All-MVL and Second Team All-District as a senior, compiling a 2.35 ERA to go along with 31 strikeouts.  He was also a very talented offensive player in high school, breaking numerous records over the course of his career.  Kohl is the son of Rose and Brent Johnson and is undecided on a major.