Baseball Announces 2017 Signing Class

NORFOLK, Va. -- Head coach Chris Finwood and the Old Dominion baseball program announced the 2017 Signing Class featuring 10 student-athletes on Thursday.

"First off, let me say thank you to Karl Nonemaker, our recruiting coordinator, and Mike Marron, our pitching coach," said Finwood. "In many cases these days, these recruiting classes are a culmination of two or three years of work. Karl and Mike did a great job of identifying and cultivating these relationships with these young men and their families."

Overall, the 10-player class features players from five different states, including five players from the state of Virginia. The states of Florida, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania are also represented. 

The class features three infielders (Bell, Golden, Lardge), one outfielder (Simms), four right-handed pitchers (Brady, Gregory, Moore, Tworek), one lefty (Fisher) and one utility player (Stock) who can contribute both on the mound and in the field. Of the 10 signees, eight are high school players and two are transfers (Brady, Tworek) from community colleges.

"We think this group has outstanding ability, athleticism and character," continued Finwood. "It's our most versatile class of hitters and our hardest-throwing class of pitchers. They are all the type of young men we can be proud of bringing in to represent Old Dominion University and our baseball program. I'm certainly proud to announce this class."

TOMMY BELL / Infielder / Kettering, Ohio / Kettering Fairmont
- Dad and Uncle are twins and they played at ODU in the 1980s (Uncle Terry Bell played in MLB)
- Hit .396 with 11 extra-base hits, 19 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 2016
- 2016 All Conference Team
- 2014-2016 First Team GWOC

“Tommy is a smooth-fielding middle infielder whose dad, Tom, and uncle, Terry, both played at ODU. Tommy plays for coach Kent Drake at Fairmont High. Tommy projects to be a top-of-the-order hitter and middle infielder.” - Coach Finwood

TYE GOLDEN Infielder / Dallastown, Pa. / Dallastown
- First Team All-County (York) as a freshman and sophomore
- Hit .411 as a sophomore with four home runs
- Hit .579 as a junior, while missing most of the year due to injury

“Tye is a dynamic lefty hitter with great speed and projects to be a top-of-the-order hitter. He can play infield and outfield. He has a great personality and plays the game with a big smile on his face. He plays at Dallastown High for coach Greg Kinneman.” - Coach Finwood

DJ LARDGE Infielder / Stafford, Va. / Stafford
- Starting shortstop for Stafford High School
- Started as a freshman and sophomore at Brooke Point High School
- An All-Conference selection in basketball

“DJ is another really good athlete who is also an all-conference basketball player. DJ can play all three infield positions and reminds us of former Monarch standout and current Cubs prospect PJ Higgins at the plate. He plays at Stafford High for coach Tommy Harrison.” - Coach Finwood

KHIE SIMMS Outfielder / Midlothian, Va. / Clover Hill
-  Hit .463 as a junior at Clover Hill High School
- Recorded 8 extra-base hits

“Khie is a lefty-hitting outfielder who can hit and run. We really like Khie’s swing and he is a good outfielder as well. He plays for coach Brett Mooney at Clover Hill High and for Rich Graham and the Virginia Cardinals in the summer.” - Coach Finwood

DENNY BRADY Right-handed pitcher / Vineland, N.J. / Buena (Mercer County Community College/East Carolina)
- Transferred to Mercer from East Carolina
- NJ.com Cape-Atlantic Player of the Year as a senior in high school
- New Jersey Pitcher of the Year as a junior
- Compiled a 7-2 record with an 0.75 ERA and 114 strikeouts in 56 innings as a senior

“Denny is a very good student with great character and competitiveness. He is a hard-throwing righty with a good breaking pitch and a very good athlete as well. He plays for coach Kevin Kerins at Mercer County Community College. We expect Denny to challenge for a starting rotation spot next year.” - Coach Finwood

HUNTER GREGORY Right-handed pitcher / Chesapeake, Va. / Hickory
- Team MVP for Hickory in 2016
- Combined record of 15-1 in last two seasons, including 9-1 record as a junior
- 2016 First Team All-Tidewater and All-Region selection
- Named the 2016 Conference Pitcher of the Year
- Earned Second Team All-State honors
- Pitched a perfect game

“Hunter is a hard-throwing righty from Hickory High School and plays for coach Hank Kraft. He is very athletic with a super-aggressive mindset. He has the makings of a plus breaking pitch and will be a big part of our pitching staff in the near future.” - Coach Finwood

RYNE MOORE Right-handed pitcher / Royersford, Pa. / Spring-Ford
- Compiled a 2-0 record as a junior at Spring Ford High School
- Did not allow an earned run for a 0.00 ERA
- Struck out 22 and walked just two

“Ryne plays for Jamie Scheck at Spring-Ford High School. Ryne is very athletic with plus command and a very projectable frame. He has very big upside. He plays for All Star Baseball Academy during the summer and is also a star hockey player at Spring-Ford.” - Coach Finwood

ERIK STOCK / Right-handed pitcher/Infielder / Chesapeake, Va. / Greenbrier Christian Academy
- All-Conference selection as a sophomore and junior
- A career .390 hitter with 56 total career RBIs
- Pitched a total of 31 innings in his career with 38 strikeouts and only three walks
- A career 1.26 ERA

“Erik plays for ODU alum Pat Nichols at Greenbrier Christian Academy and will be a dual threat guy in college. We love the way he swings the bat and he has developed into a power pitcher who we think will be a late-inning type of guy in college. Erik is such a versatile player and it’s going to be exciting to watch him continue to grow in our program.” - Coach Finwood

CHAD TWOREK Right-handed pitcher / Lake Worth, Fla. / Santaluces (Polk State Community College)
- Compiled a 3-2 record as a freshman at Polk State
- Struck out 45 and walked just three in 45 innings
- Recorded a 2.80 ERA

“Chad is a big physical righty with tons of feel and command. He has an advanced feel for pitching and really fills it up. He plays in a great program for head coach Al Corbeil and pitching coach Brad Cook at Polk State Community College. We expect Chad to compete for a starting rotation spot next year.” - Coach Finwood

TREY FISHER Left-handed pitcher / Oak Hall, Va. / Chincoteague
- Compiled a 7-1 record in 2016
- Struck out 54 in 46 innings with a 0.91 ERA
- Eastern Shore Player of the Year
- Conference Player of the Year

“Trey plays for coach Billy Fox at Chincoteague High School. Trey really competes and has a plus feel for his breaking ball. He played for the Mid Atlantic Red Sox Summer Program and is yet another strike-thrower in this pitching class.” - Coach Finwood