NORFOLK, Va. -- Head coach Chris Finwood and the Old Dominion baseball program announced the addition of six junior college transfers for the upcoming 2019 season on Friday.
Joining the Monarchs will be infielders Matt Burch (Wabash Valley College) and Greg Lamb (Cypress College), catcher Tony Hrnykiw (Connors State College) and pitchers Tommy Gertner (Oakton Community College), Nick Pantos (Frederick Community College) and Tom Scheffler (Wenatchee Valley College).
“We really felt like we met our spring recruiting needs with this class of junior college transfers,” said Finwood. “We expect them all to compete for significant playing time immediately. They are all fantastic kids and great competitors, as well as very talented young men. They are also very accomplished academically and should fit right in to our culture.”
View a detailed breakdown of all six transfers below.
Matt Burch, INF
Hometown: Bensenville, Illinois
Previous College: Wabash Valley College
High School: Warren Township
2018 Stats: .384/.484/.537, 20 2B, 3 HR, 42 RBI, 19 SB
Accolades: First Team All-GRAC
Finwood on Burch: “Matt has the potential to be an outstanding offensive player who hits in the top of our lineup. Matt is also a very versatile infielder who can play second, third and shortstop.”
Tommy Gertner, LHP
Hometown: Northbrook, Illinois
Previous College: Oakton Community College
High School: Glenbrook North
2018 Stats: 10-1, 2.44 ERA, 2 saves, 103 strikeouts in 96.0 innings
Accolades: World Series MVP, 2nd Team All-American
Finwood on Gertner: “Tommy is a big, strong left-handed pitcher who really attacks the strike zone and has a good feel for his secondary pitches. He won the national championship game for Oakton CC. We expect Tommy to compete for spot in the starting rotation.”
Tony Hrnykiw, C
Hometown: Brechin, Ontario, Canada
Previous College: Connors State College
High School: St. Edmund Campion
2018 Stats: .371/.456/.500, 15 2B, 3 HR, 70 RBI
Accolades: 2x All-Region
Finwood on Hrnykiw: “Tony brings a veteran catching presence with him. He hit in the middle of the order for Connors State and was one of their top run producers as well. Tony brings great energy and leadership to the position for us.”
Greg Lamb, INF
Hometown: Orange, California
Previous College: Cypress College
High School: El Modena
2018 Stats: .299/.477/.371, 4 2B, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 6 SB
Finwood on Lamb: “Greg is another very versatile infielder who can play second, third and shortstop. Greg has a good feel for the strike zone and was a very high on-base percentage guy at Cypress College. We expect Greg to challenge for one of the infield spots this year.”
Nick Pantos, RHP
Hometown: Rockville, Md.
Previous College: Frederick Community College
High School: Gaithersburg
2018 Stats: 9-1, 2.96 ERA, 1 save, 5 CG, 90 strikeouts in 67.0 innings
Accolades: First Team All-Conference, First Team All-District
Finwood on Pantos: “Nick is a big right-handed pitcher. He had a fantastic year at Frederick Community College. Nick is another strike-thrower with a high strikeout-walk ratio. He should challenge for a spot in the weekend rotation.”
Tom Scheffler, RHP
Hometown: Kirkland, Washington
Previous College: Wenatchee Valley College
High School: Lake Washington
2018 Stats: 5-2, 3.31 ERA, 1 save, 78 strikeouts in 59.2 innings
Accolades: First Team NWAC All-East
Finwood on Scheffler: “Tom is another big right-handed pitcher who throws a ton of strikes and has a good slider. We really like Tom’s aggressive nature and competitiveness.”
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