Baseball Continues To Receive Preseason Honors
12/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
DURHAM, N.C. Kent State junior pitchers Kyle Smith (Louisville, Ohio/Louisville) and Brad Stillings (Washington Court House, Ohio/Washington) were recently included in two top-prospect lists by Baseball America Magazine.
Baseball America ranked Stillings as the 21st best collegiate prospect and the 55th best prospect overall. Last season, his first year as a starter, Stillings went 4-7 with a 5.35 earned-run average in a team-high 79 innings of work.
In the Mid-American Conference Tournament against Northern Illinois (May 23), Stillings allowed only three runs and six hits while striking out eight in a 10-3 Golden Flash victory that advanced KSU to the championship game.
In early September, Stillings was also named a top-10 prospect that played in the Cape Cod League.
Baseball America rated Smith as the 51st best collegiate prospect. Smith led the Golden Flashes in wins last and finished 9-1 including a perfect 5-0 record in MAC play. The junior right-hander worked 75 innings and finished the season second on the team with 65 strikeouts.
Smith and Stillings join senior Greg Rohan (North Lima, Ohio/South Range) and sophomore Ben Klafczynski (Granger Twp., Ohio/Medina Highland High School) as Kent State players who have received preseason honors. Last week, Rohan and Klafczynski were named to the preseason Brooks Wallace Player of the Year award “Wallace Watch” list.
