Eight Signees to Join Kent State Baseball
11/20/2012 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
KENT, Ohio -- Ninth-year Kent State head baseball coach Scott Stricklin introduced the program's latest recruiting class Friday (Nov. 16).
The 2013 class features seven high school seniors and a junior college recruit, including two student-athletes from Ohio, five from Pennsylvania and one from New York. The Golden Flashes welcome INF Zach Beckner (Lebanon, Ohio), OF Keyshawn D'Orso (Pittsburgh, Pa.), INF Zac LaNeve (Gibsonia, Pa.), LHP/INF/OF Eric Lauer (Elyria, Ohio), RHP Andy Ravel (Sinking Springs, Pa.), INF/OF Conner Simonetti (Fairport, NY), LHP/OF Jared Skolnicki (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and RHP Zach Spangler (Cranberry Township, Pa.).
"We are very excited as a staff to introduce these student-athletes as Kent State Golden Flashes. We have eight newcomers and they all are going to make a positive impact on our program. Mike Birkbeck and Scott Daeley did another unbelievable job of identifying and recruiting the best baseball players from our region. We feel that we added depth on the mound with four quality arms and we also added a lot of athleticism with this entire group. Our 2012 run to Omaha was certainly a factor in the recruiting process and we feel like this could be our best recruiting class ever. We always have high expectations here at Kent State and these eight young men will be great representatives of our program."
Beckner is the son of Jim and Laura and plays under coach Lance Links at Lenbanon High School. He was awarded First-Team All-Division honors in his sophomore year. As a junior, he was named Greater Western Ohio Conference South Player of the Year and helped lead his team to the school's first outright Division Championship. Beckner also made the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Ohio Second Team, the GWOC First Team and the Miami Valley Coaches Association All-Area First Team.
 D'Orso, the son of Gary D'Orso and Judi Teeter, was named a starter and captain through three seasons at Taylor Allderdice High School by coaches John Parker and Brad Hoffer. He knows what it means to be a winner, as his high school won the championship every year he was on the roster.
"Keyshawn got on our radar a little late in the process," said Stricklin, "but once we saw him play several times, we knew he would be a great fit in our program. He is very hard-nosed and plays the game with a lot of energy. His bat speed is what stood out the most for us. He makes consistent, hard contact at the plate and can hit for some power. He is athletic and versatile enough to play all three outfield positions and we feel he will be an early contributor."
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The son of Matthew and Dayna, LaNeve is the only transfer of this year's class of signees. He was a four-year starter of Pine Richland High School before playing at UNC Chapel Hill and Louisburg College. He was drafted in the 44th round in 2011 by the Florida Marlins, but decided to play at the collegiate level.
"We recruited Zac very hard two years ago and missed out on him," said Stricklin. "We are thrilled that he has decided to attend Kent State after competing for one season at Louisburg College. He is a strong, physical baseball player that has all the tools to be a stand out player at the Division I level. He can hit for average and power and he is also a plus runner. He has great defensive instincts in the middle of the infield with a strong throwing arm. Zac will make an immediate impact on our program."
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Lauer has found success on the diamond and the gridiron at Midview High School under the guidance of coach Scott Jalowiec. He was selected as the Lorain County Division I Player of the Year and made Honorable Mention All-State as a southpaw pitcher in 2012. Lauer also was named Offensive Player of the Year and Third Team All-State while breaking several school records as a receiver for the football team. He is the son of Rick and Carole Lauer.
"Eric is an unbelievable athlete that has a chance to be a two-way player for us here at Kent State," said Stricklin. "He is the top rated player in the state of Ohio because of what he has shown on the mound but he is equally good at the plate. His fastball is in the low 90's from the left side and his slider has a chance to be a consistent strikeout pitch. His arm is very loose and works very easily and he is only going to get better. At the plate, he hits for power to all fields and he has a great approach. Eric will come in and compete for a weekend rotation spot and a spot in the line up immediately."
Ravel is the son of Ken and Barbara and plays for coach Sal Racugglia at Wilson High School in Sinking Spring, Pa. Ravel boasted a 1.00 ERA this past spring which propelled him to be ranked 15th in the state of Pennsylvania class of 2013 by Prep Baseball Report. Over the summer he went 15-0 with five one-hitters for the Grand Slam Blue Rocks.
"Andy was recommended to us by his pitching coach, Kent State Hall of Famer, Bill Underwood," said Stricklin. "Andy's arm is lightning quick and he is very projectable. He is very athletic and has a feel for four pitches. He commands his fastball to both sides of the plate and sets up hitters as well as anyone I've seen. He pitched very well on the national stage this summer in the East Coast Professional Showcase and the Area Code Games. He is extremely competitive on the mound and he will come in here next fall and compete right away for a lot of innings."
Simonetti, the son of Randal and Nan, has his name in the Fairport High School record books as the school leader in homeruns in a season with 16. He was named to the All-Greater Rochester and All-State teams in 2011 and 2012. Simonetti also led the Rochester Collegiate Baseball League in average, slugging, OPS and doubles in 2012. His high school coach is Ned Amyot.
"Conner stood out to me as one of the best hitters I saw all summer," said Stricklin. "He hits for power to the opposite field and has an advanced approach at the plate. As he continues to get stronger, he will develop into a middle of the order hitter for us. He has great hands and feet at 1st base and is as good defensively as you will find over there. He is very physically strong but he is also a good enough athlete that he can play a corner outfield spot. We are thrilled that Conner has decided to attend Kent State. "
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Skolnicki is the son of Walt and Rebecca and has been a standout at Keystone Oaks, beginning when he led his varsity team in batting average, ERA, wins and strikeouts in his freshman year. In 2010, he was named a Signal Item Player to Watch and was voted MVP of his team in 2011.  His high school success comes under the guidance of head coach Scott Crimone. This summer, Skolnicki helped lead the Steel City Wildcats win the Western Pennsylvania Elite Baseball League Championship while leading the team with a .540 batting average.
"Jared is a very athletic left-handed pitcher that has a really good feel for pitching," said Stricklin. "He reminds us a little of David Starn because of his change-up and the way he competes. His fastball is in the mid 80's range right now but as he gets stronger, his velocity will increase. He is also a switch-hitter at the plate and has a chance to be a good college hitter. He is an extremely hard worker and a great kid and we are very fortunate to have him in our program."
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Spangler has lettered all three years of his career in baseball and basketball at Seneca Valley High School. He helped lead the Raiders to the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League Championships in 2011 and 2012. Spangler has been able to maintain an ERA of under 2.0 while batting .405. He is the son of Ken and Traci and plays under the direction of Seneca Valley head coach Eric Semega.
"Zach is a hard throwing right hander that has a lot of upside," said Stricklin. "His fastball has gotten into the low 90's and his breaking ball continues to improve. He has a great pitcher's frame and he is going to get a lot stronger over the next four years. He works extremely hard and really competes on the mound. I know Coach Birkbeck is looking forward to working with Zach and helping him reach his full potential."
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Kent State finished the 2012 season with 47 wins, the most in school history, and reached the College World Series for the first time ever. They continued their recent dominance of the Mid-American Conference by winning the Conference Championship for the second consecutive time and the MAC Tournament and a return to NCAA Regionals for the fourth time in a row. The Golden Flashes went on the sweep the Gary Regional. From there, they travelled to NCAA Super Regionals where they went 2-1 to move on to Omaha and the College World Series. After losing in the opening game to Arkansas, Kent State beat #1 ranked Florida to elude elimination. The 2012 season ended in a 4-1 loss to reigning NCAA Champion South Carolina.
The Golden Flashes open the 2013 season February 15-17 in Wilmington, NC., where they will face UNC Wilmington and Virginia Tech. Â Â Mid-American Conference play begins for Kent State on March 22, at Northern Illinois.
