ROCK HILL, SC – Winthrop head baseball coach Tom Riginos has announced the signing of four players for the 2012 spring recruiting class, who will join the 10 previously signed during the fall signing period. These four players will join the Eagles roster for the 2013 season.

The four signees come from three different states including South Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The class is made up of two pitchers, one second baseman and one outfielder/first baseman.

“I am very excited about the 2012 recruiting class,” Riginos said. “My staff and I were able to work a full year on this class and am confident you will see the impact that this class will make on our program moving forward. The addition of Zach Sightler, Jared Keels, Cody Dolan and Luke Maldonado this spring, in addition to the 10 young men that we signed in the fall, gives this class a chance to be one of the top 50 recruiting classes in the nation.”
The four members of the 2012 Spring Signing Class, as well as comments by Coach Riginos, are:

Jared Keels (Pitcher, Spartanburg Methodist College, Spartanburg, SC)
Jared is a pitcher from Columbia, SC where played at Spring Valley High School before attending Spartanburg Methodist College for the last two years. He graduated from Spring Valley in 2010 where he earned five varsity letters in baseball, and was on the 2010 Class AAAA Region 4 Champions and also earned Region 4 Player of the Year. Keels was also recognized in 2010 on the SC Select All-Star Team as named by the SC Baseball Coaches Association. As a senior at Spring Valley he went 9-1 with a 1.08 ERA and one save in 64.1 innings pitched, while allowing 43 hits on 12 walks and 75 strikeouts. Last season at Spartanburg Methodist, Keels posted a 3-1 record on the mound with a 3.63 ERA and one save. He also helped lead his team to the 2012 JUCO World Series.

Coach Riginos on Keels:  “Jared is expected to play a major role in the back side of our bullpen next year. He has a proven track record of success in that role. Jared comes from Spartanburg  Methodist College where he just finished competing in the NJCAA World Series, and there is no doubt that experience will help him be successful here at Winthrop next year.”

Cody Dolan (Outfielder/First Baseman, USC Sumter, Sumter, SC)
Cody is a native of Mill Hall, PA where he graduated from Central Mountain High School in 2010. He received numerous varsity letters from Central Mountain including four years in baseball, three years in football and three years in wrestling. Dolan spent the 2012 season at USC Sumter in Sumter, SC, and prior to that attended West Virginia University in 2011. Last season at USC Sumter he hit .401 with three home runs and 46 RBI, 71 hits, 15 doubles and 38 runs scored playing in the outfield and corner infield positions, and was named 2012 All-NJCAA Region X First Team as a designated hitter. Dolan earned several honors for baseball during his junior season including First Team Big School Pennsylvania All-State and First Team Pennsylvania Mountain League, and also played for two all-star teams that season in the Pennsylvania American Legion East/West All-Stars and the Alleghany Pirates Scout Team. As a senior in 2010 he was a Pennsylvania Individual State qualifier in wrestling and his squad that season captured the Pennsylvania State Wrestling Championship for Class AAAA.

Coach Riginos on Dolan:  “Cody will come in and make a major impact in our offense next season and will compete for a middle-of-the-order spot in our batting order. Every time myself or one of my coaches watched Cody this spring he just hit. I look for big thing out of Cody next year.”

Luke Maldonado (Second Baseman, Madison College, Madison, WI)
Luke has spent the past two seasons at Madison College after enjoying a prep career at South Milwaukee High School, where he graduated from in 2010. He earned a total of eight varsity letters at South Milwaukee (four in baseball, two in football and two in track & field), and received Second Team All-State honors in baseball while being named Team MVP three times. Maldonado was also named Team MVP and All-Conference as a senior in football. He was a member of the WBCA East Side squad and Hitters Baseball Academy, and his 2012 team at Madison finished in fourth place at the Division II NJCAA World Series. He led the team in hitting during the 2012 season with a .408 average, 11 doubles, 33 RBI and 16 stolen bases, while also earning All-Tournament Team recognition at the Division II NJCAA World Series.

Coach Riginos on Maldonado:  “Luke will come in and bring great energy and enthusiasm to the program. One of the first things I noticed about Luke when I saw him play was the energy that he brought to the field. Luke will be another player that has a chance to make an impact in our line up next year. As with Jared Keels, Luke participated in the NCJAA World Series this past spring.”

Zach Sightler (Pitcher, Brookland-Cayce H.S., Lexington, SC)
Zach is a 2012 graduate of Brookland-Cayce High School where he earned two varsity letters in baseball. He also attended Airport High School as a freshman and sophomore, and earned one varsity letter in baseball. Sightler has played travel baseball for Palmetto Sand Gnats 15U, Palmetto Elite 16U and Shockwave 17U. As a freshman at Airport he was selected Team MVP, while playing on a Region 5-AAA Championship Team as a sophomore. This past season at Brookland-Cayce he went 6-2 with a 1.24 ERA, one save and 75 strikeouts as he earned First Team All-State honors by Diamond Prospects. He was also named to the 90-mph Club by Diamond Prospect, and has played in the Perfect Game Wood Bat Tournament and Palmetto Games.

Coach Riginos on Sightler:  “I am very excited about Zach joining the Eagles family. Zach has a great future with our program.  He has everything you look for in a pitcher in great size, strong body and a power full arm.”