Dec. 6, 2007

ST. LOUIS - New Saint Louis baseball coach Darin Hendrickson announced today that eight players have signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University and play for the Billikens. Their eligibility begins with the 2008-09 academic year, with the group officially taking the field for the 2009 season.

"I want to commend our coaches for doing a great job of identifying what it takes to succeed at Saint Louis University in a short period of time," Hendrickson said. "These eight young men are players who will help us right away. They are being brought in with a game plan in mind to have a great first recruiting class. They will grow together, learn together and win and lose together. That is the motto of this group."

Hendrickson's first recruiting class is comprised of five players who are expected to contribute on the mound, along with a pair of outfielders and a catcher. Hired during the summer, Hendrickson and assistant coaches Will Bradley and Kevin Moulder entered the recruiting process late but are pleased with the following recruiting class:

• Bryant Cotton, RHP, Omaha, Neb. / Butler County CC

After a standout career at Omaha Central High School, Cotton signed with Butler County Community College in El Dorado, Kan., and made an immediate impact. In 2007, he registered a 3.60 ERA and a 7-2 record in helping the Grizzlies to a 37-13 record. He was an honorable mention All-Conference selection last season while striking out 36 batters and walking only seven.

"We are very excited to get a kid of Bryant's caliber," Hendrickson said. "He comes from a great junior college program at Butler and he knows how to win. He features three pitches for strikes, and showcases a fourth at times. He will be expected to contribute in the starting rotation right away, and I think his better days are ahead of him."

The 6-foot-3 Cooper is also active on the Team Connecticut Blue Jays baseball club. He features four pitches in his arsenal, and he put them to use last year as Southington captured the CCC North title. Cooper is a member of a rich baseball tradition at Southington, a program that has produced current and former major leaguers such as Rob Dibble and Carl Pavano.

"Garrett's probably the most anticipated freshman we have on the mound," Hendrickson said. "He's a guy that we will expect big things from right away as a freshman. His mentality is outstanding, he is not afraid to take the ball. He has an 88-90 mph arm, and like most young pitchers will need to work on his secondary stuff. I am excited about what he is going to bring to the table, and I expect he will be competing right away for one of our five starting positions."

• Connor Gandossy, C, Redding, Conn. / St. Luke's School

In addition to starring at St. Luke's School, the 6-foot-2 Gandossy spent time with the South Florida Bandits in Boynton Beach, Fla., a showcase team that includes some of the best high school prospects in the country. Entering his senior year at St. Luke's School, Gandossy and the Crusaders are coming off a 10-11 season and a semifinals loss in the Class C NEPSAC tournament. Like Garrett Cooper, he played on the Team Connecticut Blue Jays baseball club.

"Connor is a very good defensive catcher," Hendrickson said. "I expect him to produce offensively once he gets acclimated to the college game. He's a guy that we are excited about as far as receiving and handling a pitching staff. He already has been a great ambassador for our program. He really believes in SLU, and I expect him to do a great job handling what I expect will be a very talented pitching staff."

• Jimmy Foster, LHP, Wentzville, Mo. / Holt

Foster and the Holt Indians are coming off a memorable 2007 campaign that included a trip the Class 4 State Championship game. Entering his senior year at Holt, he will look to validate a junior season that saw him earn a 6-4 record and post a 2.64 ERA in 61 innings of work. He also struck out 39 batters and posted an impressive 1.26 WHIP (walks and hits per inning).

"Jimmy is a strike thrower with three quality pitches," Hendrickson said. "I look for him to pitch right away, although whether he is a starter or a reliever is still to be determined. He really comes at you and competes well. He comes from a great high school program at Wentzville Holt. They are favored to win the state tournament this year due in part to a great pitching staff, and he is a key member of that staff."

• Jerry Mancuso, INF/RHP, Kansas City, Mo. / Rockhurst

Mancuso is a solid two-way prospect who can play a variety of infield positions in addition to spending time on the mound. During his junior season at Rockhurst, he hit .433 with a .564 on-base percentage and seven RBIs. On the mound, he posted a 3.16 ERA in five starts, striking out 19 batters and tossing one complete game. He validated that performance during the summer when he threw four complete games (two shutouts) in nine starts, registering a 3.56 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 55 innnings.

"Jerry is one of our most eagerly anticipated recruits because he's a two-way guy. He's gotten a lot better on the mound, improving drastically since the first time we saw him play," Hendrickson said. "He is a great left-handed hitting third baseman, and an equally solid right-handed pitcher, so we just have to figure out a way not to get him too worn out by doing both because he really excels at both positions. I look for him to be one of the catalysts and leaders of our team for many years."

• Andrew Meister, RHP, Lincolnshire, Ill. / Stevenson

Ranked as the 47th-best prospect in the state by the Illinois Prep Baseball Report, Meister will look to build on an impressive junior season at Stevenson High School. Last year, he posted a 3-0 record and a 2.88 ERA in helping Stevenson to a 17-5 record in the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association summer league. While playing for Top Tier, a summer showcase team, Meister allowed just four runs on four hits in 20 innings while holding opponents to a .059 batting average. He was one of 30 players invited to the Illinois Pitch and Hit Club All-Star Showcase.

"Andrew is primed to be a great teammate and a guy who is going to contribute out of the bullpen as a freshman because of his ability to pitch every day," Hendrickson said. "He has a resilient arm, and what we really like about him is his athleticism. We are happy to have Andrew because he is going to fill a lot of roles for us. He very easily could be a spot starter for us if called upon."

• Nate Young, OF, Lee's Summit, Mo. / Lee's Summit North

Young is a prototypical leadoff hitter with resounding speed. He claimed Class 4 first-team All-State honors a season ago after hitting over .450 from the leadoff spot and swiping a team-leading 15 bases. He helped Lee's Summit North to a 20-7 record and a trip to sectionals. He was a member of the Mac-N-Seitz summer club team, which was coached by former major leaguer Kevin Seitzer, and again showcased his base-stealing skills as evidenced by his 30-plus steals in 40 games. He again is expected to be an All-State candidate for his senior year in 2008.

"Nate may be the fastest player on our team," Hendrickson said. "I like his blue-collar attitude, and he comes at you with everything he has. When he gets on, Nate is pretty much an automatic base stealer. He needs to know his role and hit the ball on the ground to be a singles or doubles guy, or hit it in the gap and run forever. He is also tremendous at covering ground in center field."

• Ben Zupan, OF, Haddam, Conn. / Xavier

Zupan is a speedy and versatile outfielder who exceeded the .300 mark in hitting at Xavier High School and in summer ball for Middletown Legion. As a junior at Xavier, he hit .310 and helped the Falcons advance to the state tournament. For Middletown last summer, Zupan hit .321 from the leadoff spot and stole 42 bases in 32 games in helping the club to a 24-8 record.

"Ben is an athletic outfielder who can play any of the three outfield positions," Hendrickson said. "He will add a lot of depth right away, and he will push a couple of our veteran outfielders to contribute and make sure they are moving in the right direction. Pound for pound, Ben can hit for power as well as anybody. He is not necessarily a big guy, but he is very strong."