Summer ball has wrapped up for returning Aggies and a talented pool of incoming freshmen and transfers are ready to help lead North Carolina A&T to another Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) championship.
With classes already beginning at NC A&T, let’s take a look at how all the new faces will stack up for the 2020 baseball season with one of the top recruiting classes in NCAA Division One HBCU baseball.
Big Freshmen Recruits:
Noah Lea (6-0, 170, Outfield, Greensboro, N.C., Dudley High School) – Lea is ranked nationally and the 11th best outfielder in North Carolina by Perfect Game. A three-time high school all-conference selection (2017-19) and All-Area Honorable Mention (2018-19).
Cameron Simmons (5-11, 170, Forest City, N.C., East Rutherford High School) – Simmons was a four-year varsity player and all-conference selection in 2019 and an All-County member in 2019. Led his high school team to a 2016 Class 2A State Championship.
Alex Reyna (5-9, 165, Fayetteville, N.C., Jack Britt High School) – Reyna was a four-year high school standout and was a three-time first-team all-conference selection. He was named defensive player of the year three times and a first-team All-Region in 2018. He broke the all-time single-season hits record at Jack Britt HS.
Keith Taylor (6-0, 185, Jackson, Ga., Jackson High School) – Taylor is the sixth-ranked third baseman in Georgia by Perfect Game. A four-year varsity player and two-time first-team All-Region and two-time second-team All-Region. He was voted the Most Outstanding Offensive Player and Team MVP in 2019.
Pres Ostert (6-5, 185, Pinehurst, N.C., Pinecrest High School) – Ostert is the 23rd ranked pitcher in North Carolina by Prep Baseball Report. He was an all-conference member in 2019 and a two-time conference champion in high school.
Top Transfers:
Cole Parks (6-2, 215, RHP/Utility, Huntersville, N.C., Winston-Salem State University) – Parks was a two way star at Winston Salem State University in 2019. He batted .385 with six home runs and 34 runs batted in while recording a 12-2 record on the mound with an 4.57 earned run average in 86.2 innings pitched striking out 102 batters.
Justin Rodriguez (6-3, 205, Outfield, Farmingdale, N.Y., Daytona State College) – Rodriguez was a first team All-Mid-Florida Conference. He batted .347 with five home runs and 27 runs batted in. He recorded 93 putouts with four assists and a 1.000 fielding percentage in 2019.
Timothy Davila (6-0, 195, RHP, Belmont, N.C., Catawba Valley Community College) – Davila went 4-2 with one save and recorded 38 strikeouts in 33.2 innings while leading Catawba Valley in appearances.
Alex Bibb (6-3, 205, OF/1B, Elizabethtown, Ky., Walters State Community College) – At the plate, Bibb hit .320 with a .447 on-base percentage, .542 slugging percentage and seven home runs. He help lead Walters State to a third place finish in the NJCAA DI World Series.
NC A&T was 29-24 overall last season and 16-8 in the MEAC, winning consecutive Southern Division titles. Expectations are running high for the Aggies with a solid incoming freshmen class and top transfers enrolled into the program, giving head coach Ben Hall optimism for another conference title.
Coach Hall’s assistants share in the credit for putting these classes together, especially the recruiting coordinators. Jamie Serber became an assistant coach for the North Carolina A&T baseball program under Coach Hall in 2016 and in 2017, he was promoted to recruiting coordinator. Stefan Jordan, a volunteer assistant who was promoted to assistant coach in 2017,is responsible for coaching catchers, coordinating camps and assisting with other aspects of the program. Both have helped Hall assembled this class and helped get the players to campus.