Baseball Coach Jeff Mercer has signed his first recruiting class.
On National Signing Day, nine future IU baseball players signed their National Letter of Intent to officially become Hoosiers. Six states are represented among the signees thus far — Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, New Jersey, Florida and California.
The ten signees include: Hunter Jessee, Cooper Trinkle, Hunter Combs, Ryan Fischer, John Biagio-Modugno, Brant Voth, Dalton Laney, Joe Wilkinson, Dylan Steele and Reese Sharp.
Jessee is a former Louisville commit, who flipped to IU. He is an outfielder and left-handed pitcher from Kings, Ohio. Jessee was the first signee of the day for IU, and thus the first Hoosier to sign for Jeff Mercer.
Trinkle, Combs and Laney are all junior college transfers that signed with IU. Trinkle and Combs will join the Hoosiers from John A. Logan College, a program that has been a pipeline to IU over the years. It has brought players like senior outfielder Logan Kaletha to IU.
Trinkle is an infielder who originally went to Evansville before John A. Logan. He was an Indiana All-State selection in high school in 2016 and 2017. Combs is a catcher who had a big season with John A. Logan in 2018, hitting .305 with 23 RBI.
Laney comes to IU from Lincoln Trail College. He is a pitcher that originally went to Indiana State University before Lincoln Trail. With the Terre Haute Rex in the summer of 2018, Laney performed well and helped earn himself a chance to come to IU.
Fischer, a first baseman and outfielder, will join the Hoosiers from Lake Brantley High School in Altamonte Springs, Florida. Perfect Game, a showcase baseball organization, grades Fischer nine out of 10.
Biagio-Modugno comes to IU from Don Bosco Preparatory High School in Ramsey, New Jersey. He is a right-handed pitcher, standing at 6-foot-6. According to Prep Baseball Report, Modugno has a fastball that tops out at 89 miles per hour.
Voth is the highest graded prospect by Perfect Game in the group of nine signees from National Signing Day, having been given a grade of 9.5. Voth is a catcher from Simi Valley, California. With Ryan Fineman set to graduate after this season, Voth could be a player who sees time at catcher as a freshman.
From one of the biggest baseball powerhouses in Indiana, Providence High School, right-handed pitcher Joe Wilkinson signs with IU. Wilkinson was also originally a Louisville commit that Mercer was able to flip to IU. Wilkinson already has a fastball topping out at 91 miles per hour.
Dylan Steele has the shortest journey to IU. Steele plays for Bloomington High School North and is a right-handed pitcher as well as an outfielder. Steele has a five-pitch arsenal and was named the 2018 Herald-Times player of the year.
Reese Sharp comes to IU from Noblesville, Indiana, where he plays for Noblesville High School. Sharp is a right-handed pitcher who has a fastball topping out at 89 miles per hour. Sharp also has a change up that touches the upper 70s and a mid to upper 70s slider.
