Baseball Adds Five Student-Athletes for 2018 Campaign
11/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Southern Miss baseball coach Scott Berry started the process of adding additional players for the 2018 season by announcing the addition of five student-athletes Friday to the program.
The initial fall signing period group includes Jones Junior College standouts Erick Hoard (Brandon, Miss.) and Fred Franklin (Meridian, Miss.), Presbyterian Christian School infielder Will McGillis (Hattiesburg, Miss.), as well as left-handed pitchers Ryan Shauger (Virginia Beach, Va.) of Chipola College and Jacob Weirich (Jefferson City, Mo.) of Jefferson City High School.
"We continue to assess our needs moving forward and we feel like we got a good group of young men for our 2018 season and beyond," said Berry. "We look for players that excel not only on the field, but also in the classroom and has an understanding of what Southern Miss baseball is all about. We feel like we have that in this selection of players that we are excited about joining us."
Hoard, a first baseman, led JCJC to the national championship last spring and was named the tournament's most valuable player as well as receiving the Marucci Elite Hitter Award for the event. At 6-foot, 240-lbs., Hoard batted .409 with 23 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs and 84 RBI, while swiping 12 bases on his way to All-Region 23 and All-MACJC first-team honors.
Prior to attending JCJC, Hoard prepped at Brandon High School where he enjoyed being an all-state linebacker in football while also excelling in baseball. He hit .368 for the Bulldogs as a senior with two homers and 22 RBI as the squad reached the first round of the 6A state playoffs. As a junior, Hoard led the Bulldogs with nine homers, was second on the team in RBIs (38) and hit .360. He was also 5-for-6 in stolen bases and boasted a .684 slugging percentage that helped Brandon reach the Class 6A South State finals.
Franklin, who garnered the Top Defensive Award at the national championship during the Bobcats run to the title, also earned all-tournament honors in the outfield as he batted .378 with seven doubles, three triples, six home runs and 48 RBI to go along with a .983 fielding percentage.
Prior to his time at JCJC, Franklin (6-foot, 168 lbs.) prepped at West Lauderdale High School where he was a Class 4A all-state selection by the MAC as a senior while his team reached the second round of the state playoffs. He tallied a .433 batting average with four doubles, three triples, two home runs and 18 RBI with 22 stolen bases. In West Lauderdale's 2014 Class 4A state title season, Franklin amassed a .351 average with a team-high 16 stolen bases.
McGillis will join the program as he heads into his senior campaign as both an infielder and pitcher at PCS. McGillis plays for former Southern Miss standout Kyle Maxie with the Bobcats.
As a junior, McGillis (6-foot-2, 185) earned MAIS AAAA Player of the Year after leading the Bobcats to the program's first regular season conference championship. McGillis batted .420 with a .762 slugging percentage while tallying 15 doubles, five triples and five home runs. On the mound, he earned two saves in seven innings of relief, maintaining a 1.10 ERA while striking out 15 and allowing two walks.
Shauger (6-foot, 180) will join the Golden Eagles after spending time at Chipola College, where he posted a 3-0 record with two saves as a freshman with a 3.58 earned run average. He fanned 26 last season in 32 2/3 innings of work.
The southpaw attended Salem High School.
Weirich (6-foot, 180) comes off a stellar junior campaign that saw him post a 9-1 record last spring with a 1.27 ERA in 13 appearances and leading the team to the Missouri Class 5 state semifinal. He fanned 81 and walked just 32 over 71 2/3 innings while opponents hit just 169 against him. As a sophomore in 2015, he threw a perfect game against crosstown rival Helias High School.
Weirich earned Class 5 all-state honors by the Missouri State High School Coaches Association and was a member of the All-District 9 team.
