Nov. 20, 2014
BEAUMONT, Texas - Head coach Jim Gilligan and the Lamar baseball staff signed five players (three position players, two pitchers), all that could play crucial roles early in their careers, announced the staff on Thursday.
"We feel like we've done a great job with this class," said Gilligan who is set to open his 38th season at the helm with Lamar in 2015. "We wanted to get guys that could replace what we're losing after this year without much of a drop-off."
Bryndan Arrendondo (Lubbock, Texas/Midland College), Erik Nouis (Las Vegas, Nev./San Jacinto JC) and Gavin Tristan (Sugar Land, Texas/Ranger College) will all be junior college transfers and Austin Marshall (Kountze, Texas/Kountze HS) and Ethan Franklin (Evadale, Texas/Northbrook HS) will be incoming freshmen.
Ethan Franklin played his last three seasons of baseball at Kountze along with fellow signee Marshall, but will attend Northbrook for his senior season to play for his dad, who is the head coach. Last season, Franklin finished with a 1.54 earned run with six wins in eight decisions.
"He's a hometown kid to us, and a pitcher that will come in and be a top of a staff type guy as far as stuff is concerned," said Gilligan. "This year we were focused on guys that could come in and fight their way for starting positions at the top of the staff. It gives us a good freshman pitcher coming in."
The 6-3, 210 pound right-handed pitcher appeared in 16 contests with two complete games and two saves. He also had a .324 batting average along 17 runs batted in and seven runs scored. Franklin was named to the 2014 and 2013 Perfect Game All-Region team.
Marshall will be an outfielder and left-handed pitching prospect for the Cardinals. He had a .327 batting average last season with 15 runs scored. He appeared in 10 games as a reliever and finished with a 2-1 record.
"Marshall has a chance to be a legitimate two-way player, and we believe he's going to be able to start in the outfield for us next season," said Gilligan. "He is a kid that can do it all and has a great attitude."
He was also a 2014 and 2013 Perfect Game All-Region team member.
"Sometimes freshmen come in and it takes a while for them to adjust, but he has the personality that will help him walk into Division I and play," said Gilligan. "He's a good local kid that has attended our camps before. We are excited about his chance to come in and be an impact guy right away."
Arrendondo helped Midland College to the Junior College World Series, where he kept the Charparrals from dropping the opening round game with a first-pitch shot that sparked a four-run inning. The 6-0, 207 pound catcher hit .330 with three home runs, 35 runs batted in and 46 runs scored in 62 games.
"Catcher is a position that we had to have because we lose all three of our catchers, who will be prominent guys on this team," said Gilligan. "He was a big sign for us, and right now it looks like the job could be his next season."
His batting average ranked sixth at Midland and was in the top 20 in his conference. He was also a participant in the Little League World Series in 2007 as a part of the Southwest Team (Lubbock Western Little League).
"We got a good one," said Gilligan. "He is the guy we wanted to get and we got him."
Tristan had a .305 batting average in league play last season at Ranger College, and only seven errors in 169 total chances. The 5-9, 165 middle infielder was second-team all-district his senior season at Kempner High School.
"Gavin is a middle infielder that can play both sides of the bag very well," said Gilligan. "He is going to be a speed guy that will steal bases for us."
He was named to the All-Greater Houston Preseason Team before his senior. He led Kempner to the playoffs both seasons he was with varsity.
Nouis played last season at Southern Idaho, but will start the upcoming season at San Jacinto. He appeared in 12 games as a middle reliever and had one save in nine innings.
"'Lefty,' as I call him, is a left-hander with good stuff," said Gilligan. "We are overloaded on the right side, and getting him was very important."
The 6-1, 180 pound pitcher led his high school team, Bishop Gorman, to a state championship in 2012 and runner-up in 2013.
Lamar opens its 2015 season on Feb. 13 by welcoming New Mexico State and Illinois for a three-day Cardinal Classic event.
