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Mercyhurst Announces 2015 Early Signing Class

December 3, 2014

By Greg Williams
WV Director of Scouting

Mercyhurst University head coach Joe Spano recently announced the signing of two players to National letters of Intent during the November early signing period. In 2014, Mercyhurst won 30 games for the forth straight year and fifth time in six seasons. Spano was recently recognized for the success of the Lakers' program by being awarded the Eighth Annual Chuck Tanner College Coach of the Year Award.

2015 Early Commits

Matthew SchneiderIF Matthew Schneider (St. Marys of Lancaster HS, NY)

PBR: Schneider stands 5-foot-10 165-pounds with a strong lower half. At 3B he moves hard to the ball fielding the ball in front, and uses a long arm action from a high ¾ slot at 77 mph. At the plate he displays some serious next level power. He drove multiple balls over the fence in BP with a wide setup at the PBR NY Top Prospect Games in August. Schneider uses a back load on the pitch and short stride for timing. He drives his hands inside the ball with a balanced swing with a bat path slightly inclined through the strike zone with long extension after contact.

Dominic CecereIF Dominic Cecere (Williamsville North HS, NY)

PBR: Cecere stands 5-foot-10 160-pounds with a lean build. In the field he moves quickly to the ball but under control, gets around the baseball and fields with his glove out in front, slightly to his arm side. His transfer is clean and quick. His arm action is short and he throws from a high ¾ slot with 79 mph arm strength. At the plate his approach is wide and his weight is centered. On the pitch he uses a back load, leg lift with minimal stride and drives his hands inside the ball with a bat path mostly level through the zone. He finishes with extension after contact and a shoulder height, one handed finish.

Q&A With the Coach

PBR: What do you feel are the strengths of this recruiting class?

Spano: It's a small class so far but we are really happy we were able to get Dom and Matt. Dom has really good hands and we feel like he will be able to play middle infield at our level soon. Matt was one of the best hitters we saw last summer. With the majority of our infield being upperclassmen we felt like we had to address that area.

PBR: What advice would you have for underclassmen just beginning the recruiting process that might help them in this process?

Spano: My recommendation is that a recruit see a lot of schools. It is important to get as much exposure as you can. Place an importance on working as hard in the classroom as on the field.

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