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Shippensburg Announces 2015 Early Signing Class

November 27, 2014

By Greg Williams
PA Director of Scouting

Shippensburg University head coach Matt Jones recently announced the signing of five players to National Letters of Intent during the November early signing period. Jones, along with recruiting coordinator Adam Sheibley have also received two additional verbal commitments with one of those prospects set to sign in the spring.

Shippensburg comes off a 29-17 campaign in 2014 including a 14-14 record in the rugged PSAC. The Raiders are just two years removed from an Atlantic Region title and a trip to the NCAA Division II Championships. Jones, in his ninth season at the head of the Raiders program, has led Shippensburg to the DII World Series twice and has accumulated 219 wins along the way.

2015 Early Commits

OF Lucas Clark (Turner Ashby, VA)

PBR: Clark is a 6-foot, 175-pound left-handed hitter with some foot speed (6.90 60-yard dash). He has hit .408 and .507 his last two years of high school baseball while stealing 23 bases.

RHP/Util Danny Johnson (Huntingtown, MD)

PBR: Johnson is a physical 6-foot-4, 215-pound righty that sits in the low-80s with a chance to add significant velocity with his projectable frame.

C Evan Moore (Loyalsock Township, PA) - PBR Rank #145

PBR: Moore went 5-for-10 in game play over four games at the PBR Mid-Atlantic Border Battle in July. The 6-foot-2, 195-pounder registered an 83 mph bat exit velocity and showcased pop times of 1.96-2.04 on throws of 75 mph from the crouch. Moore demonstrated the ability to barrel the baseball to all fields during batting practice from a slightly open stance and a quiet load phase to his swing. The backstop stood out with his defense in game play. Moore receives and blocks well and has quick feet. Some minor adjustments to his footwork would likely move his pop times to the sub-2.0 range on a consistent basis.

RHP Zack Sims (Middletown HS, PA) - PBR Rank #338

PBR: Sims sat 76-78 out of a high 3/4 arm slot during his bullpen session at a PBR event in June of 2013. He also displayed a tight 1/5 breaking curveball at 65 mph, a near fastball arm speed changeup at 70 mph and a cutter at 66 mph. Sims was a first team Mid-Penn Conference Keystone Division all-star as a junior in 2014.

OF Zack Zoller (Spring-Ford HS, PA) - PBR Rank #109

PBR: Originally committed to Temple, Zoller switched his commitment when the Owls dropped their program. The 5-foot-10, 170-pound outfielder runs a sub-6.60 60-yard dash and has a well-above average arm from the outfield. He has been a fixture in Spring-Ford's lineup since his sophomore season.

Q&A With the Coach

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

Jones: We are really happy with the class. They are very smart and very athletic. Coach Sheibley did a great job going out and finding guys who were the right fit for us and what we needed. We only lose four seniors, but this class will come in and compete for jobs right away. We were patient with most of them. We waited for them to see how the D-1 thing was going to play out... so it was a little stressful but everything worked out great in the end.

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

Jones: Don't feel pressure to make a decision because of when other guys are deciding or from college coaches. It's an important decision. Do your homework. Meet players on the teams you are interested in. Talk to them away from their coaches. Get a real feel for how the players like the program. Don't sacrifice your intended major if you have decided what you want to do. Don't feel rushed to decide because of someone else's deadline.

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