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West Liberty University Announces 2014 Early Signing Class

November 22, 2013

By Greg Williams
WV Director of Scouting

wlWest Liberty University has announced the signing of two Class of 2014 prospects to a national letter of intent during the early signing period that ended on November 20. Head Coach Eric Burkle, in his second season at the helm, will attempt to build on last year's 21 win season. According to Burkle, "Our 2014 class to date is incomplete due to other recruits that also play football and will not be ready to sign until the April signing period. We have been recruiting on the offensive side of the game. Last year we had one of the deepest and best pitching staffs in the conference but lacked some offensive production. We believe that with the 2013 class and now the 2014 class, we have added the offensive production that we have been looking for."

Burkle and his staff are "Old School" in that they look for attributes like character, academics and how a player handles himself on and off the field. "When we go to a high school game we want to see that a kid knows where to be at the right time. If a player fits that mold, we have a lot less teaching to do and we can concentrate on strictly baseball skills and drills to make us better as a team."

Burkle discussed the program philosophy by saying, "Everything we do at West Liberty is POSITIVE and HIGH ENERGY. If we feel a player doesn't have that on a given day, we will send him home and see if he brings it back the next day."


2014 Recruits

SS/RHP Vincent "Bub" Haddox (Oak Glen HS)

Haddox is a 5-foot-11, 175-pound two-way prospect that was a 1st Team AA All-State selection in 2013. He hit .333 with 28 hits and 31 RBI in 2012 as a sophomore. Of his 28 hits, 15 went for extra bases, including three home runs. Haddox was even better in 2013, going 5-4 on the mound with a 2.02 earned run average and 84 strikeouts in 65 innings. He hit .526 with four home runs and drove in 31 runs. In the regional semis against Ritchie County, Haddox went the distance on the mound in a 2-1 victory, hitting a home run in the bottom of the seventh to give the Bears the victory. He is ranked No. 30 in the WV Class of 2014.

1B/OF Sam Williams (Mars Area HS, PA)

Williams is a 6-foot-3, 180-pound prospect with projectable size that could add some offensive support. He has the size and athleticism to play both positions at the next level.

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