JMU baseball recruiting class tops in CAA

Collegiate Baseball newspaper’s annual ranking of the nation’s best recruiting classes included James Madison for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. The Dukes ranked among the top 100 classes in the nation and were the only representatives of the Colonial Athletic Association in the listing.

The newspaper ranked the top 40 classes in the nation and then listed 62 additional top classes to place the Dukes within the best 102 programs in the nation.  JMU’s seven listings in the last eight years (2006-08 and 2010-13) are more than the rest of the CAA combined over that stretch. UNCW was honored twice (2011, 2012) while former league members Georgia State (2009, 2010), VCU (2009) and Old Dominion (2010) were also listed while still in the conference.

“We’re honored. We feel like we did have a good recruiting class. Any time you can get your name out there, that’s always good for your program and your university,” commented head coach Spanky McFarland, who discussed JMU baseball’s newcomers and recruiting focus in depth in a video interview.

The batch of newcomers is highlighted by two players selected in June’s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft and two junior college transfers likely to see immediate contributions.  Outfielder Ky Parrott (Herndon, Va./Herndon) was a 26^th-round selection of the Milwaukee Brewers while outfielder/first baseman Logan Quimuyog (Lynn Haven, Fla./A. Crawford Mosley) was a 39^th-round pick of the New York Mets.  Over the summer, the Dukes added transfers in two-way player Kevin Husum(Panama City, Fla./Bay) of Gulf Coast State and right-handed pitcher Taylor Krugh (Edwardsburg, Mich./Marian) of Parkside.

Other newcomers include left-hander/infielder/outfielder Logan Corrigan (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bethel Park), left-handed pitcherMichael Evans (Falls Church, Va./George C. Marshall), pitcher/outfielder Dylan Horne (Staunton, Va./Robert E. Lee), catcherBrian Lawler (Medford, N.J./Shawnee), left-hander James Pearson (Potomac Falls, Va./Potomac Falls) and shortstop Josh Wyatt(Eden, Md./James M. Bennett).

The infusion of fresh talent is further boosted by three players who sat out the 2013 season for the Diamond Dukes. Local native Kyle Weston (Penn Laird, Va./Spotswood) missed a year after transferring from UNC Asheville. First baseman Brett Johnson (Charlottesville, Va./St. Anne’s-Belfield) and right-hander Trey Jones (Salisbury, Md./James M. Bennett) each redshirted their true freshman season last year.

JMU is wrapping up its last few weeks of “Fall Ball” preparation for the 2014 season. The new campaign officially begins Feb. 14-16 in Greenville, N.C. with a three-game set at East Carolina.