Clark Announces the signing of 10 to National Letters of Intent
Aug 11, 2001 | Baseball
July 18, 2001
Manhattan, Kan. - Head baseball coach Mike Clark announced Wednesday the signing of 10 student-athletes to national letters of intent to play baseball at Kansas State. The class has six junior-college transfers, two transfers from a four-year school and two incoming freshmen, which brings the total number of signees to 13 for the 2002 season.
Among the signees from the junior college ranks are Braden Bottenberg (Wichita, Kan.), Andrew Ehling (Hutchinson, Kan.), Timothy Foley (Yucca Valley, Calif.), Gabe Luttrell (Midwest City, Okla.), Jason Simon (Toronto, Ontario) and Mitch Walter (Graton, Calif.). Ross and Ryan Hawley (Wentworth, S.D.) are transfers from Augustana College, a Division II school in Sioux Falls, S.D., while Jason Long (Midwest City, Okla.) and Mark Montgomery (Littleton, Colo.) join the squad as freshmen.
By position, the class has five pitchers, including two left-handed hurlers, three infielders and two outfielders.
"We think that we got some talented athletes that can really make a difference for us," Clark said. "We especially feel that way about the five pitchers that we signed. We add these guys to the seven pitchers we have coming back, including all three starters, and our pitching staff has gotten not only deeper, but stronger. In all, we feel this group will provide good competition for starting positions in the fall."
A pair of honorable mention All-Jayhawk Conference selections at Pratt (Kan.) Community College in 2001, Braden Bottenberg (pronounced Bray-den Bot-in-berg) and Jason Simon, are slated to join the Wildcats in the fall. A 6-foot, 165-pound second baseman, Bottenberg compiled a .282 batting average in the lead off spot for the Beavers with 35 runs scored and 26 RBIs. A two-year starter at Wichita Northwest High School in 1998-99, he saw action in 57 games with 54 starts at second base for Pratt, leading the team in fielding percentage (.962) and assists. A 6-foot-1, 185-pound left-handed pitcher, Simon was the team's No. 1 starter throughout the year, posting a team-best 8-2 record and 1.82 ERA in 12 games with nine starts. The native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, tossed two complete games and one shutout and held opposing batters to a paltry .226 batting average. In all, Simon tallied 59 strikeouts and 21 walks in 57.2 innings pitched during 2001.
A two-year starter on the mound at Butler County Community College, Andrew Ehling is one of five pitchers signed by the Wildcats. A 6-foot-1, 185-pound right-handed pitcher, he posted a 4-2 mark and team-leading 2.83 ERA for the Grizzlies in 2001. He also led the team in starts (10), while he ranked second in appearances (12), innings pitched (59.1) and strikeouts (39). As a freshman in 2000, Ehling tallied a 5-2 record and 3.86 ERA in nine appearances and eight starts with 28 strikeouts. A three-year starter at Hutchinson High School, he rebounded from ACL surgery his junior season to post an impressive senior year when he was a first team All-Ark Valley and second team all-state selection for the Salthawks.
Products of two of the best junior colleges in California, Timothy Foley and Mitch Walter, should provide immediate help to a team that lost four starters and two relief pitchers to graduation. A 6-foot-3, 225-pound left-handed first baseman, Foley spent the last two seasons playing for Riverside (Calif.) City College, the back-to-back California State Community College Champions. In limited action as the back-up to a pair of All-Americans in 2001, he posted a .226 batting average in 21 games with nine runs scored and six RBIs. An original signee of Long Beach State, Foley was a four-year starter in baseball and basketball and a two-year starter in football at Yucca Valley High School. A three-time first team all-conference selection, he was named the High Desert Star Baseball Athlete of the Year in both 1997 and 1998 and league most valuable player in 1998. Foley's father, Pat, signed with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1959 and played professional baseball for eight years. Foley is the third player from Riverside to play for the Wildcats, following Chet Savage (1998-99) and Kelvin Day (2000-01).
A 6-foot-2, 195-pound left-handed pitcher, Mitch Walter helped Santa Rosa Junior College to both a conference and regional championship in 2001 with a 33-14 overall record. He posted a 9-1 record and 3.32 ERA from the mound in 13 games with 12 starts en route to earning second team All-Bay Valley Conference honors. He compiled 66 strikeouts in 78.2 innings pitched with two complete games. In the regional championship series, he tossed a complete game in a 9-1 win over Ohlone College. He is a 1999 graduate of Arcata High School in Arcata, Calif., where he was a three-year starter for the Tigers.
Another junior college transfer who should add depth in the outfield is Gabe Luttrell (pronounced lut-TREL), who was a one-year starter for Junior College World Series participant Cowley County Community College. A 6-foot, 190-pound native of Midwest City, Okla., he posted a .341 batting average in 2001 with 55 runs scored and 36 RBIs. He ranked third on the team in home runs (six) and fourth in hits (73) en route to earning honorable mention All-Jayhawk Conference honors. Before transferring to Cowley County, Luttrell spent a year at Oklahoma State where he compiled a .250 batting average in seven games for the Cowboys. A 1998 graduate of Midwest City High School, he was a Daily Oklahoman first team All-State selection in both football and baseball as a senior.
Twin brothers, Ross and Ryan Hawley (pronounced Holly) join the Wildcat squad after a three-year stint at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D. A 6-foot, 175-pound right-handed pitcher, Ross Hawley was selected in the 38th round of Major League Baseball's June amateur draft with the 1,138th pick by the Milwaukee Brewers. He ranks in the top 10 in five categories in Augustana school history, including fifth in career innings pitched (140.0) and sixth in career strikeouts (99). In his three-year career, he posted a 7-15 record and 4.82 ERA in 26 appearances and 21 starts with 13 complete games and one shutout. After posting a 0-5 mark and 7.70 ERA as a freshman, he rebounded to compile a 5-4 mark and 4.57 ERA as a sophomore with nine starts and seven complete games. His 61 innings pitched in 2000 tied for fourth-most in a single season in school history, while his 44 strikeouts were good for sixth place. He earned Louisville Slugger TPX National Player of the Week honors on March 12 after he tossed the first perfect game and fourth no-hitter in school history in a 16-strikeout performance against Minnesota-Crookston. In 2001, he posted a 2-6 mark and 3.36 ERA in nine starts with five complete games. He was named the North Central Conference Pitcher of the Week on May 1.
The No. 2 pitcher on the Viking staff behind his brother, Ryan Hawley earned second team All-North Central Conference honors as a sophomore by posting a 6-0 record and 4.56 ERA in nine games and eight starts with two complete games and one shutout. In his three-year career, he posted a 10-8 record and 4.69 ERA in 26 appearances and 23 starts with seven complete games and one shutout. He ranks just ahead of his brother in two career categories at Augustana, ranking fourth in innings pitched (140.1) and fifth in strikeouts (106). A 6-foot, 180-pound right-handed pitcher, Ryan posted a 2-6 mark and 4.31 ERA in nine starts with three complete games in 2001. He led the team with 46 strikeouts in 56.1 innings pitched, which ranks as the fifth-most strikeouts in a single season in school history.
Jason Long and Mark Montgomery are the class' two high school recruits. Long was a three-year starter at shortstop for Yukon High School in Midwest City, Okla. As a senior, he was named a Louisville High School All-America Infielder and to the Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State team, while he earned honorable mention All-State accolades from the Daily Oklahoman. He ranked first in Class 6A in stolen bases (44) and was third in runs scored (54). A talented athlete, he also lettered three years in both football and wrestling. He was named All-Metro Conference and all-district as a quarterback his senior year, while he was the state dual champion in wresting at 145 pounds. Long is just as impressive off the diamond, as he was named the Daily Oklahoman's 2001 Scholar-Athlete of the Year and one of 10 finalists for the Wendy's Heisman Athlete/Scholar award for the state of Oklahoma. He was also valedictorian of his high school graduation class and a four-year member of the National Honor Society.
A 6-foot-1, 175-pound outfielder, Mark Montgomery was a three-year letterwinner and two-year starter at Highlands Ranch High School in Highlands Ranch, Colo. As a senior, he posted a .446 batting average with 22 runs scored and 28 RBIs en route to earning first team All-Continential Conference and honorable mention all-state honors. He ranked third on his team in hits (33) and fourth in average and RBIs, while leading his team to a 20-2 overall record and a conference title.
These 10 signees will look to contribute to a team that lost four position starters and 13 letterwinners from the 2001 season but returns 13 letterwinners and seven of its top nine pitchers. Kansas State concluded the season with a 25-28 overall record and a 10-17 mark in Big 12 play despite playing one of the nation's toughest schedules. The Wildcats, who posted a strength of schedule of 16th out of 282 teams, played 20 games against eight teams that earned bids to NCAA Regionals. The team missed making the Big 12 Tournament by a game and a half to Iowa State.
