MONROE, La.—Three student-athletes have signed
National Letters of Intent to join the ULM baseball program beginning with the
2010 season, head coach Jeff Schexnaider announced Wednesday afternoon.
Baseball's early signing period officially began Wednesday morning and runs
through next Wednesday.
The three signees are RHP Luke Briley of
Natchitoches, La., (Mississippi Gulf Coast CC); SS Judd Edwards of Oxford,
Ala., (Oxford HS) and RHP Drew Granier of Thibodaux, La., (Mississippi Gulf
Coast CC).
“We are really excited about signing these
three guys as the beginning of our class for this upcoming year,” Schexnaider
said. “They are all good student-athletes and will represent our community and
ULM with class.”
Briley began his collegiate career at Jones
County CC last season before transferring to Mississippi Gulf Coast CC for this
upcoming season. As a freshman, the 6-foot-3 right-handed pitcher tossed 55.0
innings and posted a 5.56 ERA.
“Luke is a tough righty that has a lot of
movement and has a very good breaking ball,” Schexnaider said. “He throws a lot
of ground balls and our defense will thrive with him on the mound. He should
log a good number of innings for us next season and is a good pick up for our
program.”
Edwards, a 6-foot-0 shortstop, hit .410 with
six home runs, 42 RBIs and 31 stolen bases as a junior last season. He is a two-time all-state honoree for
Oxford High School and was named to the 2008 UnderArmour/Baseball America
Preseason All-America Team. Edwards was
a member of the 2007-08 Alabama Top Prospect Team, was a two-time Team One
South invitee and was a Perfect Game Underclassmen Top 200 invitee in 2007.
“Judd is a hard-nosed baseball player that
has the ability to be a mainstay in our infield,” Schexnaider said. “He comes
from one of the top programs in Alabama where he also starts at quarterback. We
are excited about Judd becoming a Warhawk. He is the type of student-athlete
that we want at ULM.”
Granier, a 6-foot-1 right-handed pitcher,
went 6-5 with a 4.31 ERA as a freshman at Mississippi Gulf Coast CC last
season. He struck out 99 batters in just 79.1 innings of work and finished the
season with a 3.2 K/BB ratio to earn first team all-state honors.
As a senior at Thibodaux High School, Granier struck out 149 batters in 91 innings of work en route to a 13-2 record. He was
a two-time Louisville Slugger All-America selection and a two-time first team
all-state selection at Thibodaux and was named the 2007 District 6-5A MVP.
“Drew is a very polished
righty who pitches in the upper 80s and
has a really tight breaking ball,” Schexnaider
said. "He is
another Louisiana player that will have the opportunity to throw significant
innings over the next two years.”
The Warhawks open the 2009 season on Feb. 20
when they host Northwestern State in the opening game of the ULM Warhawk
Classic at Warhawk Field.
2008-09
ULM Baseball Signees
Luke Briley, RHP – Mississippi Gulf Coast CC
Judd Edwards, SS – Oxford (Ala.) HS
Drew Granier, RHP – Mississippi Gulf Coast CC
