Baseball Announces 9-Man Recruiting Class

Looking ahead to the 2020 season, Bradley has announced the addition of nine players who will join the Braves for the 2019-20 school year

Mark Schrimmer

Bobby Parker, Associate AD for Communications Baseball 1/18/2019 4:20:00 PM

PEORIA, IL – With the start of the 2019 season one month away, the Bradley Baseball program has turned its attention to the 2020 campaign with the announcement of its 9-man recruiting class.

Local talent Taylor Catton (Dunlap, IL/Dunlap H.S.) and Ryan Vogel (Metamora, IL/Metamora H.S.) are featured in a class that includes players from four states, two junior college transfers, five pitchers and four position players.

"I'm really excited about this recruiting class," said Bradley head coach Elvis Dominguez. "Our staff did a great job of filling in our needs for the program due to the MLB Draft and graduation. This class has the potential to have an immediate impact on our program and help keep us as one of the top programs in the Missouri Valley Conference. A lot of credit goes to our recruiting coordinator Larry Scully and fellow associate head coach Kyle Trewyn for bringing in these talented your men and future Braves.

Angel Acevedo | LHP | 6-0 | 160 | Elburn, IL | Kaneland H.S.
In his third varsity season for head coach Brian Aversa at Kaneland High School, Acevedo has earned all-area and all-conference honors whil helping the Knights to a regional championship. He also plays in the summer for Next Level Baseball and Prep Baseball has him ranked as the No. 5 left-handed pitcher in Illinois.

"Angel's fastball sits 86-87 with movement and he has shown a feel for locating it inside to right-handed hitters, making them look uncomfortable with their swings," said Bradley associate head coach Larry Scully. "He topped out at 88 in Florida with good spin on the breaking ball and a slider that has short, late break. With these pitches and the way he competes on the mound, he could pitch his way into the rotation as a freshman."

Taylor Catton | RHP | 5-10 | 185 | Dunlap, IL | Dunlap H.S.
Playing for head coach Rod Hatch at Dunlap High School, Catton completed his junior season 6-0 with 60 strikeouts and a paltry four walks in 40.2 innings. Through his first three high school seasons, Catton twice has hit better than .400 for the season, while posting an ERA below 1.00. Named to the 2018 Perfect Game Underclass All-American Team, Catton was rated the No. 15 right-handed pitcher in Illinois by Prep Baseball Report, earning second-team all-state honors. He also was named the 2018 Mid-Illini Conference Most Valuable Player in 2018 after helping the Eagles to a second straight regional championship.

"Taylor's arm action is short, clean and quick with a fastball command at 87-89," said Bradley associate head coach Larry Scully. "His slider sits at 74-76 and he has 2-plane action with a change-up that gets a lot of soft contact.

"Taylor has the best breaking ball in our recruiting class and close to a national level," Scully added. "His breaking ball was ranked fifth-best at the Perfect Game's Wood Bat Association finals, an above average pro pitch."

Bennett Frazer | IF | 5-9 | 160 | Oconto, WI | Oconto H.S.
Frazer already is a 3-time, first-team all-conference performer on the diamond for head coach Joseph Stark at Oconto High School, helping his team to the 2016 conference championship. A 2018 Underclass All-America selection by Perfect Game, Frazer plays summer baseball for the GRB Rays. He is the fifth-ranked shortstop and 19th overall talent in Wisconsin.

Frazer also has excelled on the gridiron, earning unanimous first-team all-conference accolades as both a wide receiver and defensive back in 2018, as well as second-team all-league honors as a running back and defensive back in 2017.

"Bennett brings a lot to the table for us," said Bradley associate head coach Kyle Trewyn. "First off, he is an elite defender in the middle infield. He also has shown the ability to grind out at-bats and definitely is a spark plug when he is in the box. He is one of those guys who always seems to be on base causing trouble for the other team. With his ability to defend, Bennett could find himself contributing early on in his career."

Matt Hamilton | RHP | 6-2 | 210 | Oak Creek, WI | Oak Creek H.S./Madison College
A multi-sport athlete at Oak Creek High School, where he was an 8-time letterwinner in baseball (4), football (2) and track (2), Hamilton was a 3-time all-conference honoree on the diamond and helped the Knights qualify for the 2014 WIAA Summer Baseball State Tournament. He began his college career at Madison College last season, posting an 8-1 record and 2.03 ERA with 55 strikeouts in his 68.1 innings.

"Matt is a strike thrower with a fastball at 88-90 and one of the best change-ups in our recruiting class," said Bradley associate head coach Larry Scully. "Both pitches have similar sinking action and we will add a third pitch in the fall."

Peter Hansen | RHP/UT | 6-1 | 180 | Superior, WI | Duluth Marshall H.S.
Hansen has played both ice hockey and baseball at Duluth Marshall High School, where he hit .500 as a junior in 2017 to earn co-Section Player-of-the-Year honors. He helped his team to a fourth-place state tournament finish in 2017, followed by a runner-up finish in 2018.

Hansen's 52 base hits in 2017 fell just two shy of Minnesota Twins great Joe Mauer's state record 54 hits. On the mound in 2018, Hansen was 2-0 with 18 strikeouts in his 15 innings pitched. Playing for head coach Joe Wicklund, Hansen was rated the No. 6 right-handed pitcher in Minnesota by Prep Baseball Report.

"Peter has size, athleticism and hand speed, all of which allows him to spin the ball and maintain an 87-91 fastball that works up and down in the strike zone," said Bradley associate head coach Larry Scully. "We will continue to develop his change-up and we believe he is still growing into his frame."

Carson Husmann | OF | 6-1 | 195 | Hanna, IN | South Central H.S.
Playing for Ryan Kruszka at South Central High School, Husmann earned first-team all-state honors as a sophomore when he hit .487 with a 1.442 OPS. This past season, he belted nine home runs while batting .478 with a 1.667 OPS. A member of the Midwest Rangers, Husmann is ranked as the No. 2 outfielder in Indiana by Prep Baseball Report.

"We believe Carson has one of the better bats in the Midwest," said Bradley associate head coach Kyle Trewyn. "As a staff, we have seen him hit time and time again. A bat with the ability to drive the ball in the gaps and out of the ballpark was a priority for us in this class and we feel we found that with Carson. We look for him to make an immediate impact in 2020."

Nick King | RHP | 6-5 | 230 | Columbia, MO | Hickman H.S./ Wabash Valley College
As a freshman at Wabash Valley Community College in 2018, King earned NJCAA Academic All-America honors while recording a 1.45 ERA in his 18 appearances with 25 strikeouts against just four walks in 18.2 innings pitched. As a prepster at David H. Hickman High School, King was nominated to play in the 2017 East/West All-Star Game after leading his team in most offensive categories and posting a 4-2 record with a 2.00 ERA.

"Nick commands a fastball at 89-92, throwing plenty of strikes and showing late life on the ball," said Bradley associate head coach Larry Scully. His slider has been 79-80 and a developing change-up gives him the 3-pitch mix we wanted."

Dylan Krumrei | IF | 6-3 | 180 | Oshkosh, WI | Oshkosh North H.S.
Preparing for his fourth varsity baseball season for head coach Ryan King at Oshkosh North High School, Krumrei has earned all-conference honors each of the last two years. Krumrei was a 2018 Perfect Game Underclass All-American and he also plays summer baseball for the GRB Rays. He is rated as the No. 1 third baseman in Wisconsin.

A 3-year varsity basketball player, Krumrei helped the Spartans to the 2018 Wisconsin Division 1 state championship.

Krumrei will begin a third generation Division I college baseball player when he joins the Braves: his father, Daniel, played at both Indiana and Wisconsin and his grandfather also played for the Badgers. In addition, cousin Ben Dragani currently plays baseball at Michigan, while another cousin, Alex Hintze, played at Connecticut from 2014-16.

"Dylan is a big, athletic kid with room to grow," said Bradley associate head coach Kyle Trewyn. "On top of that, he is a great fastball hitter. He is one of those guys that velocity does not seem to affect. We look for Dylan to find a home at one of the corner infield spots and he definitely has a bright future for the Braves."

Ryan Vogel | IF/OF | 5-10 | 165 | Metamora, IL | Metamora H.S.
Vogel joined the Metamora varsity squad as a junior in 2018 and received second-team all-league honors in the Mid-Illini Conference by batting .358 for head coach Eric Stone, while also earning an invitation to play in the McDonald's All-Star Game. He plays summer baseball for the Central Illinois Outlaws.

A 3-year varsity football letterwinner, Vogel was Metamora's 2017 Special Teams Player of the Year.

"Ryan is one of two local guys in this class, so we have had plenty of opportunities to watch him play," said Bradley associate head coach Kyle Trewyn. "He is a multi-sport athlete at Metamora and we believe Ryan may have the most potential in this class. When guys are able to focus on one sport at the collegiate level, they seem to take off.

"Ryan's best tool is his speed," Trewyn added. "Look for him to contribute at multiple positions during his time at Bradley."

Bradley Baseball enjoyed its second 30-win season in the last four years last season by posting a 32-19 overall mark in 2018, including a third-place Missouri Valley Conference finish, while equaling the best year-to-year improvement in program history. The Braves will open their 119th season Feb. 15-17 by visiting Central Arkansas for a 3-game series. After playing their first 19 games away from home, the Braves are slated to make their Dozer Park debut March 27. The 21-game home slate features Valley weekends against Evansville (March 29-31), Southern Illinois (April 12-14), Valparaiso (May 3-5) and Illinois State (May 10-12), as well as non-conference games against Iowa (April 10), Illinois (April 23) and Saint Louis (May 7).

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