Five Commit to 'Jacks Baseball Squad for 2017
11/19/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Five student-athletes from around the state of Texas have been selected by Stephen F. Austin baseball coach Johnny Cardenas to make up the ‘Jacks list of 2016-17 early signees.
Aaron Cardona (Corpus Christi, Texas • Bishop High School), Josh Campbell (Angleton, Texas • Angleton High School), Cash Cleaver (Jacksonville, Texas • Jacksonville High School), Ivan Garcia (Rockwall, Texas • Grayson County Community College) and Jackson Gore (Kirbyville, Texas • Kirbyville High School) will all be joining the ‘Jacks for the 2016-17 school year.
Aaron Cardona • 5-10 • LHP • Corpus Christi, Texas (Bishop High School)
Through three seasons of high school work, Cardona has wreaked havoc at the prep level from a pair of positions. A southpaw on the mound, the Bishop High School star parlayed his hurling arsenal into a First Team All-District selection. Following a highly successful 2014 campaign that saw the District Newcomer of the Year award-winner claim Second Team All-South Texas and Honorable Mention All-State laurels, he continued his maturation as a legitimate prep star in 2015. His body of work in the outfield that year yielded Second Team All-South Texas, Second Team THSBCA and First Team TWSA outfielder citations.
Cardenas on Cardona: “Aaron is a left-handed pitcher with a quick arm. He has command of all three pitches and will help us build some depth in the bullpen early in his career. He has been clocked on the mound at a range of 85-88 miles per hour and is a competitor on the mound that we expect to help us out.”
Josh Campbell • 6-3 • UTL • Angleton, Texas (Angleton High School)
Both the basketball and baseball programs at Angleton High School have benefitted from the services of Campbell during his days as a prep. On the diamond, he got progressively better as his career moved along, gaining First Team All-County and Honorable Mention All-District as a sophomore before obtaining Honorable Mention All-District laurels as a shortstop in his junior campaign. A three-year Academic All-District selection, Campbell was named to the Perfect Game Underclass Honorable Mention All-America team. On the hardwood, he collared a Second Team All-District citation as a sophomore and a First Team All-District honor as a junior.
Cardenas on Campbell: “Josh is a dual-sport high-school athlete who will be a good addition to our program. He’s athletic and has the ability to play both infield and outfield. In the near future, he will be able to hit for some power, and he is a great student who will be an asset to us.”
Cash Cleaver • 5-11 • OF • Jacksonville, Texas (Jacksonville High School)
A two-sport athlete (football and baseball) at Jacksonville High School, Cleaver has put in three years of service on the school’s varsity baseball squad. In that time, the outfielder and two-time defensive MVP has piled up a trio of All-District honors which include two Second Team selections as well as a First Team choice.
Cardenas on Cleaver: “Cash is very athletic and plays some very good defense in the outfield. We expect him to help build some depth in our outfield and to be a big contributor in the near future. He’s a left-handed hitter who has been in the three or four hold his entire career and is a great student.”
Ivan Garcia • 6-2 • RHP • Rockwall, Texas (Grayson County Community College)
Cardenas on Garcia: “Ivan is a player who can potentially be an impact guy on the weekend for us. He can be a starter, is a competitor and throws three pitches for strikes. His fastball ranges anywhere from 88-92 miles per hour and tops out at 94. Ivan is also a good student and will be a great addition to our team.”
Jackson Gore • 6-0 • LHP/OF • Kirbyville, Texas (Kirbyville High School)
Representing an additional strong arm the ‘Jacks will be able to call on, Gore has constructed a prep career at Kirbyville High School that has been unrivaled be many around the state. He began his high school baseball career by earning Newcomer of the Year laurels as a freshman before upping the ante as the All-District MVP and Second Team All-State outfielder as a sophomore. In his inaugural year as an upperclassman, the pitcher of the year took home Second Team All-State citations as both a pitcher and an outfielder before earning a spot as the TASO All-Star Super Beaumont Gold Team pitcher.
Cardenas on Gore: “Jackson is an addition that will help us on offense and on defense. He is a left-handed hitter that plays great in the outfield and he’s a true student of the game. He has a fastball that has been clocked in the 84-87 mile per hour range. On top of his athletic abilities he is also a great student.”
-SFA-
