SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Augustana head baseball coach
Tim Huber announced Monday the signing of seven student-athletes for the 2012 season. Troy Pilkington from Elkhorn, Neb., TJ Davis from Sioux Falls, S.D., Brendon Hoellein from Aberdeen, S.D., Ryan Burmeister from Eagan, Minn., Jack Goihl from Robbinsdale, Minn., Jake Whaley from Marshalltown, Iowa, and Trevor Sandgren from Redwood Falls, Minn., have all committed to continue their academic and athletic careers at Augustana.
Pilkington will graduate from Elkhorn High School this spring after being a two-year letterwinner and starter. As a junior, he batted .304 with seven home runs, nine doubles and 34 RBIs. He also had a 1-0 record on the mound and notched two saves. Pilkington picked up all-conference and academic all-state honors as a junior and also competed on the Nebraska Junior All-Star Team.
“Troy is an outstanding student and can really play the game,” Huber said. “I think he has been overlooked a little from a strong baseball area in Omaha, and he can swing the bat and is very solid defensively. He is a corner infield guy who we think can be very good at third base. He has also shown some promise on the mound.”
Davis is currently a senior at Sioux Falls O'Gorman High School, where he has been a three-year letterwinner and starter. He batted .465 with eight doubles as a junior while being named Region 2A honorable mention and helping his team to a state title. Davis also batted. 280 and was named his team's most improved player as a sophomore.
“TJ has been in our fall league and baseball academy, and we like how much he has improved the past year,” Huber said. “He will need to continue getting stronger and improve on his hitting, but we like him behind the plate. He has some arm strength and we will be taking a look at him on the mound as well.“
Hoellein will graduate from Aberdeen Roncolli High School this spring. A four-year letterwinner and starter, he picked up all-state honors as a junior after batting .427 and recording six home runs, 21 doubles, seven triple and 75 RBIs. He also stole 24 bases on 24 attempts. As a sophomore, Hollein batted .466 with five doubles and 23 RBIs and was a .451 hitter during his legion season. He also logged a .371 batting average during his freshman campaign.
“Brendon is a strong, physical guy who helps us add more depth to our infield,” Huber said. "We need some guys at shortstop and are hoping he can play that position as it is his natural spot where he has been starting since his freshman year. He is an athletic guy and should be able to play most positions on the field if shortstop doesn't work.”
Burmeister, who is in his senior season at Eagan High School, is a four-year letterwinner and starter who batted .375 as a junior. He also guided his team to a second-place section finish during his junior season after EHS posted a 16-9 record.
”We really like Ryan as a ballplayer; he knows the game, has good instincts on the bases and is a very good defender in the middle infield,” Huber said. “He has improved offensively, and if he shows he can hit will have a chance to be a very solid player because of his defensive ability."
Goihl will graduate from Robbinsdale Armstrong High School this spring. A three-year letterwinner and two-year starter, Goihl batted .459 with 24 RBIs and four home runs as a junior. He was also named all-conference and all-area and led his squad to a Classic Lake Conference title. As a sophomore, Goihl batted .444.
“Jack is a guy who can really swing the bat,” Huber said. “We aren't 100 percent sure what spot will be his best defensive position, but we think he will find his way into the line-up with his bat. He will play catcher and first base for us and see which spot he develops best at.”
Whaley is a senior at Marshalltown High School, where he batted .323 with 38 RBIs last season. On the mound, he went 5-4, striking out 41 batters in 57.2 innings of work. Whaley, a three-year letterwinner and starter, picked up all-conference and all-district honors as a junior.
“Jake is a big-body guy who has a ton of upside.; he has already shown the ability to throw in the upper 80s, and once he fills out and gets in the weight room he could easily throw harder,” Huber said. “He really hasn't scratched the surface of how good he can be as a pitcher. We expect big things from Jake as he continues to develop and really learns how to pitch."
Sandgren, a senior at Redwood Valley High School, batted .362 with nine doubles and 24 RBIs as a junior. A four-year letterwinner and three-year starter, he was also an All-Southwest Conference first selection last season.
“Trevor is a very talented defensive catcher. When we saw him this winter we thought he received as well as most catchers in our conference already,” Huber said. “We are hoping he can come in right away and get some innings for us behind the plate. Trevor is an outstanding student and will join several pre-med students we have recruited the past three years.”
Said Huber: “To add seven more outstanding high school players at the beginning of the signing period is a great sign that things are going in the right direction in our third year at Augustana. First and foremost, I am very pleased with the character of these players. These guys realized they want to be a part of what is going on and didn't need to wait until late in the spring or summer to pick their schools. With each of these guys being above average students, I think they realized how great of a fit Augustana is academically to go along with their baseball careers. With the big holes we will have to fill from our graduating seniors, I am happy we were able to bring in some quality players this fall and now this spring. Hopefully these guys can help keep us at the top of the conference each year.”
This signing group brings Huber's 2012 class to 11. David Borchardt from St. Michael, Minn., Marcus O'Neill from Blaine, Minn., Bryce Haflett from Bellevue, Neb., and Josh Benson from Rochester, Minn., signed with the Vikings in November.
Augustana will host Concordia University, St. Paul in a conference doubleheader on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.
Located in Sioux Falls, S.D., Augustana College is a member of NCAA Division II and competes in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
