Baseball Adds Five Recruits For 2009
11/26/2007 6:15:00 PM | Baseball
OMAHA, Neb. - The Creighton baseball team has received national letters of intent from five players, it was announced by head coach Ed Servais Monday. Junior college transfer Kirk Clark will join current high schoolers Ryan Barban, Brandon Koenigstein, Otto Roberts and Scott Thornburg. These five players will enroll at Creighton in the fall of 2008 and be eligible for competition in 2009.
Kirk Clark will begin his second season at Iowa Western Community College in the spring as a starting pitcher for the Reivers. The 6-2, 220-pound right-hander was the top starter for IWCC in 2007 as a freshman, helping lead the team to the Junior College World Series. Clark posted an 8-3 record with a 3.66 earned run average last season with 62 strikeouts in 59 innings pitched, earning first-team all-region honors. The Reivers finished 42-18 and captured the regular season conference title and won regional and district tournaments to reach the JCWS. Clark also earned second-team academic all-region recognition last season. The Moline, Ill., native was a three-time all-conference and all-metro player at Moline High School. Clark picked Creighton over Illinois, Middle Tennessee, Louisiana Lafayette and Arkansas Little-Rock. Clark attends the same junior college as current Jay Vicente Cafaro.
Ryan Barban is currently a senior at Ralston Valley High School in Arvada, Colo. The 5-10, 180-pounder batted .500 as a junior with 25 RBIs, 34 runs and five stolen bases to earn first-team all-conference laurels last spring. Last summer, Barban hit .432 with 26 RBIs, 38 runs and seven stolen bases for San Diego Longball, coached by Josh Glassey. A solid defender, Barban projects to both second and third base at Creighton. Barban was also named an academic all-state honorable mention last season. His high school coach is Shane Freehling, brother of Rick Freehling who played on Creighton's 1991 College World Series team. Barban, who attends the same high school as sophomore pitcher Casey Schmidt, chose Creighton over Baylor, UNLV and Saint Mary's (CA).
Brandon Koenigstein will complete his senior season at Waterloo (Ill.) High School this spring, where he has accumulated 13 wins, 122 innings pitched and a 2.20 earned run average as a pitcher so far in his career. A three-year letterwinner, the 6-0, 175-pound right-hander earned first-team all-conference honors as a junior and was selected to the Metro-East All-Star team. Last summer, Koenigstein was an impressive 12-1 with a 1.09 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 83.2 innings pitched for the St. Louis Pirates. Fifteen members of the Pirates have committed to play at the collegiate level, including 2008 recruit and future college teammate Otto Roberts. Koenigstein picked Creighton over offers from Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Iowa Western.
Otto Roberts was 4-1 with a 2.02 earned run average, including 37 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched, last spring as a junior at Belleville West High School in Belleville, Ill. The 6-5, 195-pound right-hander earned third-team all-conference honors last season for head coach Lee Meyer. Roberts also joined fellow signee Brandon Koenigstein as members of the St. Louis Pirates select team last summer. Roberts is listed in the top 300 prospects in the country by Perfect Game USA. The hard-throwing Roberts selected Creighton over interest from Saint Louis, Illinois and Evansville.
Scott Thornburg ranks as one of the top catching prospects in the state of Colorado after earning first team all-Centennial League honors as a junior last season. The 6-2, 195-pound right-handed hitter from Mullen High School led the league in hitting with a .500 batting average, including 20 RBIs and three home runs. Last summer, Thornburg hit .403 with 46 hits, 30 RBIs and seven homers for the Connie Mack Slammers. The Lakewood, Colo., native was invited to the Cincinnati Reds Area Code Tryouts in Denver earlier this year. Thornburg chose Creighton over Boston College and Dallas Baptist.
Creighton finished the 2007 season with a 45-16 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons after winning its first-ever Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship.
Kirk Clark will begin his second season at Iowa Western Community College in the spring as a starting pitcher for the Reivers. The 6-2, 220-pound right-hander was the top starter for IWCC in 2007 as a freshman, helping lead the team to the Junior College World Series. Clark posted an 8-3 record with a 3.66 earned run average last season with 62 strikeouts in 59 innings pitched, earning first-team all-region honors. The Reivers finished 42-18 and captured the regular season conference title and won regional and district tournaments to reach the JCWS. Clark also earned second-team academic all-region recognition last season. The Moline, Ill., native was a three-time all-conference and all-metro player at Moline High School. Clark picked Creighton over Illinois, Middle Tennessee, Louisiana Lafayette and Arkansas Little-Rock. Clark attends the same junior college as current Jay Vicente Cafaro.
Ryan Barban is currently a senior at Ralston Valley High School in Arvada, Colo. The 5-10, 180-pounder batted .500 as a junior with 25 RBIs, 34 runs and five stolen bases to earn first-team all-conference laurels last spring. Last summer, Barban hit .432 with 26 RBIs, 38 runs and seven stolen bases for San Diego Longball, coached by Josh Glassey. A solid defender, Barban projects to both second and third base at Creighton. Barban was also named an academic all-state honorable mention last season. His high school coach is Shane Freehling, brother of Rick Freehling who played on Creighton's 1991 College World Series team. Barban, who attends the same high school as sophomore pitcher Casey Schmidt, chose Creighton over Baylor, UNLV and Saint Mary's (CA).
Brandon Koenigstein will complete his senior season at Waterloo (Ill.) High School this spring, where he has accumulated 13 wins, 122 innings pitched and a 2.20 earned run average as a pitcher so far in his career. A three-year letterwinner, the 6-0, 175-pound right-hander earned first-team all-conference honors as a junior and was selected to the Metro-East All-Star team. Last summer, Koenigstein was an impressive 12-1 with a 1.09 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 83.2 innings pitched for the St. Louis Pirates. Fifteen members of the Pirates have committed to play at the collegiate level, including 2008 recruit and future college teammate Otto Roberts. Koenigstein picked Creighton over offers from Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Iowa Western.
Otto Roberts was 4-1 with a 2.02 earned run average, including 37 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched, last spring as a junior at Belleville West High School in Belleville, Ill. The 6-5, 195-pound right-hander earned third-team all-conference honors last season for head coach Lee Meyer. Roberts also joined fellow signee Brandon Koenigstein as members of the St. Louis Pirates select team last summer. Roberts is listed in the top 300 prospects in the country by Perfect Game USA. The hard-throwing Roberts selected Creighton over interest from Saint Louis, Illinois and Evansville.
Scott Thornburg ranks as one of the top catching prospects in the state of Colorado after earning first team all-Centennial League honors as a junior last season. The 6-2, 195-pound right-handed hitter from Mullen High School led the league in hitting with a .500 batting average, including 20 RBIs and three home runs. Last summer, Thornburg hit .403 with 46 hits, 30 RBIs and seven homers for the Connie Mack Slammers. The Lakewood, Colo., native was invited to the Cincinnati Reds Area Code Tryouts in Denver earlier this year. Thornburg chose Creighton over Boston College and Dallas Baptist.
Creighton finished the 2007 season with a 45-16 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three seasons after winning its first-ever Missouri Valley Conference Tournament championship.
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