LINCOLN — An outfielder from Montana and five junior college players will join the Nebraska baseball team in 2013, a group of prospects that first-year coach Darin Erstad hopes will have an instant impact.
The six-player recruiting class was announced Tuesday. It's Erstad's first class since becoming head coach in June.
Outfielder Justin Black from Billings, Mont., is the only high school senior among the future Huskers who made their college plans official during the early signing period. Black headlines the group, though.
Rated as the second-best player in Montana by Perfect Game USA, Black was invited to try out for USA Baseball's under-18 national team over the summer. He helped the Billings American Legion team to a 51-11-1 record in 2011, batting .495, with seven home runs and 86 RBIs.
"He will bring great athleticism and speed to the outfield," Erstad said in a news release. "His work ethic and attitude are exactly what we are building this program on. We expect Justin to come in and contribute right away as a true freshman."
The junior college players could be make an immediate difference for the Huskers, too.
Three of the five JUCO recruits have local ties, including catcher Corey Stringer, a former standout at Omaha Skutt. He will finish his sophomore year at Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College before joining the Huskers.
Outfielder Tanner Lubach completed his Lincoln Southwest career last spring, and after playing this coming season at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, he'll have three years of eligibility at NU. Michael Hoppes had a 5-3 record and 31 strikeouts in 3213 innings of work as a freshman pitcher at Iowa Western. The Scottsbluff native could contend for a weekend starting spot, according to Erstad.
"Michael has a good three-pitch mix with tremendous upside as he continues to grow," Erstad said.
Same goes for the other two JUCO pitchers set to join Nebraska's team in 2013 — Matt Strahm, a 6-foot-3 left-hander from Neosho (Kan.) Community College; and Christian DeLeon, a 6-4 righty from Blinn (Texas) Community College.
"We are very excited about the class we have assembled," Erstad said. "Each of them bring a blue-collar mentality, which is the backbone of Nebraska baseball. We expect every student-athlete to come in and contribute right away."
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