Baseball's 2011 Recruiting Class Ranked 11th Nationally
September 20, 2011 | Baseball
Sept. 20, 2011
TUCSON, Ariz. - The University of Louisville baseball program's 2011 recruiting class was rated 11th best in the nation by Collegiate Baseball newspaper on Tuesday afternoon.
The No. 11 ranking is the highest for a Louisville baseball recruiting class in program history and it marks the fourth straight season the Cardinals' have signed a top 25 recruiting class.
"We're pleased to receive this kind of recognition from Collegiate Baseball newspaper for our 2011 recruiting class," said Louisville baseball head coach Dan McDonnell. "Successful recruiting takes a great deal of time and effort. Coach (Chris) Lemonis and Coach (Roger) Williams have tireless work ethics and they deserve credit for this very talented class. We're confident this group of newcomers, when combined with the number of experienced returnees we have on our roster, will give us an opportunity to be successful as a team in 2012."
Headlining the Cardinals' 2011 class, which is currently on campus and participating in U of L's fall workouts in preparation for the 2012 season, are five players selected in the 2011 MLB First-Year Player Draft in June. That group includes left-handed pitcher Adam Schemenauer (12th Round, Kansas City Royals) from Parkville, Mo., (Park Hill South HS), right-hander Nick Burdi (24th Round, Minnesota Twins) from Downers Grove, Ill., (Downers Grove South HS), righty Jared Ruxer (29th Round, Cleveland Indians) from Indianapolis, Ind., (Lawrence Central HS), righty Joe Ceja (38th Round, Florida Marlins) from Ottawa, Ill., (Marquette HS) and infielder Sutton Whiting (44th Round, Atlanta Braves) from Ballard High School in Louisville. The class also includes infielder Zach Lucas, the 2011 Gatorade Kentucky Player of the Year from Butler High School in Louisville.
The Cardinals' list of returnees are led by All-BIG EAST right-handed pitcher Justin Amlung, selected in the 39th Round of the MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds, and righty Derek Self, a 27th Round selection by the Oakland Athletics. U of L welcomes back nearly its entire pitching staff as well as numerous position players with starting experience from last year's squad. Overall, Louisville returns 19 letterwinners from the 2011 team, which finished 32-29 overall.
McDonnell, entering his sixth season leading the Louisville baseball program, is 217-106 with two BIG EAST regular-season titles, two BIG EAST Tournament titles, four NCAA Regionals, two NCAA Super Regionals and one College World Series.
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2011 NCAA Division I Recruiting Results - Collegiate Baseball Newspaper
1. South Carolina
2. Vanderbilt
3. Mississippi
4. Oklahoma
5. USC
6. Miami (Fla.)
7. LSU
8. Florida
9. Oregon State
10. Stanford
11. LOUISVILLE
12. Texas
13. Southern Mississippi
14. North Carolina State
15. Cal State Fullerton
16. Florida State
17. Virginia
18. Arizona
19. Arkansas
20. Mississippi State
21. Georgia
22. Arizona State
23. Auburn
24. Central Florida
25. Kentucky
26. North Carolina
27. Oklahoma State
28. Rice
29. TCU
30. Oregon
31. Clemson
32. UNLV
33. Washington
34. Wichita State
35. College of Charleston
36. Alabama
37. Georgia Tech
38. Texas A&M
39. UCLA
t40. East Carolina
t40. Kansas
