Louisville Recruiting Class Ranked 10th Nationally by Baseball America
October 13, 2015 | Baseball
Cardinals’ 2015 class features four players in Baseball America Top 500 of top players prior to 2015 MLB Draft
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville baseball program's 2015 recruiting class was tabbed 10th-best in the nation by Baseball America on Tuesday afternoon.
The Cardinals received their second top 25 ranking with the 2015 recruiting class after landing at No. 21 in the Collegiate Baseball newspaper recruiting rankings released last month. It also marked the sixth time in the last eight years Louisville has earned a top 25 national recruiting ranking. The Cardinals were ranked third among six ACC schools in the Baseball America Top 25 – No. 4 Georgia Tech, No. 6 Florida State, No. 10 Louisville, No. 11 Virginia, No. 16 North Carolina and No. 23 Clemson.
The recruiting class, assembled by head coach Dan McDonnell, associate head coach Roger Williams and recruiting coordinator Eric Snider, features four players in the Baseball America Top 500, which ranks all eligible players prior to the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft. The group, on campus now and participating in fall workouts, is highlighted by righthanded pitchers Sam Bordner (Baltimore, Ohio/No. 158), Bryan Hoeing (Batesville, Ind./No. 267) and Riley Thompson (Louisville, Ky./No. 323) and lefthander Noah Burkholder (Crown Point, Ind./No. 429).
Here are some of the highlights from what Baseball America had to say about Louisville's 2015 recruiting class: "Hoeing runs his fastball up to 94 mph and offers projection and athleticism. Thompson's fastball sits in the low 90s, occasionally pushing higher thanks to his loose, easy arm action. Burkholder is somewhat raw, but combines athleticism with a projectable frame. Bordner has a solid four-pitch arsenal. Like Hoeing, he was a standout basketball player in high school and has good athleticism and size. (Adam) Wolf (lefty) gives the class another tall pitcher with upside. Louisville also added righthander Ryan Smith, a graduate transfer from Baylor. Smith transferred after his father, Steve, was fired as Baylor's coach, and he brings experience to the staff. Among position players, Louisville brings in a pair of exciting outfielders from Chicagoland. Chris Botsoe (outfielder) has natural athleticism and should see his tools improve as he gets stronger. Josh Stowers (outfielder) is a more physical player with an intriguing blend of power and speed. Both Devin Mann and Daniel Little, the grandson of former Red Sox manager Grady Little, can play the middle infield, but Little is a more polished defender at this stage."
Louisville is in the final two weeks of its fall ball workouts with the annual Pizza Bowl series tentatively scheduled to begin this weekend. A full Pizza Bowl series schedule will be announced later this week at GoCards.com.
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter (@UofLBaseball) at http://twitter.com/uoflbaseball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.
Â
2015 Baseball America Top 25 Recruiting Classes
1. Vanderbilt
2. Florida
3. UCLA
4. Georgia Tech
5. Mississippi State
6. Florida State
7. TCU
8. USF
9. LSU
10. Louisville
11. Virginia
12. Oregon State
13. Oklahoma
14. South Carolina
15. Washington
16. North Carolina
17. Arizona State
18. Texas
19. Ole Miss
20. Louisiana-Lafayette
21. Stanford
22. Maryland
23. Clemson
24. California
25. Wichita StateÂ
Â
The Cardinals received their second top 25 ranking with the 2015 recruiting class after landing at No. 21 in the Collegiate Baseball newspaper recruiting rankings released last month. It also marked the sixth time in the last eight years Louisville has earned a top 25 national recruiting ranking. The Cardinals were ranked third among six ACC schools in the Baseball America Top 25 – No. 4 Georgia Tech, No. 6 Florida State, No. 10 Louisville, No. 11 Virginia, No. 16 North Carolina and No. 23 Clemson.
The recruiting class, assembled by head coach Dan McDonnell, associate head coach Roger Williams and recruiting coordinator Eric Snider, features four players in the Baseball America Top 500, which ranks all eligible players prior to the 2015 Major League Baseball Draft. The group, on campus now and participating in fall workouts, is highlighted by righthanded pitchers Sam Bordner (Baltimore, Ohio/No. 158), Bryan Hoeing (Batesville, Ind./No. 267) and Riley Thompson (Louisville, Ky./No. 323) and lefthander Noah Burkholder (Crown Point, Ind./No. 429).
Here are some of the highlights from what Baseball America had to say about Louisville's 2015 recruiting class: "Hoeing runs his fastball up to 94 mph and offers projection and athleticism. Thompson's fastball sits in the low 90s, occasionally pushing higher thanks to his loose, easy arm action. Burkholder is somewhat raw, but combines athleticism with a projectable frame. Bordner has a solid four-pitch arsenal. Like Hoeing, he was a standout basketball player in high school and has good athleticism and size. (Adam) Wolf (lefty) gives the class another tall pitcher with upside. Louisville also added righthander Ryan Smith, a graduate transfer from Baylor. Smith transferred after his father, Steve, was fired as Baylor's coach, and he brings experience to the staff. Among position players, Louisville brings in a pair of exciting outfielders from Chicagoland. Chris Botsoe (outfielder) has natural athleticism and should see his tools improve as he gets stronger. Josh Stowers (outfielder) is a more physical player with an intriguing blend of power and speed. Both Devin Mann and Daniel Little, the grandson of former Red Sox manager Grady Little, can play the middle infield, but Little is a more polished defender at this stage."
Louisville is in the final two weeks of its fall ball workouts with the annual Pizza Bowl series tentatively scheduled to begin this weekend. A full Pizza Bowl series schedule will be announced later this week at GoCards.com.
Fans can follow Louisville baseball on Twitter (@UofLBaseball) at http://twitter.com/uoflbaseball and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulbaseball.
Â
2015 Baseball America Top 25 Recruiting Classes
1. Vanderbilt
2. Florida
3. UCLA
4. Georgia Tech
5. Mississippi State
6. Florida State
7. TCU
8. USF
9. LSU
10. Louisville
11. Virginia
12. Oregon State
13. Oklahoma
14. South Carolina
15. Washington
16. North Carolina
17. Arizona State
18. Texas
19. Ole Miss
20. Louisiana-Lafayette
21. Stanford
22. Maryland
23. Clemson
24. California
25. Wichita StateÂ
Â
BSB: Dan McDonnell Postgame vs. Xavier (2/17/26)
Wednesday, February 18
BSB: Tague Davis Postgame vs. Xavier (2/17/26)
Wednesday, February 18
BSB: Alex Alicea Postgame vs. Xavier (2/17/26)
Wednesday, February 18
BSB: Dan McDonnell Postgame vs. Michigan State (2-15-26)
Sunday, February 15
