APPLETON, Wis. -- The Lawrence University baseball team will have nearly 20 new faces when it takes the field in 2010, head coach Jason Anderson announced Thursday.
"I am very excited to be able to welcome a group of newcomers that is both large in number and in talent," Anderson said. "This is my first recruiting class at Lawrence, and they will mesh well with the returning team to build a championship-caliber ballclub. They are all first-rate student-athletes and share the coaching staff's passion for Lawrence University baseball."
The group features both local players and others who will come from a great distance to play for the Vikings. Waupaca High School standout Nate Nelson leads the local players, and the Vikings have a contingent of eight players coming from the Chicago area. The players making the longest journeys to Appleton include Michael Baldino of Woburn, Mass., Tanner DeBettencourt of Houston, Texas, and Zach Owsley of Salt Lake City, Utah.
Here's a look at the newest Vikings:
Sam Ausloos, Baileys Harbor, Wis., Gibraltar High School, pitcher
Michael Baldino, Woburn, Mass., Milton Academy, pitcher/outfielder
Alex Brewer, Rio, Wis., Rio High School, catcher
Tyler Christ, Carol Stream, Ill., West Chicago High School, outfielder
Tanner DeBettencourt, Houston, Texas, Lutheran High School, catcher
Richie Foreman, Evanston, Ill., Evanston Township High School, outfielder
Davide Harris, Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township High School, infielder
Conor Heneghan, Madison, Wis., West High School, pitcher
Gabriel Henriques, Chicago, Ill., Whitney Young High School, infielder
Jake Johnson, Des Moines, Iowa, Roosevelt High School, pitcher
Larry Mikrut, Park Forest, Ill., Rich East High School, outfielder
AJ Nathan, Highland Park, Ill., Highland Park High School, catcher
Nate Nelson, Waupaca, Wis., Waupaca High School, utility
Zach Owsley, Salt Lake City, Utah, Murray High School, pitcher/infielder
Jon Ransom, Minneapolis, Minn., South High School, utility
John Revis, Wilmette, Ill., New Trier High School, pitcher
Alex Schmitt, Reedsburg, Wis., Reedsburg High School, infielder
Robert Schumacher, Madison, Wis., West High School, outfielder
Phil Wisniewski, Chicago, Ill., St. Ignatius College Prep, catcher
The Vikings return 19 letterwinners from this past season's squad, including first-team All-Midwest Conference outfielder Wes Otte. Lawrence finished 12-20 and took fourth place in the conference's North Division.