Joplin, Mo. — Missouri Southern baseball coach Bryce Darnell has announced his 2014 recruiting class that will include 15 players.
The list includes 11 transfers and four incoming freshman. Seven of the 11 transfers come from a junior college setting, while the other four are four-year transfers, three coming from the Division I ranks. The group includes 12 position players with three pitchers joining the staff. All four high schools are from local schools.
Below are short bios of each of the incoming players.
Brandon Weller- JR
R/R MIF 5’11” 170 Hometown: Springfield, IL Previous School: Lincoln Land CC
Brandon started in 47 games for Coach Riggle at Lincoln Land CC as a sophomore. This past season Brandon had a .333 AVG, with a .400 OBP, 10 2B’s, 2 HR’s, was 17-22 on the base paths, and had a .952 FLD%. Brandon is the son of Mike Weller and Shelly Lowe and plans to major in business.
Jared Lupo- JR
R/R MIF 5’10” 160 Hometown: Shreveport, LA Previous School: Pratt CC
Jared started 46 games for Coach Thompson as a sophomore at Pratt CC. This past season Jared had a .383 AVG, with a .481 OBP, 9 2B’s, 3 3B’s, 1 HR, and was 28-29 on the base paths. Jared was a 1st Team Jayhawk West selection at shortstop and a 1st Team All-Region VI selection at shortstop. Jared is the son of Wayne and Brenda Lupo and plans to major in biology.
Evin Natick- JR
R/R OF 5’10” 185 Hometown: Chicago, IL Previous School: Heartland CC
Evin played CF for Coach Metzger at Heartland CC, who went 50-11 on the season and finished 4th at the DII Junior College World Series. As a sophomore Evin started 59 games and had a .295 AVG with a .429 OBP, 35 BB’s, 14 2B’s, 3 HR’s, 40 RBI’s, and was 26-31 stealing bases. Evin is the son of Dan and Nancy Natick and plans to major in health promotion.
Ryan Spry- JR
RHP 5’11” 155 Hometown: Warsaw, MO Previous School: Longview CC
Ryan pitched out of the bullpen for Coach Culbertson at Longview CC. This past season Ryan pitched 39.2 innings in 21 relief appearances with a 3-0 record, 3.86 ERA, and 24 K’s. Ryan is the son of Peggy Switzner and plans to major in engineering.
David Johnson- JR
R/R IF 6’0” 170 Hometown: Bentonville, AR Previous School: Maplewoods CC
David played second base his freshman and sophomore year for Coach Kilgore at Maplewoods CC. This past season David had a .306 AVG, 52 H, 6 2B’s, 1 HR, and 27 RBI’s. David is the son of David and Veronicia Johnson and plans to major in Business at Missouri Southern.
Kyle Pruitt- JR
R/R C 5’10 190 Hometown: Olathe, KS Previous School: Southwestern Iowa CC
Kyle split time as a catcher for Coach Smith this past season as a sophomore at Southwestern Iowa CC. This past year he batted .200 with a .360 OBP for the Spartans. Kyle is a former high school teammate of current Lion David Reese. He is the son of Mike and Annette Pruitt and plans to major in health promotion.
Derek Mann- JR
RHP 6’4” 170 Hometown: Webb City, MO Previous School: North Central CC
Originally from Webb City, Derek spent the last two years playing for Coach Hillerman at North Central CC. In 10 starts last season Derek was 4-6 with a 4.68 ERA, 27 K’s, 18 BB’s, and had 2 complete games in 50 innings pitched. He is the son of Jackie McKibben and plans to major in elementary education.
Logan Moon- SR
R/R OF 6’2” 195 Hometown: Blue Springs, MO Previous School: Univ. of Central Arkansas
In three seasons at UCA Logan has played in 95 games making 53 starts. During his time at Central Arkansas Logan had a .283 career AVG, with 66 hits, 6 2B’s, 6 3B’s, 1 HR, and was 6-10 stealing bases. Logan was an All-Area and All-Conference selection at Blue Springs South High School. He is the son of Mike and Lori Moon and plans to major in health promotion.
Beau Phillips- SR
L/R OF 6’1” 160 Hometown: Springfield, MO Previous School: Wright State
Beau played in 42 games making 33 starts in the outfield this past season at Wright State. He hit .248 in 109 AB’s with 21 Runs, 27 hits, 7 2B’s, 14 RBI’s, and had a .357 OBP. Prior to attending Wright State he played two years at Fort Scott CC. Beau played high school ball at Springfield Glendale, is the son of Ed and Christy Phillips and plans to major in business.
Axel Johnson- JR
L/L OF/1B 6’3” 200 Hometown: Tulsa, OK Previous School: Texas Christian University
Axel is originally from Tulsa, OK and has spent the last three seasons at TCU. Over the past two seasons Axel has appeared in 26 games and made 1 start. Axel had a career .125 AVG with a .192 OBP, and also made 2 appearances on the mound as a freshman. He prepped at Bishop Kelly High School where he was an All-Metro selection as a senior hitting .411 with 11 home runs. Axel is the son of John and Vicky Johnson and plans to major in entrepreneurship with a minor in mathematics.
Dusty Harper- SR
L/L 1B 6’4” 225 Hometown: Tulsa OK Previous School: Texas Wesleyan
Dusty played in 50 games at first base this past year at Texas Wesleyan. Last season he had a .290 AVG, with 7 2B’s, 3 HR’s, and had 29 RBI’s. He played the previous two seasons at NOC-Enid and batted .280 as a sophomore with 14 2B’s and 34 RBI’s. Dusty is the son of Kelly and Christy Harper and plans to major in business at Missouri Southern.
Brett Graham- FR
R/R IF 6’1” 195 Hometown: Joplin, MO Previous School: Joplin High School
Brett was a three year starter at 3B for former Lion Kirk Harryman at Joplin High School. During his senior year Brett hit for a .425 AVG, had 13 2B’s, 5 HR’s, and 30 RBI’s. As a senior he was a 1st Team All-Ozark Conference selection, was named the Ozark Conference Offensive Player of the year, and was a Class 5 2nd Team All-State selection. Brett is the son of Randy and Becky Graham and plans to major in education.
Austin White- FR
R/R MIF 5’10” 160 Hometown: Webb City, MO Previous School: Webb City H.S.
Austin is a graduate of Webb City High School where he played for Coach Taylor. Austin played shortstop during his junior and senior seasons at Webb and was a 1st Team All-COC Large selection following his senior year. Austin was also a defensive back for the Cardinals football team where he was a part of 3 State Championships. He is the son of Jeremy and Jennifer White and plans to major in business.
Jordan Musser- FR
RHP 6’0” 170 Hometown: Carthage, MO Previous School: Carthage High School
Jordan was a pitcher for Coach Godfrey at Carthage High School. As a senior he was 7-1 on the mound with a 2.07 ERA, recorded 57 K’s, and allowed 16 BB’s. Jordan was an 1st Team All-COC Large selection following his senior year. Aside from baseball, Jordan was also the QB for the Tiger football team. He is the son of Jerry and Mechelle Musser and is currently undecided on his major.
Dylan Weaver- FR
R/R C 6’2” 170 Hometown: Riverton, KS Previous School: Riverton High School
Dylan is a catcher from Riverton High School where he played for Coach Weaver. As a senior he had a .464 AVG, with 12 2B’s, and 17 RBI’s in 20 games played. Dylan was a Class 3A 1st Team All-State selection at catcher following his senior season. Dylan is the son of Danny and Charlene Weaver and plans to major in kinesiology at Missouri Southern