McDonald Signs Four More To 'Breds Roster

Murray State Thoroughbreds head coach Rob McDonald announced the signing of four more recruits during the spring signing period, bringing the total for this season to 12 thus far.

Signed by MSU were Andrew Cella of Lake St. Louis, Mo.; Seth McFarlin of Germantown, Tenn.; Brad Rowland of Collierville, Tenn.; and Blake Rust of Mayfield, Ky.

“I'm very happy with the class we have coming in this fall,” McDonald said. “I believe this group will be impact players as they progress in our program.”

Those signed in the spring period thus far are:

Taylor Thieke, Fr., SS/3B,
Calloway County High School, Murray, Ky.
Thieke is a 6-5 shortstop and part-time pitcher for the Lakers. He has hit .385 as a prep player to go along with 81 RBIs and 49 extra-base hits. He was selected for the Kentucky Junior All-Star Game and named to the KHSBCA All-State Team. He joins his father, Mike, who played baseball at MSU from 1973-74 and was the head coach of the 'Breds for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2003, and is now the facilities and game management coordinator for MSU athletics. Taylor's brother, Jon David, played for his father at MSU in 2002 and 2003.

Coach McDonald on Thieke

"I've seen him do some things that very few high school kids can, will or know how to do. He's a real skilled player who's just going to continue to get better and better."

Austin McCuiston, Fr., P,
Calloway County High School, Murray, Ky.
McCuiston is the 6-2, 215-pound ace for the Lakers, compiling a record of 23-10 in his high school career with an earned-run average of 1.88 in 220 innings. In 52 innings this season, McCuiston has an ERA of 0.67, allowing just five runs and walking only 10 batters. He is also an excellent student and has earned the Murray State presidential scholarship.

Coach McDonald on McCuiston

"He's got all the tools to be successful. He knows how to pitch and can use all of his pitches. I'm looking forward to seeing him develop in our program."

Andrew Cella, Jr., 1B,
Wentzville-Holt High School, Wentzville, Mo.
Andrew Cella played two seasons at Three Rivers Community College, batting .398 with 34 runs batted in and 33 runs scored last season. He played first base at TRCC and at Wentzville-Holt High School in Wentzville, Mo., helping the Indians to district and conference championships in his senior season (2004). He was a first-team all-state honoree that season, and was named the GAC Conference Player of the Year. He graduated from WHHS with a 3.35 grade-point average and from TRCC with a 3.1 GPA.

Coach McDonald on Cella
"Andrew is a good athlete. He's a big strong kid who is good defensively at first base. He swung the bat at the junior college level and was able to drive in runs. He'll be a big part of our team."

Seth McFarlin, Fr., P
Houston High School, Germantown, Tenn.
McFarlin is a 6-2, 205-pound right-hander from Houston High School. He held a 0.94 earned-run average over 44-2/3 innings in 2005, helping HHS take the Class AAA state title that season, throwing a four-hit shutout against Farragut High in the final game. In 2006, McFarlin led the team with a 1.20 ERA and batted .429 with three home runs. He was named to the Best of Preps All-Metro Baseball Team, and played summer and fall baseball with Dulin's Dodgers in 2005 and 2006. He participated in the Baseball Gameday Prospect showcases and played in the 2005 BEST World Series in Fort Myers, Fla. He is an active member of the Bridge Builders Youth Leadership Program and coaches the high school Special Olympics.

Coach McDonald on McFarlin
"The program he's coming out of is one of the best high school programs in the country. He has an outstanding breaking ball, and he'll compete for innings. The first time I saw him was at a Murray State camp."

Brad Rowland, Fr., P/OF,
Collierville High School, Collierville, Tenn.
Brad Rowland earned three letters in baseball at Collierville High School, helping CHS to the 2005 Tennessee semifinals and the 2004 state quarterfinals as a pitcher and outfielder. This season, he pitched Collierville to a quarterfinal win over eventual state champion Farragut, 3-0, hurling 13 strikeouts and retiring 15 of the first 17 batters he faced.

Coach McDonald on Rowland
"He pitched this spring in the Tennessee State Tournament and had to get past McFarlin's team to get to the state. He's from another of the top high school programs in the country. He's got great speed and has a good baseball mind."

Blake Rust, Fr., OF,
Mayfield High School, Mayfield, Ky.
Blake Rust is one of the top hitters in the 1st Region at Mayfield High School, batting .489 as of May 9. In 2005, he hit .545, the highest average in the region, and in 2004, he batted .537. He was the team MVP for the Cardinals in each of the last three seasons, and was a 1st Region All-Star this year and last year. His speed at 40 yards -- clocked at 4.5 seconds -- makes him a potential threat on the bases and able to track down balls hit to the outfield.

Coach McDonald on Rust
"Blake is an outstanding athlete and excelled in football at Mayfield. He has good speed and will be a big part of our team. He always plays hard and is a competitor."

In addition, here are the Breds' fall signees, who will also join the team in the fall.

Blake Helm, So., OF,
Lincolnland Community College, Springfield, Ill.
Helm missed half of his freshman season due to injury, but still managed to hit .343 with a slugging percentage of .463 in 108 at-bats, while stealing six of seven bases. Helm was named to the all-tournament regional first team as a right fielder after hitting .444 with 11 runs-batted-in in the regional tournament. Helm also played for the Springfield Rifles in the Central Illinois Collegiate League, leading the league in outfield assists (11), and also finished in the top-10 in doubles. A speedy outfielder, Helm a 6-0 195-pounder runs a time of 6.4 seconds in the 60-yard dash. Helm was an All-Central State 8 shortstop and quarterback in high school, receiving a two-sport scholar award for baseball and football.

Coach McDonald on Blake Helm
"He is an outstanding athlete, will come in and potentially be our best athlete. He can run well, loves to get in the weight room, and a very diligent worker. Blake will compete for an outfield spot, he'll be an impact player for us," McDonald said.

Lucas Allen, So., RHP,
Fort Scott Community College, Fort Scott, Kan.
Allen comes from Fort Scott CC, where he plays for former Murray State player and coach Chris Moddlemog. During the summer, Allen played for the Hornell Dodgers of the New York Collegiate Baseball League with current 'Breds Chaz Ebert and Michal Perconte, and was a main reason why the Dodgers won the NYCBL championship. He was 2-1, allowing just 16 hits in 25 innings, striking out 25 and walking only six for a .184 opponent bating average. Allen had the lowest ERA for all pitchers with at least 20 innings pitched at 0.36. The 6-1 190-pound righthander from Oologah, Okla. was selected to play on the Oklahoma All-Star team after his high school season in the prestigious Sun Belt Classic with selected seniors from the states of Oklahoma, Texas, Maryland, Ohio, Florida, California, Arizona and Texas. Allen broke several school records while in high school, and was one of only three baseball players from his high school to ever be named All-State.

Coach McDonald on Lucas Allen
"He played for a former 'Bred Chris Moddlemog, so I know he's been in a good program. He played last summer with two of our current players, Chaz Ebert and Michael Perconte in Hornell, New York. He is an accomplished pitcher and a great competitor."

Chase Barbier, Fr., SS,
Wheaten Warrenville South HS, Warrenville, Ill.
Barbier had an official visit lined up at Duke, but cancelled it after he visited Murray State and committed to the 'Breds. He is a 6-4 190-pound shortstop, hit .560 for the Wheaton Warrenville South as a junior last summer, with gun timing for his arm being topped out at 89 mph. Playing for the Norwood Blues in summer and fall travel baseball, Barbier played in the NABF Senior Division World Series in Jackson, Miss. in August, helping the Blues finish with a record of 45-5. The Blues won six tournament titles, finished second in another, and got beat out in the World Series by a "tie-breaker" rule for having allowed one run too many. Barbier is ranked in the "Top 60 rising seniors- class of 2006" list by The Truth Prep Baseball Report. He made the Wheaton Warrenville South golf team all four years, and carries a 4.43/5.0 Grade Point Average, while making a score of 28 on his ACT. He was named DuPage Valley Academic All Conference.

Coach McDonald on Chase Barbier
"Chase is a very talented high school infielder. He's tall, 6-4 plus, and is one of the top high school prospects in the Chicagoland area. I've been real impressed with him and his family, we feel like he has the ability and tools to be a great player at Murray State."

Kyle Tiernan, Fr., IF/OF,
Wentzville-Holt High School, Wentzville, Mo.
As a junior last season, Tiernan earned First Team All-Conference, Second Team All-State, and Third-Team All-Metro for Wentzville-Holt. Tiernan hit .393 with four home runs and 29 RBIs for Wentzville-Holt, slugging .663 and also stealing 11 bases. A four year varsity starter, Tiernan was also selected to the USSSA World Series All-Tournament team in Florida as a shortstop for his team, the Midwest Prospects. Tiernan has also been on the All-Academic team three years running while at Wentzville-Holt.

Coach McDonald on Kyle Tiernan
"He's a versatile infielder/outfielder, very good athlete one of the top high school players in the metro St. Louis region. He's an excellent student and we're looking forward to Kyle coming into our program. He has a lot of pop in his bat."

Jacob Donze, Fr., LHP,
St. Genevieve High School, St. Genevieve, Mo.
He went 5-5 with one save last season for St. Genevieve, with a 1.71 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 61.3 innings pitched. He is 6-1 198 pound left-hander. In a three game span last season, Donze threw a no-hitter, three-hitter, and one-hitter while striking out 39, walking six and giving up just one earned run. A National Honor Society member, Donze is an Eagle Scout and has a 3.7 GPA. He lettered in football, basketball, and baseball and in Band.

Coach McDonald on Jacob Donze
"He's quality, to put it very plainly. He's a strong left handed pitcher who can make it very difficult on hitters. He's a a very good pitcher who can get all of his pitches over the plate. We have high expectations for Jacob in our program." McDonald said.

Bryan Baldini, Fr., LHP,
Louisville Eastern High School, Louisville, Ky.
Baldini was part of a strong Eastern High School program. The Eagles went 35-5, breaking the previous school record for wins by eight. Baldini appeared in 39 games, went 11-2 with a 0.90 ERA, allowing 38 hits in 70 1/3 innings. Opponent hit only .181 against him. He struck out 94 and walked only 27. He is a 3.4 GPA student. Baldini was named All 7th Region and all region tournament.

Coach McDonald on Bryan Baldini
"His team at Louisville Eastern has had a lot of success and he has benefited from being in a winning program. He is one of the top pitchers in Kentucky. He's going to thrive in our program; I look for great things from Bryan." McDonald said.

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