Pacific Baseball Adds Three for 2009 Season
Nov. 23, 2007
Stockton, Calif. - Pacific Baseball head coach Ed Sprague has announced the signing of Kyle O'Neill, Josh Simms and Jacob Sylvester to national letters of intent for the 2008-09 season. O'Neill, Simms and Sylvester are the first three signings for the Tigers during the early signing period. Kyle O'Neill is a 6-3 utility player from Tinton Falls, New Jersey. During his unior season at Red Bank Catholic HS, O'Neill posted a .357 batting average. Kyle went on to have an outstanding summer season with the New Jersey Twins. "We had a chance to see Kyle this summer in East Cobb, Geogia, he has made great strides as a player and has a definitive sound coming off his bat," said Sprague. "We project him to have some power and his versatility defensively will help us. He fell in love with out school, ballpark and program on his visit and we think he will flourish for us. Getting an athlete from 3,000 miles away says a lot about how far our program has come." A 6-1, 170 middle infielder Josh Simms joins the Tigers from Grossmont High School in La Mesa, Calif. During his junior season, Josh finished with a .384 batting average, stole nine bases and posted a .458 on-base percentage as well as a .491 slugging percentage. Simms and current Tiger Nick Longmire led Grossmont to a 27-7 record and a to the San Diego Section Division II Championship last season. Following each of the last two seasons, Simms was named an All-Grossmont North League selection. "Josh is an exceptional athlete that can play either of the middle infield positions. We feel he is one of the top players in the San Diego County and we will continue to spend a lot of our recruiting efforts in that area," said Sprague. Jacob Sylvester is a 6-1 catcher from Livermore High School in Livermore, Calif. Sylvester hit .317 with three home runs and 25 RBI last season to spearhead Livermore HS into the North Coast Section semi-finals. Jacob was an East Bay Athletic League All-Conference selection following the season. Sylvester players for the Cincinnati Red Scout team during the fall and was rated the 46th best prospect in California by Perfect Game.
"Jacob has the ability, both physically and mentally, that we look for out of a catcher. He can really throw, will hit for power and has the leadership abilities that are contagious for a team," said Sprague. "He is also a student of the game and is very self-driven." |
 
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