Dec. 1, 2005
ATLANTA – Seven student-athletes, including six high school seniors and one junior college player, have signed National Letters of Intent to play baseball at Georgia Tech next year, head coach Danny Hall announced.
The recruiting class, assembled under the direction of assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Josh Holliday as well as associate head coach Bobby Moranda, includes four pitchers, two infielders and one catcher. Five of Tech’s six high school recruits are ranked among the top 300 high school players in the nation according to Perfect Game USA.
Georgia Tech’s commitments include AFLAC All-America catcher Torre Langley (Douglasville, Ga./Alexander HS), rated as the top player in the state of Georgia; pitcher Zach Von Tersch (Cedar Falls, Iowa / Cedar Falls HS), the top player in Iowa; shortstop Jeff Ussery (Hilton Head, S.C. / Hilton Head HS), the No. 2 prospect in South Carolina; pitcher Andrew Robinson (Senoia, Ga. / Starr’s Mill HS), rated among the top 130 high school players in the nation; pitcher Will Hirsch (Suffolk, Va. / Nansemond River HS), ranked No. 7 in Virginia; and third baseman Patrick Long (Mechanicsville, Va. / Hanover HS).
Left-handed pitcher Charlie Blackmon (Suwanee, Ga./Young Harris JC) will join the program next year as a junior college transfer and will have two years of eligibility at Georgia Tech.
“I am very excited about our recruiting class,” said Hall. “We wanted to make sure that we had a couple of infielders in the group. We feel like we were able to get some very good pitchers to add to the guys that we will have returning next year. We are very excited about the guys that we have coming in.”
A detailed look at Georgia Tech’s signees:
CHARLIE BLACKMON, lhp
Blackmon posted a 7-1 record in 14 appearances last year at Young Harris College, striking out 49 batters in 44.2 innings. He helped the Mountain Lions win the GJCAA state championship in 2005, and as named the MVP of the state tournament. Blackmon pitched with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball league last summer, posting a 3.42 ERA in 26.1 innings. A high school teammate of current Tech pitcher Blake Wood at North Gwinnett High School, Blackmon has been drafted twice – in the 28th round of the 2004 MLB draft by the Florida Marlins and in the 20th round of the 2005 draft by the Boston Red Sox.
Danny Hall on Blackmon: “Charlie is a guy who was accepted at Georgia Tech out of high school, and he has already been drafter twice. He is a very talented left-hander and has a good arm. He is a very bright guy who has done very well academically. We see him as a guy that could contribute right away for us.”
WILL HIRSCH, rhp
Hirsch is rated as the No. 7 prospect in the state of Virginia and No. 221 in the nation by Perfect Game USA. A two-time first-team all-district honoree at Nansemond River High School, Hirsch recorded a team-high 81 strikeouts last spring. He helped his school reach the AAA Eastern District Regionals for the first time in 2005. Hirsch participated at the Perfect Game National Showcase as and the Team One South Showcase last summer.
Danny Hall on Hirsch: “The thing that really stands out is that Will has a great breaking ball. One of the things that you are always trying to find in college baseball is a right-handed pitcher with a great curve ball. He has one of the best that I have seen. He is a guy who is an excellent student and is interested in architecture, and it was a perfect match for us.”
TORRE LANGLEY, c
Named an AFLAC All-American, Langley is rated the No. 23 high school player in the nation and the top player in the state of Georgia by Perfect Game USA. As a junior at Alexander High School in Douglasville, Langley hit .459 after batting .456 in 2004 and .411 in 2003. A three-time all-county selection, he was named county MVP in 2004. Langley played for the USA Baseball Junior National Team that won the silver medal in the 2005 Pan Am Games, batting .350 while ranking second on the team with 10 RBI in 14 games. He played on national championship summer teams with the East Cobb baseball program in 2001, 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Danny Hall on Langley: “Pound-for-pound, Torre Langley may be the best baseball player in the country. He is an excellent catcher and he has one of the best throwing arms that I have seen. His brother was a college baseball player at Georgia Southern. I feel like he’s an excellent baseball player, and an excellent catcher. He is the kind of guy that could play a lot of different positions on the field because he is a very good athlete and a great competitor.
PATRICK LONG, inf
A three-year starter at third base, Long hit .567 with six home runs, 41 RBI and 15 stolen bases last spring as a junior at Hanover High School. He earned all-state, all-district and all-region honors while leading Hanover to district and region championships. Long, who hit .400 as a sophomore, played in the East Coast Pro Showcase last summer.
Danny Hall on Long: “Patrick Long is a throwback player. He is a Pete Rose-type player, he will be one of the first guys to get his uniform dirty. He’s a very aggressive and a very good baseball player. I would compare him to [former Tech second baseman] Adam Leggett, as a guy who is just a great, hard nosed player.
ANDREW ROBINSON, rhp
Robinson is rated as the No. 129 prospect in the nation and No. 11 in the state of Georgia by Perfect Game USA. He went 5-1 with 43 strikeouts and earned first-team all-county honors as a junior at Starr’s Mill High School after going 5-1 with a 2.79 ERA as a sophomore. Robinson participated in the Area Code Games as well as the Perfect Game National Showcase. In the summer of 2004, he played on the East Cobb Braves team that won the WWBA National Championship.
Danny Hall on Robinson: “I think that Andrew Robinson is a very good right handed pitcher right. He’s a strike thrower with an excellent change up and a good curveball. We’re excited about having him in our program, and I think that he will be an excellent pitcher for us.”
JEFF USSERY, inf
Ussery is rated as the No. 254 high school prospect in the nation and No. 2 in the state of South Carolina by Perfect Game USA. A switch-hitting shortstop, Ussery was named to the USSSA all-tournament team in 2005, and also participated in the East Coast Professional Showcase last summer. In 2005, he had a team-high 25 RBI to lead Hilton Head High School to the AAAA Region Championship and a school-record 22 wins. Ussery hit a combined .389 in his high school career.
Danny Hall on Ussery: “Jeff is a premier athlete. He’s a switch-hitting shortstop with outstanding speed and an outstanding arm. I think that he will be a guy who will join a long line of great infielders that we have had at Georgia Tech. He has the potential to be a great shortstop. He comes from an excellent family, and we’re excited to have him in our program.”
ZACH VAN TERSCH, rhp
Rated as the No. 1 prospect in the state of Iowa and the No. 144 prospect in the nation by Perfect Game USA, Van Tersch earned first-team all-conference and all-district honors last season at Cedar Falls High School. He struck out 48 batters in 45 innings and posted a 3.72 ERA as a junior, and went 3-1 with 33 strikeouts in 37 innings as a sophomore. Van Tersch participated in the Area Code Games in Long Beach last summer.
Danny Hall on Van Tersch: “Zach is a very big guy, and we feel like he has a tremendous upside. Sometimes guys from the Midwest aren’t able to get the pitching experience as maybe some guys who live in the south, but we look at Zach as a guy who could really explode in college.”
2006 Georgia Tech Baseball Early Signees
Name POS B/T HT WT Hometown (High School/JC)Charlie Blackmon LHP L/L 6-3 185 Suwanee, Ga. (Young Harris JC)Will Hirsch RHP R/R 6-0 180 Suffolk, Va. (Nansemond River HS)Torre Langley C R/R 5-11 185 Cartersville, Ga. (Alexander HS)Patrick Long IF L/R 5-11 180 Mechanicsville, Va. (Hanover HS)Andrew Robinson RHP R/R 6-2 175 Senoia, Ga. (Starr's Mill HS)Jeff Ussery IF S/R 6-3 180 Hilton Head, S.C. (Heritage Academy)Zach Van Tersch RHP R/R 6-5 200 Cedar Falls, Iowa (Cedar Falls HS)
