George Washington University Athletics
Baseball Announces Five Commitments In The Early Signing Period
11/20/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Nov. 20, 2003
WASHINGTON, DC - The GW Baseball team has five commitments in the early signing period head coach Tom Walter has announced. GW Baseball successfully finishes up their primary recruiting needs during November for the fourth consecutive year. "We are extremely excited about these five young men who have decided on GW, they bring a tremendous amount of excitement to our already strong program", said Walter. These five prized players who will start at GW in the fall of 2004 are Joel Brookens (Gettysburg, PA/Gettysburg), Keith Fier (Armonk, NY/Byram Hills), Brian Frazier (Allentown, PA/Emmaus), Charles Kruer (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) and Gavin Swanson (Reisterstown, MD/Calvert Hall).
Brookens comes to GW with tremendous potential, both offensively and on the mound. As a pitcher he already possesses two plus pitches, a fastball that sits at 86-88 with an 80-82 mph slider. He will be primarily used as a setup/closer type. Offensively, he shows a great deal of power potential and the ability to hit in the clutch. When he isn't towing the rubber, he will play some first, catch and give the colonials a great deal of flexibility.
Tom Walter on Brookens: "Joel was our first commitment; we felt he filled two voids, a closer and a middle of the order power guy. We couldn't ask for more out of one person. The most exciting part about Joel is that his make up is off the charts. Up until this point in his career, he has done nothing but win and that is important to us."
Keith Fier is a middle infielder with exceptional tools. He is an above average runner, plus hands and glove and handles the bat like a leadoff/two hole guy. He comes from a great summer/fall program provided by the Bayside Yankees. As his body matures, Fier will become a front line player at GW.
Tom Walter on Fier: "Keith provides us with athleticism and depth in the infield. He also brings a great deal of speed to our program, which has been a need for some years. We look forward to watching him grow and mature into a good division I shortstop."
Brian Frazer's ability to throw all three pitches for strikes is what brings attention to him. Presently he pitches 86-88 with his fastball, his breaking pitch is 73-76 and his change up is a plus pitch. When he gets into the weight room on a regular basis his body and ability are going to take him places. He fits into GW's 5 man rotation as a freshman and should push the older guys for innings.
Tom Walter on Frazier: "We think Brian will be able to pitch right away for us, he shows the ability to throw all three for strikes. I think a big reason Brian separated himself, in our eyes, was his ability to pitch with his fastball on both sides of the plate. If he does that at our level, he will put up some big-time numbers."
Charlie Kruer is a left-handed hitting outfielder who really shows power/high average potential at the plate. Offensively, he will be a middle type of the order guy who drives in a high number of runs. He will play a corner outfield position. Kruer brings a great deal of passion for the game to GW; he spends his whole year working on his game.
Tom Walter on Kruer: "Charlie is just what we look for in left-handed hitters, power and high on base percentage. He has a tremendous feel for the strike zone and when he sees strikes he hits the ball with authority. He reminds our staff of a current Colonial, Anthony Raglani. Out of high school they are very similar, that is very exciting to us."
Gavin Swanson will play a number of positions in his four-year career at GW. His versatility and ability to hit, fit right in with our recruitment of players. He will be a middle of the order guy, who shows power to all fields and has a feel for the strike zone. Swanson has above average arm strength and runs well.
Tom Walter on Swanson: "Gavin will move around for us, he will see some action in the outfield, first base and may catch some. Most importantly, he will hit a number of home runs throughout his career. It isn't out of the realm of possibility for him to be a 15 home run guy when he is a sophomore. It should be exciting to watch him hit for GW."
Assistant coach Dennis Healy who is in charge of GW recruiting has had a great deal of success in this role over the last four years. The 2003 incoming recruiting class was recently recognized by Collegiate Baseball among the finest in the country. GW joined Richmond and Xavier as the only Atlantic 10 schools to make the Collegiate Baseball list. Healy also recently landed a summer position as the head coach of the Newport Gulls of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. This is one of the premier wooden-bat leagues in the country.
