Rebels Add Eight

UNLV announces recruiting class that will be eligible for the 2011 season.

UNLV announced the signing of eight recruits on Thursday.

Nov. 12, 2009

LAS VEGAS - UNLV baseball received signed national letters of intent from eight student-athletes who will enroll at UNLV next fall and be eligible to play during the 2011 season for the Rebels, head coach Buddy Gouldsmith announced Thursday.

"We are excited to announce our 2010 signees," Gouldsmith said. "This class is pointed in its attempt to fill our specific needs at this time. Recruiting coordinator David Martinez, as well as our entire staff, has worked diligently to ensure that we develop this program through high school players."

All eight recruits are high school prospects, including three from Las Vegas, and the class includes five pitchers for the Rebels. The class is made up of Buddy Borden, Dillon Bryant, Keegan Dale, Zach Hartman, Joey Lauria, Kyle McNutt, Brandon Rainford and Taylor Smart. Borden, Hartman and Lauria are from Las Vegas, while Bryant, Dale and McNutt are from California, Rainford is from South Dakota and Smart is from Washington.

"Nearly half of the class hails from Las Vegas," Gouldsmith said. "We have always been committed to ensuring that UNLV is an option for the best players from Southern Nevada as well as the state, and we are excited about the local products that have chosen to pursue their educational and athletic goals at UNLV."

UNLV's RECRUITING CLASS

Buddy Borden (RHP) ... A letterwinner for local Arbor View High School ... One of two recruits in this year's class from Arbor View, joining teammate Zach Hartman ... Earned first team All-Sunrise and Northwest Division honors ... Named second team Southern Nevada and all-state ... Earned his team's Cy Young award ... A member of the Southern Nevada St. Louis Cardinals scout team and he was a member of the South Team in the Kelly Showcase, along with Hartman ... Played for the Reds area code team ... Also played on the Southern Nevada junior Olympic team ... A honor-roll student who currently has a 4.19 GPA.

GOULDSMITH ON BORDEN:
"Buddy is a tremendous talent. He is a physical right hander with an impressive fastball and sharp breaking ball. Buddy is another recruit in this class who is a tremendous student-athlete with a great work ethic. He is one of two products from local Arbor View High School that we signed, along with his teammate, Zach Hartman."

Dillon Bryant (OF/INF) ... A three-year letterwinner for Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, Calif. ... Hit .326 with 18 RBI and five doubles as a junior ... Earned the Big Stick award last season and earned first team All-Trinity League honors ... Was named a preseason 2009 L.A. Times Player to Watch ... Hit .375 as a sophomore ... Invited to attend the 2009 Perfect Game National Showcase ... Played for the Seattle Mariners scout team in 2008 ... An honor roll student all four years of high school ... The son of Kevin and Pam Bryant ... Has a brother, Chance, and a sister, Shannon, who is married for Craig Gilmour, and the couple has a son, Cooper.

GOULDSMITH ON BRYANT:
"Dillon reminds me a lot of former Rebel Ryan Ruiz. He comes from a very successful program in Orange Lutheran. He knows what it takes to win at a high level and is unselfish in his commitment to the team. He is very versatile, which could allow him to play several different positions, but one thing for certain is that we expect his bat to land him in the lineup somewhere. Just as important, Dillon is a great student who comes from a great family and works extremely hard on and off the field."

Keegan Dale (INF) ... A three-year letterwinner at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, Calif. ... Hit .480 with a .469 on-base percentage as a junior ... Earned second team all-league honors in 2009 ... Hit .511 with a .569 on-base percentage during his sophomore season ... Did not commit an error and was named first team all-league ... A member of the Seattle Mariners scout team and played on a pair of showcase teams.

GOULDSMITH ON DALE:
"Keegan is a physically talented infielder and a proven left-handed hitter who hails from a traditional power in Martin Luther King High School in Riverside. His addition to this class adds to a group of players that both know how to win and maintain a high level of athleticism. A shortstop in high school, Keegan is athletic enough to play anywhere on the field, he projects as a player that should hit for both average and power and will add needed depth to the left side of the plate in lieu of the pending losses in our senior class."

Zach Hartman (INF/RHP) ... Has earned three letters at local Arbor View High School ... Joins teammate Buddy Borden in this year's recruiting class ... A dominating pitcher, he holds single-season school records for fewest runs allowed (11), fewest hits (21) and fewest earned runs (6), all set in 2009 ... Named second team Sunset Region following that strong year ... Earned Gold Glove awards in 2008 and 2009 ... Was named his team's rookie of the year in 2008 ... A member of the Southern Nevada St. Louis Cardinals scout team and he was a member of the South Team in the Kelly Showcase, along with Borden ... A member of the Las Vegas 16-and-under USA baseball team in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

GOULDSMITH ON HARTMAN:
"Zach is one of the better pure athletes in the class. It will be intriguing to see where Zach will make his greatest impact but he is a great example of our philosophy in recruiting baseball players that pitch rather than pitchers that play baseball. Zach could also earn a spot in the infield as well, as he has proven to be a very good hitter that is also capable of scoring runs.

Joey Lauria (RHP) ... A two-year letterwinner at local Legacy High School ... Earned first team all-state and all-conference honors as a junior, going 13-2 overall on the mound ... Threw a complete game against Sierra Vista in the state playoffs, helping his team to a 5-4 win ... Earned first team all-conference honors as a sophomore, hitting .556, which was the fifth-best mark in the state ... Pitched in the legion silver championship game in 2008 and led his team to a 10-0 victory ... Also a member of the Southern Nevada St. Louis Cardinals scout team ... The son of Daniele and the late Nick Lauria ... Has a brother, Nick ... His aunt and uncle are Mike and Kim Lauria.

GOULDSMITH ON LAURIA:
"I saw something in him that I really felt could be developed and become an integral part to UNLV's future success on the mound. Joey has better-than-average command of all his pitches. He is an athletic big man that has the chance to really surprise some people."

Kyle McNutt (RHP) ... A three-year letterwinner at Redlands (Calif.) East Valley High School ... Posted a 1.40 ERA on the mound as a junior ... Played for the Angels Elite team ... Has been on the honor roll every semester of his prep career.

GOULDSMITH ON McNUTT:
"Kyle is a physical presence on the mound. He commands an upper 80s fastball that is down in the zone and he throws all of his pitches with deceptive tilt and projects to be a power right hander. He plays for James Cordes at Redlands East Valley and was formerly mentored by long-time head coach Steve Hernandez, who produced former Rebel signee Brett Martinez. Kyle has flown under the radar a bit and we are excited he is a part of this class."

Brandon Rainford (RHP) ... A two-year letterwinner at Stevens High School in Rapid City, S.D. ... Earned all-state honors as a junior ... Tossed a pair of five-inning no-hitters in 2009 ... Currently ranked as the 381st-best prospect by Perfect Game ... Volunteers three days a week a Suncatcher Therapeutic Riding Academy ... The son of Tina and Rocky Rainford.

GOULDSMITH ON RAINFORD:
"Brandon is a physical presence that we have been following for quite some time. He is a two way player who has a chance to hit for power as well as pitch in our rotation. On the mound he has great stuff, with a fastball in the upper 80s to low 90s, as well as a hard breaking ball. His velocity has continued to progress each of the last two years and the sky is the limit for Brandon."

Taylor Smart (INF) ... A three-year letterman at Tahoma High School in Covington, Wash. ... Has helped the Bears to the state finals twice ... Committed just one error and was awarded his team's Golden Glove award in 2009 ... Played summer baseball for Chaffey Baseball in Washington, where he hit .411 and was named the MVP of the Northwest Babe Ruth Regional ... Invited to the Washington Nationals Area Code team and the was a selected by the Seattle Mariners for the Mariner Cup Team ... One of only two players from Washington to be invited to play in the Tommy Lasorda Elite Games at Dodger Stadium.

GOULDSMITH ON SMART:
"Taylor is a talented player who knows how to play the game right. The son of Bellevue Community College coach Dave Smart (who coached current Rebel Hunter Beaty), you always know you are going to get his best effort. I look forward to Taylor being a staple in our lineup and he draws comparisons to David Eckstein for me. Taylor is the type of athlete that enhances the play of everyone around him."