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Mount Vernon Nazarene College head coach Keith Veale has landed three more baseball recruits to help round out the roster for the 2000 season.
Aaron Zimmerman, a right-handed pitcher from Marysville, Ohio, will add depth to the MVNC pitching staff. As a senior at North Union High School, Zimmerman posted a 4-2 record with a 4.02 earned run average and 60 strikeouts. He was named to the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference First Team as a junior when he set school records for most strikeouts and most innings pitched. He was an MOAC Honorable Mention selection as a senior.
"Aaron has an excellent pitcher's frame," said Veale referring to the fact that Zimmerman is 6-foot-2 and weighs 195. "He has some nice tools to work with and I think that he has the potential to be a solid college pitcher."
"I chose to attend MVNC due to both strong academic programs and a strong baseball program," Zimmerman said. "The atmosphere at MVNC is also something that I felt was important in making my final decision."
Sean Wright, a left-handed pitcher from St. Louisville, Ohio, will join the primarily right-handed pitching staff of the Cougars. Wright posted a 5-2 record and a 1.80 ERA with 56 strikeouts and only 19 walks over 50 2/3 innings his senior year at Utica High School. For his efforts, Wright was named to the Buckeye Athletic Conference Second Team and the All-District Second Team.
"Sean will add some left-handed balance to our pitching staff," Veale said. "He has a live arm and a tight breaking pitch."
"I chose MVNC because it was the best all-around college in the area," said Wright. "When I think of baseball, I think of MVNC. I also want a degree in Computer Science, and MVNC has one of the best computer areas. I also like the friendly environment there."
Jason Irish, a right-handed pitcher/catcher/third baseman from Cortland, Ohio, rounds out this trio of recruits. Irish posted a school-record .549 batting average with a record 17 doubles, 26 runs batted in, and 34 runs scored during his senior season at Lakeview High School. He also went a combined 12-3 on the mound over his final two seasons. For his efforts, Irish was a First Team All-Conference selection following both his junior and senior seasons.
"Jason is a nice athlete who has lots of versatility," said Veale. "He has excelled on the mound, catching, and at third base during his high school career. I like his athleticism and physical size."
"I chose MVNC out of four possible schools," Irish said. "I believe that MVNC has the top baseball program, and my perception of the school's academics is great, too, based on its reputation. I think that I will fit in perfectly at MVNC because it has everything that I am looking for in a college. I felt at home during both my visits."
Zimmerman, Wright, and Irish join Jeff Nagy (Columbus, Ohio), Tim Saunders (Lancaster, Ohio), and Dave Cox (Dover, Pennsylvania) as the 2000 recruiting class has grown to six players.
MVNC posted a 40-15 overall record in 1999 and the Cougars won their unprecedented fifth National Christian College Athletic Association national title. The MVNC baseball program has posted 30-plus wins in each of the past six seasons and topped the 40-win mark in four of the past five years.
