Canisius College baseball coach Mike McRae has announced that nine student-athletes will join the Golden Griffin baseball program, starting with the 2011 season. The nine student-athletes is comprised of Ralph Alloco (Rochester, N.Y.), Brian Bardis (St. Constant, Quebec), Ryan Coppinger (Dover, N.H.), Garrett Cortright (Hamburg, N.Y.), Tim Coykendall (Honeoye Falls, N.Y.), Jimmy Luppens (Wading River, N.Y.), Cody Stonish (Amherst, N.Y.), Alex Tufts (Kentville, Nova Scotia) and Shane Zimmer (St. Albert, Alberta).
The class consists of two infield, one catcher, three pitchers and three outfielders and is set to replace nine seniors from the 2010 baseball roster.
“This class of players is extremely talented and geographically diverse. We needed to identify and sign players that could step in and compete immediately," McRae said. "All of the pitchers can be weekend guys for anyone in our league and we have replaced a very talented outfield. I believe this incoming group will enable the Griffs baseball program to continue in its quest for a MAAC title."
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- Infield
- McQuaid-Jesuit High School
- Hit .420 as a junior
- All-City Catholic League and All-Greater Rochester Team selection
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"Ralph is a gifted defensive player who has a strong passion for the game. He will have no problem adjusting to the Division I game.
Once we get him into the program, we expect to see tremendous growth out of Ralph.” |
Ralph Alloco
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Bio/Highlights |
McRae on Alloco
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- Left-handed pitcher/Outfield
- Ahuntsic College
- Won Gold Medal at 2009 Canada Summer Games
- Named 2009 Player of the Year in Quebec
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“Brian can flat out compete. He has already pitched at a high level with Team Canada.
He reminds me of Shane Davis – clean arm action, decent velocity, and the ability to work both sides of the plate.
In addition, Brian will have a chance to help us at the plate.”
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Brian Bardis
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Bio/Highlights |
McRae on Bardis
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- Outfield
- St. Thomas Aquinas High School
- First-Team All-State selection in 2008 and 2009
- Hit .563 with 25 RBI and 25 runs scored to go along with .911 slugging percentage and 15-for-15 on stolen bases
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“Ryan fits the dictionary description of a baseball leadoff guy.
He should man center field for us for many years. With outstanding speed, this weapon is a major asset both offensively and defensively.
Despite his stature, Ryan also shows some gap power.” |
Ryan Coppinger
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Bio/Highlights |
McRae on Coppinger
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- Right-handed pitcher
- Frontier Central
- Earned First-Team All-Western New York Honors
- Posted a 7-0 record with 2.21 ERA, 53 innings pitched and 65 strikeouts
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"Garrett has a tremendous career in front of him. He possesses a great pitcher's frame and tremendous pitchability.
He already reaches the upper 80's with is fastball. With continued growth, Garrett may be
a next level guy.” |
Garrett Cortright
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Bio/Highlights |
McRae on Cortright
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- Catcher
- Honeoye Falls-Lima High School
- Team MVP/Best Offensive Player in 2009 and Best Defensive Player in 2008
- Hit .356 in 2009 season
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"Tim is a solid defensive catcher who will provide a spark to our catching corps.
A quality young man, Tim possesses many of the qualities that we look for in Canisius baseball player. I fully expect him to emerge as a leader here.” |
Tim Coykendall
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Bio/Highlights |
McRae on Coykendall
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- Infield
- Shoreham-Wading River High School
- Earned all-League, all-County, all-State honors in 2009
- Hit .672 in 2008 and .438 in 2009, along with 5-0 record
- Two-time Team MVP
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"Jimmy is a polished bat who should help ease the loss of
some quality hitters from
our present team.
We are counting on him to step in and make an offensive impact early. He demonstrates outstanding bat speed for such a young hitter.” |
Jimmy Luppens
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Bio/Highlights |
McRae on Luppens
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- Outfield
- Sweet Home High School
- Hit .364 as a junior
- First-Team ECIC selection in 2009 and Second-Team selection in 2008
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"Cody is a very athletic player and possesses a good skill set. He is a very good hitter who is only going to get better.
Cody is one of the guys we identified early to ease the loss of most of our 2010 outfield.” |
Cody Stonish
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Bio/Highlights |
McRae on Stonish
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- Right-handed pitcher
- Prairie Baseball Academy
- Was 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA at Iowa Western Community College
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"Alex reminds me of John Lackey. He shows great poise and confidence on the hill.
He is a big, strong righty who can complements an upper 80's
fastball with two very
good offspeed pitches.
His makeup, work ethic, and a quality arsenal should allow Alex
to win a lot of ball games
in the MAAC. ” |
Alex Tufts
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Bio/Highlights |
McRae on Tufts
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- Outfield
- Vauxhall Academy
- Played two years at Vauxhall
- Played for Team Alberta in numerous competitions
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"Shane is a late bloomer who slipped under the radar due to a leg injury last summer. He has really emerged as an advanced high school hitter.
We are counting on Shane to ease the loss of three senior outfielders.” |
Shane Zimmer
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Bio/Highlights |
McRae on Zimmer
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