Nov. 20, 2008

ARLINGTON, Texas - UT Arlington head baseball coach Darin Thomas announced Thursday that eight student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent and will play baseball for the Mavericks beginning in the 2010 season. The signing class includes five high school prospects and three junior-college student-athletes. All eight of the Mavericks early signees hail from the state of Texas.

"I would like to thank Coach Jay Sirianni, our recruiting coordinator, for the amount of effort he put into this class. He along with Coach Mark Flatten did a great job in getting out and evaluating a great early signing class," Thomas said.

Thomas is aware the Mavericks will have a lot of holes to fill with the departure of 21 seniors after the 2009 season.

"We are losing 21 seniors, which includes the majority of our position players," Thomas said. "We were able to go out and fill a bunch of our needs in the fall signing period. One thing I like about the class is all of them are solid students. Not only did we get some good players, we also got a lot of left-handed hitters."

The Mavericks added local products Daniel Garcia, a catcher from Arlington Martin HS, and Brian Nephew, an infield/outfielder, who graduated high school from Arlington Martin before starting his collegiate career at McLennan Community College.

UT Arlington also signed infielders Cody Dyvig (Keller Central HS), Daniel Jordan (Wiley HS) and Jesse Payne (Hebron HS/North Central Texas J.C.). David Walsh (Coppell HS) and Bryant Lopez (Copperas Cove HS/North Central Texas J.C.) are both players who can play the outfield and infield.

Jake Pinchback (Seven Lakes HS) is a two-way player that is a left-handed hitting outfielder and a left-handed pitcher.

"We were looking for a little bit of everything with the players we signed," Thomas said. "Mainly we were looking for athletes who are versatile and can play more than one position."

"We definitely are not done," Thomas said. "The spring recruiting class will be heavy on pitching. We have some good pitchers coming back, but in the spring we are going to be really looking for pitching."

Cody Dyvig - INF - L/R - Keller, Texas/Keller Central HS
Dyvig was a First Team 5A All-District selection and was the Keller Central H.S. Co-MVP and Team's Top Hitter. He batted .429 with a .515 on-base percentage for Keller Central as a junior before batting .550 with a .556 on-base percentage last summer with the Arlington A's.

Coach Thomas on Dyvig: "Cody is a left-handed hitting infielder who can play more than one position. Cody is the type of player that the more we went to see him the more we liked him. When he came on his campus visit that sealed the deal with me because of type of outstanding person he is."

Daniel Jordan - INF - R/R - Wiley, Texas/Wiley HS
Jordan recorded a .432 batting average with three home runs and seven stolen bases in only 11 games before missing the rest of his junior season due to injury. He was a 2007 All-District selection and in 2006 was named the District Newcomer of the Year. He was also a three-year letterwinner in football, while earning Second Team All-District in 2007 and being named to the 2008 Preseason First Team All-State list. Jordan played for the McKinney Marshalls select team last summer.

Coach Thomas on Jordan: "Daniel is a very athletic shortstop, who missed part of his junior year with an injury. We feel very fortunate to get Daniel. He is a great kid who comes from a great family. We are really looking forward to getting him on campus and part of our program."

Daniel Garcia - C - R/R - Arlington, Texas/Arlington Martin HS
Garcia batted .444 with a home run during his junior season at Arlington Martin H.S. for Maverick alum Curtis Culbertson, who was a 22nd round draft pick in 1982 with UT Arlington. Garcia was named First Team All-District and was the District Defensive Player of the Year while leading Martin to an undefeated district season (14-0) and to a district title. Garcia was named the Arlington Martin Student of the Year and is a member of the National Honor Society. Garcia played for the Arlington A's last summer.

Coach Thomas on Garcia: "He comes from a great program at Arlington Martin High School for Curt Culbertson. We are going to be losing three catchers, so it was important that we got one in the early signing period, and we are happy to get Daniel. He is a solid student and is another hard-nosed kid. We are looking forward to having him."

Bryant Lopez - INF/OF - R/R - Copperas Cove, Texas/Copperas Cove HS/North Central Texas J.C.
Lopez was 22-of-24 in stolen bases as a freshman at North Central Texas College while posting a .330 batting average. He was named to the Texas/New Mexico All-Star Game in 2008. While in high school, Lopez was a career .400 hitter with 67 stolen bases. He tallied a .430 average his senior season with 28 stolen bases. He helped lead Copperas Cove H.S. to its first playoff appearance in 31 years. He was a First Team All-District selection and an Honorable Mention All-State second baseman as a senior.

Coach Thomas on Lopez: "Bryant Lopez brings us a lot of speed. He is one of the fastest guys in the state of Texas that is playing baseball. Again, he is a hard-nosed kid, plays for Coach Harp at North Central Texas, and can play the small game and can also play the infield and go out and play the outfield. He is the lead-off type of hitter we were looking to get."

Brian Nephew - INF/OF - R/R - Arlington, Texas/Arlington Martin/McLennan C.C.
Nephew hit six home runs with 35 RBI during his freshman season at McLennan Community College in 2008. Nephew batted .443 with seven home runs, 61 RBI, 15 stolen bases, 14 doubles and three triples during his senior season at Martin High School in Arlington. He was selected First Team All-District and was the District Most Valuable Player during his senior year. Nephew was also a First Team All-District tight end during his senior year.

Coach Thomas on Nephew: "Brian Nephew is another Martin player that went to McLennan, which is another solid program that helps players get ready for the next level. He is a very physical, middle of the order type hitter that can play first base, third base and the outfield."

Jesse Payne - INF - L/R - Carrollton, Texas/Hebron HS/North Central Texas J.C.
Payne batted .322 in 144 at-bats during his freshman season at North Central Texas J.C. in 2008. He finished with 10 doubles, two triples and two home runs last season. In addition, he hit for the cycle against Vernon College on April 15. Payne was a three-year varsity letterwinner at Hebron High School, and as a senior season he batted .370 with 12 doubles, two triples, two home runs and had 37 RBI with a .995 fielding percentage.

Coach Thomas on Payne: "Jesse Payne is a left-handed hitting infielder. We liked him out of high school, and he has only gotten better since going to North Central Texas Junior College. He plays for a great program there and for a great coach in Scott Harp, he really gets his players ready for the next level."

Jake Pinchback - OF/LHP - L/L - Katy, Texas - Seven Lakes HS
Pinchback is a two-time 24 4A All-District selection, earning first team honors in 2008 and second team recognition in 2007. As a junior, Pinchback was an Academic All-District selection. He helped lead Seven Lake H.S. to a Bi-District championship and to a third-place finish in the state tournament. Last summer Pinchback played for the Katy Sting select team.

Coach Thomas on Pinchback: "Jake is a kid we really liked when we had him at our camp. The thing we like about him is his versatility and that he plays hard. He is a hard-nosed kid that can play the outfield and also pitch and hit from the left side."

David Walsh - OF/INF - L/L - Coppell, Texas/Coppell HS
Walsh was a 6-5A All-District selection his junior season while batting .357 with eight stolen bases. This past summer he played on the Dallas Tigers select team for Tommy Hernandez. He was one of 12 players from the Dallas Tigers program that signed early with a NCAA Division I program.

Coach Thomas on Walsh: "David Walsh, I feel, is one of the better hitters in the Metroplex. He comes from Coach English's Coppell program, which has a lot of great players. David is a guy we feel very fortunate to get on campus. I feel he can be an immediate impact because he is a left-handed hitter with power."

UT Arlington 2009-10 Early Signing Class:
Cody Dyvig - INF - Keller, Texas/Keller Central HS
Daniel Garcia - C - Arlington, Texas/Arlington Martin HS
Daniel Jordan - INF - Wiley, Texas/Wiley HS
Bryant Lopez - INF/OF - Copperas Cove, Texas/Copperas Cove HS/North Central Texas J.C.
Brian Nephew - INF/OF - Arlington, Texas/Arlington Martin/McLennan C.C.
Jesse Payne - INF - Carrollton, Texas/Hebron HS/North Central Texas J.C.
Jake Pinchback - OF/LHP - Katy, Texas - Seven Lakes HS
David Walsh - INF - Coppell, Texas/Coppell HS