CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel baseball team recently announced the addition of 12 student-athletes to the class of 2016 on Friday.
 
"We are excited that these 12 student-athletes have selected The Citadel to continue their education and their baseball experience," head coach Fred Jordan said. "We look forward to seeing them on campus next fall."
 
J.D. Davis, Jr.
Shortstop | Stratford High School | Goose Greek, S.C.

• Earned five letters in baseball and three in football
• Was a member of the all-region and all-state Rookie Teams freshman year
• Batted .333 freshman year and .305 junior year
• Member of the North Charleston baseball team that won back-to-back World Series championships in 2014 and 2015
• Played in 2013 football state championship game

Coach David Beckley on Davis: "J.D. is a big pick up for the future of our middle infield. He will bring athleticism and leadership to the middle of our diamond for years to come. J.D. comes to us from Stratford High School, which has provided a tremendous amount of talent to us over the years. He was coached by John Chalus, Alan Biggers, and former Bulldog standout Ken Lott. We are not only getting a great student but a tremendous leader in the community as well. We are very excited about the quality of young man we are inheriting!"
 
Will Abbott
RHP | Camden High School | Camden, S.C.

• Three-year letterman in baseball
• Earned Pitcher of the Year award junior season
• High school coach, Denny Beckley, is brother of assistant coach David Beckley

Coach Beckley on Abbott: "Will is a big, physical right-handed pitcher that has a very high ceiling. We feel that Will should compete for a spot in our starting rotation right away. He has all the physical tools that you look for in a starting pitcher. Not only does he have the size and velocity, but he also has the ability to throw three pitches. We are excited to get him down here with our pitching coach Britt Reames and start the developmental process of what it takes to be a starter in college baseball."
 
Will Pillsbury
LHP | Oakleaf High School | Orange Park, Fla.

• Earned five letters through baseball and soccer
• Coached by Dan Corsi of the Coastal Prospects Organizations
• Relatives Christopher Pillsbury played at FAU and professionally and Kenneth Pillsbury played football at UGA

Coach Beckley on Pillsbury: "Will is a power arm from the left side with a very high ceiling. Will should compete for a weekend spot in our rotation right away. He has all the tools to be a very high level starter here at The Citadel. We love his arm and mental make-up on the mound. He understands how to pitch, and can already throw two different breaking balls. Will had a tremendous amount of scholarship offers across the country and we are really excited he chose The Citadel to further his education and baseball future."
 
Zach Taglieri
RHP | Port St. Lucie High School | Port St. Lucie, Fla

• Is a part of the baseball, cross country, bowling and golf teams in high school
• Earned 2015 first-team all-area honors junior year as well as USA Today HS Athlete Performance of the Week in March of 2015
• A part of the Principal's Honor Roll all four years of high school
• Uncle Marc Taglieri played baseball at the University of Virginia

Coach Beckley on Taglieri: "Zach commands three pitches for strikes. He has the ability to have a swing and miss breaking ball and with continued development this pitch could be a game changer for him. We think Zach can be utilized as a starting pitcher but can also pitch out of the bullpen with his strike-throwing ability. Zach pitched for one of the best summer teams in Florida, The Easton Rockets. Zach has grown up around baseball as his dad Paul is the director of Florida Operations for the New York Mets."
 
Austin Todd
RHP | Belton-Honea Path High School | Pelzer, S.C.

• Earned Palmetto High School baseball Cy Young Award sophomore season
• Played for former Bulldog Jay Reames who is brother of assistant coach Britt Reames in summer/fall ball

Coach Beckley on Todd: "Austin is another big and sturdy, physical right-handed pitcher. He could be used as a starter or will play an important role in the bullpen over his career. He has good velocity but we love his curveball! We feel he has a swing and miss out pitch already, which will really help him in his adjustment to college baseball. We will try to develop a consistent changeup to his arsenal in the fall." 
 
Jonathan Sabo
INF/RHP | West Ashley High School | Charleston, S.C.

• Transfer from USC Lancaster
• Five-year baseball varsity starter
• Garnered all-state, all-region and Lowcountry Player of the Year honors junior and senior year
• Batted .420 senior year and went 9-2 on the mound
• Relative Chris Sabo played for Michigan and the Cincinnati Reds

Coach Beckley on Sabo: "Jonathan is a very versatile ballplayer. He can play any infield position well and can also really pitch! He also hits in the 3-hole for USC-L and has put up very good numbers. We feel he will bring not only his versatility to our defense but an experienced middle of the lineup right-handed bat to our left-handed-dominant lineup. He plays the game very hard and is extremely competitive. Bulldog fans will enjoy his style of play! Jonathan previously played with former Bulldog assistant coach Randy Carlson of the East Coast Baseball Academy."
 
Jared Firmstone
Catcher | Greenville High School | Simpsonville, S.C.

• Four-year baseball letterman
• First-team All-Region AAAA catcher and second-team all-state catcher junior year
• A part of the 2013 Big League World Series champions
• Relatives Tony Firmstone played baseball at Akron University, Alexa Thompson played soccer at Penn State and Sydney Patton played women's tennis at Chattanooga

Coach Beckley on Firmstone: "Jared comes to us from talent-rich Greenville High School. He is a big, physical right-handed hitting catcher that we are really excited about. We expect Jared to be a future power bat in the middle of our lineup. Jared is a very good athlete; he runs well for a big guy. Due to his athleticism, we will be able to utilize him at multiple positions if needed to keep his bat in the lineup. He has worked with and coached by former Citadel standout Zach Brown over the years in the Upstate Mavericks organization."
 
Bryce Leasure
Catcher/1B | JL Mann High School | Simpsonville, S.C.

• Five-year varsity letterman
• .431 batting average and .615 on-base percentage junior year
• SCBCA 2015 AAAA all-state team and 2015 HSSR-SCHSL AAAA all-state baseball honors junior year
• Played on JL Mann 2015 Upstate champion and runner-up state champion team

Coach Beckley on Leasure: "Bryce is a left-handed hitting catcher from JL Mann High School in Greenville, South Carolina. Bryce popped on the scene last spring and helped lead JL Mann to the state championship series. We have a couple of right-handed hitting catchers in our program, so we needed to recruit a left-handed one. We feel that Bryce will give us that versatility that we will need in our lineup.  In our evaluation of Bryce, we were always impressed with his quality plate appearances.  He always seemed to do something positive and was a very tough out. Those qualities will only help us as he improves throughout his career. Bryce is also very well coached, as he comes to us from Brian Simpson of JL Mann and John Rhodes of the Diamond Devils."
 
Chase Kinsey
Outfield/1B | T.L. Hanna High School | Anderson, S.C.

• Three letters in baseball
• Started in more than 30 games sophomore season, team won region and district championships
• .320 batting average, 20 RBI, 1 HR and .400 on-base percentage junior season
• Defensive MVP, won region and district championships junior year
• A part of South Carolina team in 2015 Big League World Series U.S. Finals

Coach Beckley on Kinsey: "Chase reached out to us in the spring about his possible interest in attending The Citadel. We finally tracked him down in Atlanta this summer and left really impressed with his skills.  Chase has a good swing from left side, and runs really well for a big guy. We feel like Chase is another late bloomer that has a high ceiling and will only improve here at The Citadel. He plays summer ball for Blue Chip Bulls and is coached by former Clemson standout Seth Brizek."

Michael "Bo" Gobin
Pitcher | Summerville High School | Summerville, S.C.

• Three-year letter winner in baseball
• Batted .304 with a .417 on-base percentage junior season
• Pitched 21 innings and held a 1.00 ERA junior year as well as two-time all-tournament at CABA
• MVP Pitcher at Dynamic Baseball tournament
• Team went 25-4 en route to winning I.P. Classic, Blythewood Invitational, Region 8-AAAA last season

Coach Beckley on Gobin: "Bo comes to us from Summerville High School where he plays for Banks Faulkner and former Bulldog standout Phil Tobin. Bo is a two-way standout for the Green Wave where he plays second base and pitcher. Bo is another player that really helped himself by coming to our camp.  He will be likely be utilized mostly as a relief pitcher. We will use his sidearm motion to match up against right-handed hitters, but he also has the ability to get left handers out too because of his ability to throw three pitches for strikes."
 
Jeffrey Brown
OF | Bishop England High School | Charleston, S.C.

• Three-time letter winner in baseball
• AA all-state baseball team junior season
• Batted .402 with 27 stolen bases and 25 runs scored
• All-Lowcountry baseball award in 2015
• Cousin, Eugene Glynn, coaches 3rd base for the Minnesota Twins

Coach Beckley on Brown: "Jeffery is another local talent from Bishop England High School, where he plays for former Bulldog standout Mike Darnell. Jeffery is a left-handed hitting outfielder for the Bishops and hits leadoff. Jeffery was a player we heard a good bit about and then he came to camp and really opened our eyes. We are excited about his athleticism! He will be able to put a lot of pressure on the defense with his speed and is also very capable of being a plus defender. Jeffery is a late bloomer and we are excited to see his continued progress. Jeffery plays summer ball for Rawlings of Charleston, coached by Brad Windham."
 
Gunnar Finneseth
LHP | Bishop England High School | Charleston, S.C.

• Four-year letterman in baseball
• Named 2-A all-state by Diamond Prospects
• Led the team with a .442 batting average junior year
• Grandfather, Paul Finneseth, played baseball and football at Western Kentucky University

Coach Beckley on Finneseth: "Gunnar is another ballplayer that has benefited from coming to our camp.  He moved here recently from Louisville, Kentucky. Gunnar is a left-handed pitcher and plays for former Bulldog standout Mike Darnell. Left-handed pitching is such a commodity so we are excited that Gunnar will add depth to our staff from that side of the mound. Gunnar is not an overpowering lefty at this time, but Coach Reames likes his changeup and his ability to throw strikes. We look forward to following his development throughout his senior year. He also played summer ball for Brad Windham and Rawlings of Charleston."    
 
The Bulldogs open their season Feb. 19 with a three-game homestand against Virginia Tech at Joe Riley Park. Season Ticket Punch Cards for the 2016 season, including games against in-state opponents South Carolina and Clemson, are now available. Call 843-953-DOGS (3647) to order your tickets.
 
For more information on The Citadel baseball, follow @CitadelBaseball or visit CitadelSports.com.