July 3, 2008
EASTON, Pa. -
Lafayette head baseball coach Joe Kinney has announced 10 players will join the Leopards as members of the Class of 2012. The team will welcome six pitchers and four position players.
"I am very pleased with this recruiting class," Kinney said. "We certainly added depth on the mound as that was our biggest loss due to graduation. Many of the incoming pitchers will have a chance to pitch right away in the spring of 2009. Position wise, we bolstered all areas of the field which will increase competition in the fall. Losing seniors at the corner outfield spots, second base and catcher will also provide healthy competition among both the incoming freshman and our returning players."
The first pitcher to join the staff is Chris Boyce (Bath, Pa./Northampton). Boyce, a 6-0, 170-pound right-hander, graduated from nearby Northampton High School where he was an all-conference pitcher his senior season. He was also a Northampton Scholar Athlete.
Ian Dickson (Northport, N.Y./Northport) is another right-handed pitcher. Dickson, who checks in at 6-5 and 180 pounds, was an All-Long Island selection, as well as an all-conference selection. At Northport, he was a member of the Italian and Business National Honor Societies.
The class's third right-hander is John Gentile (East Fallowfield, Pa./Malvern Prep). The 6-1, 180-pound Gentile was named first team all-city and an All-Interac Conference First Team selection. In addition, he was tabbed the conference's MVP. Gentile was also an All-Southeastern Pennsylvania selection and a member of the Main Line Times' First Team. As a senior, he earned Malvern Prep's MVP honor and also served as captain. He went 10-0 his senior year with a 1.92 ERA and was a Carpenter Cup participant.
Ethan Perro (Allentown, N.J./Allentown) is the fourth and final right-hander in the group. The 6-3, 190-pound player was selected to the All-New Jersey Third Team and was a two-time all-conference player at Allentown. He was tabbed the 2008 Monmouth County Pitcher of the Year as well as his team's MVP. Perro went 11-0 his senior year for the New Jersey Group II state champion Redbirds. During his senior campaign, he recorded the program's first no-hitter with an 11-1 win over Rancocas Valley. Like Gentile, he was also a Carpenter Cup participant.
Left-hander Sean McGrath (Lyndhurst, N.J./Hudson Catholic) stands at 5-11, 175-pounds. He boasted a 12-5 career record at Hudson Catholic with 115 strikeouts in 107 innings pitched. McGrath was named a First Team All-Hudson County player and was a member of Hudson Catholic's National Honor Society.
The final pitcher joining the Leopards is southpaw Jack Rems (Metuchen, N.J./Metuchen). Rems, who checks in at 5-8, 165 pounds, tallied 123 strikeouts while surrendering just 35 hits in 75 innings pitched during his career at Metuchen. He went 8-4 his senior season with a 1.68 ERA and tossed a no-hitter against J.F. Kennedy in May. Rems was a three-time all-conference player as well as an all-county selection. He was named to the All-New Jersey First Team as well as the All-Group I Team. Rems was also an all-conference athlete in wrestling and track and a member of the National and Spanish Honor Societies.
Brian Davila (Ellicott City, Md./Howard) will join Lafayette as a shortstop and second baseman. The 5-10, 170-pound Davila was a two-time Under Armour All-American and was named to the all-county second team. He was chosen as his team's MVP and served as captain during his senior campaign. Davila was a Howard Scholar Athlete as well as a member of the National Honor Society. Davila hails from the same hometown as former Leopard Kevin Leasure '07, who was a member of the 2007 Patriot League championship team.
Bobby Fargnoli (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) is the lone outfielder in this year's class. The 6-2, 180-pound Fargnoli was an All-Nassau County selection as a senior. The right-hander also served as captain his senior season. Fargnoli was a New York State Scholar Athlete and a member of Garden City's National Honor Society.
Catcher John Naso (Bronxville, N.Y./Bronxville) had a solid senior season at Bronxville. He appeared in 16 games and batted .474. The 5-10, 185-pound right-hander also boasted a .684 slugging percentage en route to being named an all-section and all-conference player. He also earned Bronxville's MVP honor last season.
The final member of the Class of 2012 is third baseman Ben Smith (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge). The 5-11, 180-pound right-hander was a First Team All-Southeastern District player after a senior season in which he hit .377 with five doubles. He was named to the Virginia All-Eastern Region Team and was honored as the 2008 Great Bridge Scholar Athlete. Smith was also a member of the National Honor Society.
The 2008 Leopards return six position players in Chris Luick (1B), Daniel Bierce (SS), Joe Ezekiel (DH), Matt Hall (OF), Rob Froio (OF) and Jeff Butler (3B), as well as four pitchers who saw time in the weekend starting rotation (Jeremy Atkins, Zach Fritz, Corey Shea and Ryan Hanna).
The Leopards will begin their fall workouts in early September and continue for approximately five weeks.
