Trevecca Baseball Adds Five for 2014 Season

NASHVILLE, TN (12/14/2012)(readMedia)-- NASHVILLE – Trevecca baseball coach recently completed his first early signing period with the program. The result is five players who are expected to contribute in their first season at Trevecca. The group includes Colt Adams (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), Brandon Ashworth (Nashville), Mike Purcell (New Johnsonville, Tenn.), John Bolton (Nolensville, Tenn.), and JP Brenzie (Nashville). After playing for their respective schools in the spring of 2013, this group will form a significant portion of the 2014 Trojan baseball roster.

Coach Schmalz gave full credit to his coaching staff for scouting and signing this first class when he said, "First of all Luke Brown and Nachion Moore did a tremendous job in this process. They worked hard on the recruiting trail, and built some strong relationships with some very good players. We are excited about these five guys we signed in the early signing period."

Schmalz commented further by defining what type of player they were looking to sign,

We focused our effort on pitching, which is the name of the game for baseball at any level, and we feel great about these four arms that we have coming in. At the same time, we need a bunch of position players as well, and Brandon will fill a void left by some outgoing seniors immediately. This is a great start to our recruiting class, but we still have a lot of work to do, especially with so many seniors leaving the program."

John Bolton

John Bolton, a 6-2 190 right-handed pitcher from Nolensville, Tenn., plays for Ernie Smith at Lipscomb Academy.

Bolton has lettered his first three years in high school. As a sophomore he pitched his team to a win in the regional championship game and closed the last two innings of the state championship game helping the team win the state championship. He finished his sophomore year with a 4-1 overall record while pitching 32 innings and collecting 48 strikeouts. As a junior he earned all-district, all-midstate third team. At the plate he led the team with a .404 batting average while hurling 62 innings with 68 strikeouts and registering a 6-6-1 record. In the summer of 2012 he participated in the "Perfect Game" tournament and made the all-tournament team at the "Perfect Game" WWBA 2013 Grads Tournament. He produced a .428 batting average at the event. Bolton is a three-year honor roll member.

Schmalz on Bolton:

"John is one of the better arms in all of Middle Tenn. He has a ton of natural ability, and his best baseball is still ahead of him. We are thrilled to have him as a part of this program. His is a very highly motivated player both in the classroom, and on the field."

Bolton on Trevecca

"The Christian coaching staff and their enthusiasm for the game was one of the reasons I chose Trevecca," said Bolton. "The chance to get a great education at a Christian College, close to home and play baseball made my decision easy."

Colt Adams

Colt Adams is a 6-1 172 right-handed pitcher who produced a 4-1 record as a junior for Coach Barry Messer at Riverdale High School. A closer look at his 2012 numbers on the mound include a 3.12 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 33 innings pitched over 15 games.

Adams on Trevecca

"When I pulled on to the Trevecca campus for the first time I felt that welcome home feeling. The campus is extremely beautiful and is very inviting. Talking to everyone made me feel like I was actually someone there and not just another face that is going to get lost in the crowd. Just everything about TNU makes me anxious to begin my college journey as a student and an athlete."

Schmalz on Adams

"Colt has a lot of weapons. He has incredible action on all of his pitches, and can attack hitters a lot of different ways. He also is very eager to learn, and develop as a pitcher, which will pay off down the road. We anticipate Colt making huge contributions to our staff from day one."

JP Brenzie

NASHVILLE - JP Brenzie is a 5-10 190 pound right-handed pitcher from Goodpasture Christian School where he playes for Richie Estep's Cougars.

As a sophomore he produced a 5-1 district record with 74 strikeouts in 75.2 innings pitched. He had four shutouts and a 2.04 ERA. He was voted to the TN Super Sophomore team and made second-team All-Distict.

As a junior he had a 8-0 district record and had five shutouts and 72 strikeouts in 65 innings pitched. He was selected to the first-team All-District team and helped lead the Cougars to teh 2012 TSSAA State Championship in Division 2. He pitched in the tournaments second game with a 9-0 shutout result.

Brenzie on Trevecca

"First and foremost, the coaching staff made me feel really great when I visited and let me know that they truly believed in my abilities which was a huge thing for me. I am very excited about the shared "3-2 Applied physics/engineering program with Vanderbilt" which is my intended major. Trevecca offers a great Christian environment, I get to prepare for my future, and I get to play baseball; "ain't life sweet!"

Schmalz on JP Brenzie

"JP was one of the first players we targeted back in the summer. He has an advanced combination of arm strength, and feel for his off-sped stuff that is uncommon for an incoming freshman. He is highly competitive, and loves having the ball in his hands in big situations."

Brandon Ashworth

Brandon Ashworth will finish his high school career this spring for Goodpasture Christian School coach Richie Estep. Last season the Cougars won the 2012 Division 1-2A championship.

The 5-11, 187 pound middle infielder batted .346 last year for the Cougars on their way to the TSSAA Championship. Ashworth added 27 hits in 130 at bats with 14 doubles, four home runs, 22 RBI and had a slugging percentage of .546 and a .396 on base percentage.

For his efforts he was selected second team All-District for the 38-3-1 Cougars.

Ashworth said he felt the Trojan coaching staff showed sincere interest in him as a player. He added, "I was impressed by the academic reputation and the beautiful campus. Trevecca has great baseball facilities and offers a promising future for me. I consider it a privilege to get the opportunity to play for the Trojans."

Schmalz on Ashworth

"Brandon is just a gamer. He comes from a program with a winning tradition, which we really value. He is a very reliable defender, and will an offensive threat over the next few years. He is a gritty, blue collar type of player, which is exactly what we look for in the infield."

Michael Purcell

Michael Purcell is a lift-handed pitcher at Jackson State community College will play for the Trojans following his sophomore season with the Generals in the spring of 2013.

The Waverly Central High School product delivered a 3-1 overall record with a 3.94 earned run average and 25 strikeouts over 29.2 innings pitched at Jackson State Community College as a freshman.

The 5-11 New Johnsonville, Tenn. will be a welcomed addition to the team according to Trevecca baseball coach Ryan Schmalz, "We are thrilled to sign Mike. He will have an immediate impact on our staff. He is a bulldog on the mound, and still has a very high ceiling. Mike really separated himself in this process by his competitive makeup, and fit into the TNU community. We expect a ton of meaningful innings from Mike for the next two seasons."

Purcell said, "They want to win, and that's what I want to do," while adding that the city of Nashville and the school's atmosphere appealed to him, and he liked the baseball coaches he met at the school he said.