DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Head Coach Randy Stegall and the Eagles baseball coach staff announced Tuesday, the signing of ten incoming players that will join the team for the 2010 season. This will include two pitchers, six infielders, an outfielder and a catcher, two of which were selected in the 2009 Major League Professional Player's draft this past June.

"Our program and coaching staff is really excited about the 2010 recruiting class," Head Coach Randy Stegall said. "The addition of these players should give our team the much needed depth in pitching, hitting and on the field. It will also help to replace those key starting players we lost in the past two seasons."

PITCHERS
The Eagles welcome two pitchers, right-hander Johnathan Kountis and lefty Ryan Vigue.

Kountis spent the 2009 season at Ohio Dominican in Columbus, Ohio, after which he was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 42nd round in the MLB draft this past June. In 2009, Kountis posted a 5-4 record after throwing 61.1 innings. He compiled a 3.96 ERA, striking out 54 batters and held his opponents to a .255 batting average.

"We saw Johnathan pitch a few innings last season while his team played in a tournament in Ormond Beach so we know what we are getting with him," Stegall said. "He is a hard thrower, that has the ability to be a dominant starter. We expect Jonathan to pitch big innings for us in 2010."

Vigue, a Merritt Island native, will put on the Blue and Gold after spending the past two seasons in Florida State's Garnet and Gold. He saw limited action for the Seminoles in two years, pitching only 11.1 innings, but his resume during his time at Merritt Island High School is very impressive. The southpaw went 10-1 in his senior season with a 0.61 ERA, while leading his team to the 2006 FHSAA 4A Regional Semifinals. In the summer of 2009, Vigue pitched for the Sanford River Rats of the Florida Collegiate Summer League, tossing 23.2 innings allowing only 24 hits and 11 walks while striking out 24.

"We were very excited when Ryan decided to make Embry-Riddle his home for the next two seasons," Stegall said. "He is a smart kid and a very good pitcher."

"The addition of Ryan and Jonathan, along with the starters we have coming back, will allow us the luxury to have some good arms out on the mound every game," Stegall commented.

INFIELDERS
The Eagles welcome two corner infielders, two shortstops, two utility infielders and a catcher, to try to fill the voids left in the infield due to graduation.

Chris Page, a third and first baseman from Genesse Community College in Batavia, N.Y., is the second incoming athlete to have been taken in the 2009 draft, selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 50th round. In 2009, he was named to the second team NJCCA All-American and the first team All-Region after leading the league with a .456 batting average which ranked him 22nd in the nation. Page also tallied 10 doubles, four home runs and 35 RBI.

“Chris is a kid that comes here with a reputation as a pure hitter,” Stegall said. “We lost the core of our lineup from last year’s team and we are hoping Chris can come in and add some pop to our line-up.”

Third baseman Steve Sabins also joins the ERAU squad after spending one red-shirt year with the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Previous to OSU, he was a standout third baseman at Daytona State College. In 2008, Sabins hit .340 for the Falcons and led the team with six home runs and 40 RBI. Currently, he is playing summer ball in the Valley League where he is hitting .333 with eight doubles, seven home runs and 33 RBI.

“When Steve called us in the spring we naturally became interested as we had seen him play for the Falcons,” Stegall said. “We expect Steve to fill one of our voids in the middle of the line-up as he is a good hitter and that’s what we love about him.”

Both Aaron Glaum and Tyler Robbins will come to the team in hopes of replacing 2009 starting shortstop, Pat McCrory who is currently playing in the Baltimore Orioles minor league system.

After spending the last two seasons at Cabrillo Junior College in Santa Cruz, Calif., Glaum will continue his career at Embry-Riddle. A 2009 All-Coast Conference infielder, Glaum hit .399 with 10 doubles, two triples, two home runs and stole 12 bases. In 2008, he hit .384 and earned his first nod on the All-Coast Conference team. In two seasons, Glaum hit .394, collecting 94 hits, 15 doubles and swiped 32 bases.

“Aaron is an interesting recruit,” Stegall said. “He is the smallest of the 2010 class (5’8”) but plays the game hard. We expect Aaron to compete for the starting shortstop position this year and over the next two years, hope he will hit like he did at Cabrillo.”

Robbins, a native of Port Orange and a recent graduate of Spruce Creek High School, will join the team after playing the last four seasons for former Embry-Riddle great, Johnny Goodrich. Robbins was the spark plug for a team that bounced back from a 4-9 start to win a district championship and earn a bid to the regional semifinal. In 2009, Robbins hit a respectable .316, landing 26 hits in 79 at-bats. He is the son of former Embry-Riddle baseball player Brian Syford.

“Tyler is the type of player that will compete his butt off for you day in and day out,” Stegall said. “I would expect nothing else out of Tyler, than to come in here and push other guys at his position.”

Jeff Lemon and Jordan Johnson, both utility infielders, join Embry-Riddle as freshman as they both graduated from high school in 2009.

Lemon was a four-year letterwinner under Dusty Sims as Flagler Palm Coast High School. He had a stellar senior campaign for FPC, hitting .364 while collecting 12 doubles on the season. His 36 hits, were good enough to tie him with Johnson, for the most hits in Flagler/Volusia Counties. Lemon’s numbers were good enough to earn the left-hand hitting infielder a spot on the first team All-Flagler/Volusia County.

“We feel like we are getting a very solid player in Jeff,” Stegall said. “He will push for playing time from day one. We expect him to be a major contributor to our program, on and off the field for four years.”

Johnson joins the Blue and Gold after a four-year career playing for Mike Burton at Mainland High School. In 2009, Johnson led Flagler/Volusia county in hitting with a cool .544 batting average. He was honored on the second team All-Flagler/Volusia County.

“We are excited to have Jordan at ERAU,” Stegall said. “He is a quality player with a bright future. He had a great senior season and we are hoping that type of season will give him the confidence he needs to come in here and compete for playing time.”

The Eagles will also add one catcher to the mix, Nick Godfrey a 2009 graduate of Mainland High School. He was four-year starter for Burton, and is known for his defensive skills behind the plate. In 2009, Godfrey was off to a blazing start, hitting .425 after 10 games before an ankle injury, that required surgery, sidelined him for the duration of the season. His numbers were good enough to earn him a place on the second team All-Flagler/Volusia County.

“Nick could have caught for us two years ago,” Stegall said. “He is one of the best defensive catchers in this area, and now we have a guy we can count on for four years. We expect Nick to catch some games for us this season, but with two returning catchers on the squad, Nick will have two very good catchers to compete with and learn from.”

OUTFIELDER
The lone outfielder joining the Eagles’ this season is James Podlucky, a transfer from John Jay in Staten Island, N.Y. For the Bloodhounds, Podlucky hit .307 with 47 hits, 19 RBI, 14 stolen bases and eight doubles in 2009. Prior to JJC, he was a standout pitcher at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

“James will add some speed to our team that we lost with graduation last season,” Stegall said. “His stats show that he is a good player and will challenge our returning outfielders for the starting spots.”

In Stegall’s second season at ERAU, he led the Eagles to a ninth place finish at the NAIA World Series, the second consecutive trip by the Eagles under his reign and the program's 7th trip in the last eight years.

“On paper, our team looks as strong as it's ever been,” Stegall said. “As long as we continue to work hard, the combination of talent we are bringing in, along with our returners, should give us a chance to compete for a return trip to the World Series.”