Taylor Baseball 2011 Pitching Staff Preview

Taylor Pitching Staff currently has 7 pitchers commited to D1 schools with more to follow.

Taylor will be loaded on the mound with a solid group of returning pitchers led by Gonzaga commit, LHP Derek Callahan from Edmonds-Woodway HS. Derek was ranked as the #9 best prospect by Baseball Northwest in the 2011 class. Callahan pitches in the 86-89mph range and has great athleticism on the mound. Callahan also is a middle of the line-up hitter with a good combination of power and speed. RHP Avery Kain from Kentwood who has committed to play at WSU is also returning as a front line starter to the club. Kain also works in the mid to upper 80's with tremendous sink. Avery also will be a major contributor after leading the 2010 club in batting average while hitting in the middle of the order. LHP Spencer Hobson from Tahoma HS returns to the staff after having an outstanding 2010 summer with Taylor. Hobson ended up being one of the clubs most reliable starters throughout the summer. LHP Kyle Doyle from Kentwood who has committed to Seattle U returns to the staff and is expected to be in the rotation for the 2011 summer. Doyle posses one of the best breaking balls from a LHP in the northwest. LHP Josh Davis from Emerald Ridge could end up being one of the best prospects in the 2012 class. Davis stands 6'7 215 while only 16 years old. His tremendous upside could make him a frontline starter for the 2011 summer. LHP Jonathan Deck who will play his freshman season at Edmonds CC returns with a live arm and a fastball that sits 84-87.

The staff added a wealth of talented arms for the 2011 summer led by RHP Zack Cloe from Emerald Ridge HS. Cloe is a power arm with a dominate FB that sits 87-92. With added polish to his secondary stuff, Cloe enters this season as a legitimate MLB draft prospect. Zack was awarded 1st team All-Seattle Premier League Pitcher last season. RHP Bryan Burgher who also attends Emerald Ridge HS with Cloe, brings Taylor a frontline starter to an already deep rotation. Burgher is a big time Division 1 arm who has committed to play his college ball at UW. Burgher also is a tremendous hitter and is expected to contribute offensively. RHP Dylan Wright from Kentlake HS joins the staff as the youngest arm on the staff. Dylan is rated the #9 best prospect in the class of 2013 Baseball Northwest player rankings. Dylan will be a key contributor both on the mound and offensively while playing infield. Dylan is the younger brother of Taylor alumni Zack Wright who is now a freshman RHP at the UW. RHP Chris Kerwood (Arkansas State) from Tahoma HS is a proven winner with tremendous upside and pitch ability. Pitching in the mid to upper 80's, Kerwood is expected to be a mainstay in Taylor's 2011 rotation. RHP side arm Kevin Sheets from Mountlake Terrace HS could be one of Taylor's biggest pick ups of the off season. Sheets throws a nasty 84-86 mph sinking side arm FB with a hard slider to compliment it. Sheets steps in as the closer and will be heavily relied upon to close out games. RHP Marty Luckenbach from Woodinville HS comes in as one of the top pitchers in the entire NW for the 2012 class as shown by his #3 overall ranking by Baseball Northwest class of 2012. Marty is the prototype tall, loose, wiry pitcher with big time potential. His FB currently sits 86-91 with much more to come. Marty currently committed to Oregon State University. RHP Jake Shroeder from Ferndale HS is a tall lanky athletic pitcher with a fast arm that has college coaches and pro scouts excited. Shroeder has the ability to be a dominant pitcher at this level. Jake is also a very good basketball player leading Ferndale in scoring and rebounding so far in the 2010-2011 season. Shroeder recently accepted a schoarship offer to pitch for Washington State University.