Nov. 22, 2000

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Discussing his eight early signings with members of the Heart of the Order support group, Baylor baseball coach Steve Smith called it "a very good class," and added: "We didn't get everybody we wanted, but nobody else did, either. But everybody we did get, we wanted."

The class includes two catchers, two infielders and four pitchers, and several of those signees are of such quality that Baylor may have a difficult time hanging onto them after the major league draft next spring.

However, Smith is not conceding anything. He feels the Bears have a good chance to wind up with all their signees because Baylor is a good fit for them. He also hinted the Bears have not completed their talent search. "We could still stand a top athlete in the outfield," he said.

Also, "I am very excited about the entire group (that the Bears did sign)," he said. "These young men are all good athletes and also very good students who will be great additions to our baseball program and Baylor University.

"This group represents a tremendous amount of work by our staff throughout the summer and fall, and it's gratifying to see such outstanding young men choose Baylor."

Signing with Smith were infielder Joshua Barfield (6-0, 180) from Houston Klein, righthanded pitcher Ryan Bennett (6-1, 180) from Round Rock High School, catcher Zachary Dillon (5-9, 185) from Urbandale, Iowa, catcher Joshua Ford (6-2, 210) from Baytown Lee, lefthanded pitcher Trey Taylor (6-2, 175) from Mansfield, righthanded pitcher Sean Walker (6-1, 160) from La Mesa, Calif., righthanded pitcher Abe Woody (6-0, 185) from Round Rock High School,o and shortstop Paul Witt (5-11, 170) from Pine Bluff, Ark.

PERHAPS THE FOREMOST name on the list of eight, at least in physique and statistics, is that of Baytown Lee catcher Joshua Ford, who is 6-2, 210, a two-year all-state choice with his senior season yet to come, a National Honor Society member, and a young man who hit .559 last spring with 11 doubles, 14 home runs and 53 runs batted in. He was also named on the all-Greater Houston team.

"He's one of the most physically-imposing guys we've ever had come in," said Smith. "And one of the most heavily recruited and talented. He is almost without comparison in this state. He's just the real deal. And in all likelihood he will be a very high (pro baseball) draft choice because catchers are hard to find. Catchers built like him are VERY hard to find.

"I was struck by how very modest he turned out to be. Very humble. I was very surprised," said Smith.

Mansfield pitcher Trey Taylor actually committed to Baylor in August, Smith said. "He's a very, very good student who throws hard. There will be a lot of interest in him professionally," Smith predicted.

The lefthanded Taylor was all-district and all-area last spring when he posted a 5-2 record with two saves for a team that reached the regional semifinals. He compiled a 2.52 earned run average, 89 strikeouts and 14 walks in 50 innings.

NONE OF THE SIGNEES has better bloodlines than Joshua Barfield. The Houston Klein infield is the son of former major league outfielder and home run champ Jesse Barfield. Joshua hit .433 with 16 doubles, four triples, five home runs and 39 RBI while winning all-district honors and the district's triple crown.

With the Houston Wildcats he hit .586 with nine home runs. He is a National Honor Society member, "a great, great student and an ideal fit for us," said Smith. "He can really swing the bat."

Righthanded pitcher Ryan Bennett from Round Rock has "a fine arm," said the coach, nothing his signee throws in the upper 80s and low 90s. He was a second-team all-district choice as a third baseman, and as a pitcher for Round Rock High School he was 4-0 with a 1.27 ERA with 21 strikeouts and 13 walks. He also starred on the Austin Slams team.

Zachary Dillon, the catcher from Urbandale, Iowa, was an all-state super team choice who played on Iowa's 1999 state 4A champions and also the American Legion state champions. Last spring he hit .468 with 15 doubles, 12 home runs and 43 RBI.

"Dillon is a fine lefthanded hitting catcher, very hardnosed, a running back in football, very intense," said Smith. Dillon provides insurance at catcher if the Bears should lose Ford to the pros, and he can play well elsewhere if Ford enrolls at Baylor and wins the catcher's job.

CALIFORNIAN SEAN WALKER is a pitcher who throws right and hits right and, in the words of the Baylor coach, "had a lot of opportunities to stay in California. He's very, very talented. He liked Baylor's atmosphere. He felt this was an open door for him."

Walker won numerous honors both athletically and academically (his league's Cy Young Award, Player of the Year, all-league, all-county, all-coaches) at La Mesa. On the baseball field, he compiled a 6-3 won-loss record with a 1.70 ERA, 73 strikeouts and 20 walks.

Another righthander, Abe Woody, is another Round Rock signee who hit .385 last spring while playing positions other than pitcher. But Smith likes what he saw of Woody's arm so much that "we're going to convert him to a pitcher. He just has a very good arm. And there's a lot of Baylor in his background. There's a lot of upside to him. He reminds me of (pitcher) Kyle Edens (currently a member of the Baylor team)."

Shortstop Paul Witt was "very heavily recruited," said Smith in discussing the Pine Bluff, Ark. signee. "He has a good arm, runs extremely well and has a lot of pop in his bat. We recruited against Mississippi State (where Smith once coached) on this one, and I believe he's the first. Actually, he was supposed to visit their campus this fall on the Saturday when Mississippi State beat Florida before more than 50,000 fans. I like to think he would still have signed with us, but I have to be glad he didn't make that trip."

Smith's stats from last spring include a .448 batting average with 13 doubles, 3 home runs, 27 RBI and 14 stolen bases. He was an all-state selection in Arkansas.

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