Nov. 8, 2000
WACO, Texas - Baylor baseball coach Steve Smith announced Wednesday the early signings of eight prospects for the 2002 baseball season.
Giving the coach signatures were infielder Joshua Barfield, right-handed pitcher Ryan Bennett, catcher Zachary Dillon, catcher Joshua Ford, left-handed pitcher Trey Taylor, right-handed pitcher Sean Walker, right-handed pitcher Abe Woody and shortstop Paul Witt.
"I am very excited about the entire group," Smith 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 is gratifying to see such outstanding young men choose Baylor."
Barfield, a native of Houston, Texas, hit .433 with 16 doubles and 39 RBI as a junior at Klein High School. He earned first team all-district honors and also won the district's triple crown.
Bennett, who hails from Round Rock, Texas, earned a 4-0 record and a 1.27 ERA in 22 innings of work at Round Rock High School. He received mention on the all-district second team and the all-tournament teams for the Rock Hardball Classic and the AISD Invitational.
Dillon, from Urbandale, Iowa, hit .468 with 15 doubles, 12 home runs and 43 RBI last season at Dowling High School. As a junior, he earned first team all-state and all-conference honors. In 1999, Dillon led Dowling to the 4A state championship.
Ford, who hails from Baytown, Texas, earned first team all-state honors as both a sophomore and junior at Robert E. Lee High School. In 2000, he hit .559 with 11 doubles, 14 home runs and 53 RBI. He was also named to the all-Greater Houston team.
Taylor, a native of Mansfield, Texas, earned all-district and all-area honors and helped Mansfield High School reach the regional semi-finals. As a junior, he notched a 5-5 record with two saves and a 2.52 ERA in 50 innings pitched. He also struck out 89 batters and walked just 14.
Walker, from La Mesa, Calif., earned a 6-3 record with seven saves and a 1.70 ERA in 56 innings of work at Helix High School. In 2000, he earned first team all-league and all-county honors and also won the Grossmont League Cy Young Award.
Round Rock, Texas native Abe Woody earned honorable mention on the all-district team as a junior at Round Rock High School. Playing for the Slam Senators during the summer, he notched a 1-0 record with one save and a 1.68 ERA in 8.3 innings. The Senators went on to a fifth-place finish in the AAU National Tournament.
Witt, a native of Pine Bluff, Ark., hit .448 with 13 doubles, 27 RBI and 14 stolen bases at Pine Bluff High School. His team finished as the 5A state runner-up in 2000 and he earned all-state, all-district and all-tournament honors. In 1999, Witt was named to the all-conference team, all-sophomore team and the all-Southeast Arkansas team.
Baylor, the 2000 Big 12 Champion, begins the season February 1, 2001 at the Enron Field Classic in Houston, Texas.
