 University of Southern Indiana Baseball announced the signing of seven transfers for the 2017 season. The Screaming Eagles and Head Coach Tracy Archuleta have signed a total 14 new players for the 2017 campaign.
Transferring to join the Eagles are junior infielder Brodie Brown (Carmi, Illinois); junior infielder Angel De Jesus (Yabucoa, Puerto Rico); junior left-handed pitcher Konner Eck (Vincennes, Indiana); senior infielder/right-handed pitcher Nick Gobert (St. Joseph’s, Indiana); junior infielder/catcher Nathan Kuester(Rockport, Indiana); junior outfielder Grant Malott (New Castle, Indiana) and senior right-handed pitcherJustin Watts (Bryan, Ohio).
“These seven transfers will give us the needed experience that we lost after graduating 11 seniors last spring,” said Archuleta. “I look forward to working with these young men and welcoming them to the USI Baseball family.”
Signing with the Eagles during the early period last fall were freshman right-handed pitcher Tyler Hagedorn (Evansville, Indiana); freshman outfielder Aaron Euler (Evansville, Indiana); freshman infielderTrevor Ricker (Evansville, Indiana); freshman right-handed pitcher Grant Ellis (Terre Haute, Indiana); freshman left-handed hitting infielder/outfielder Bryce Krizan (Mt. Vernon, Indiana); freshman outfielderLucas Thatcher (Lexington, Kentucky); and freshman outfielder Garrett Wilson (West Point, Kentucky).
Biographical information on the spring signees:
Brown: Played two seasons with Rend Lake College…batted .341 as a sophomore with three home runs, 34 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases…began his collegiate career by hitting .214 with a home run and 19 RBIs as a freshman…was a letterwinner in baseball, basketball, football, and cross country at Carmi High School (Carmi, Illinois)…named CHS Most Valuable Player and to the Indiana All-South Team in 2014.
De Jesus:  Played last season for New Mexico Junior College…hit .412 with 56 runs scored, 48 RBIs, and 10 home runs in 51 games as a sophomore.
Eck: Pitched the last two seasons for Lincoln Trail College…recorded 81 strikeouts in 22 games and 68.1 innings of work…posted a two-year 4.67 ERA and a 2-6 record at LTC…was 1-6 with a 5.47 ERA as a sophomore, striking out a team-high 62 batters…lettered in baseball and track at South Knox High School (Vincennes, Indiana).
Gobert: Transfers to USI after three seasons at the University of Dayton…accumulated a 4-5 record in three seasons on the mound with a 5.50 ERA…had his best season as a sophomore when he was 1-2 with a 3.83 ERA in 15 appearances, 11 out of the bullpen in 2015…posted a three year average of .179 at the plate with five RBIs and two home runs…had his best average year in 2016, batting .233…three-sport letterwinner, baseball, basketball, and football, at Jasper High School (Jasper, Indiana)…was 22-2 during his career at JHS, striking out 160 batters in 150.2 innings of work…also had a .333 high school batting average with three home runs and 30 RBIs…named honorable mention All-State as a pitcher in 2012 and honorable mention All-State as a second baseman in 2013…helped JHS to the Indiana state finals twice, three section championships, and two regional championships.
Kuester:  Played the last two seasons with Brunswick Community College…batted .341 with five home runs and 43 RBIs…batted .305 as a freshman, driving in 15 RBIs…named to the Indiana North/South All-Star Team as a senior, All-Conference three times, and honorable mention All-State twice at South Spencer High School (Rockport, Indiana)…batted .425 as a senior…helped SSHS to the Indiana state championship in 2011 and 2013…son of former USI baseball assistant coach and player Brian Kuester and brother of current USI Assistant Coach Jeremy Kuester.
Malott: Joins the USI program after two seasons at Western Kentucky University…hit .180 in 53 games and 26 starts…six-time letterwinner in baseball and football at New Castle High School (New Castle, Indiana)…named All-Conference after his junior and senior seasons, batting .318 in both campaigns…also earned All-Area twice and was ranked as one of the top players in Indiana by Perfect Game and Prep Baseball Report.
Watts: Transfers to USI after one season at Lincoln Trail College (2015) and two years at Northern Kentucky University (2016)…finished his two years at NKU with a 3-9 record and a 6.57 ERA, posting 89 strikeouts in 100 innings of work…had a 2-6 record and a 6.37 ERA as a sophomore at NKU in 2016, striking out 62 batters in 65 innings of work…had a 1-1 record with a 5.84 ERA and one save as a freshman at Lincoln Trail in 2014…lettered in baseball at Bryan High School (Bryan, Ohio).
