RICHMOND, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University baseball team added six new faces, including three in-state prospects, in the class of 2012 during this year’s early signing period, head coach Jason Stein announced. The six signees are middle infielder Kenneth Hostrander, right-handed pitcher Matt Lynch, outfielder Kyle Nowlin, right-handed pitcher Trey Salisbury, middle infielder Doug Teegarden and right-handed pitcher / utility player Trace Vorbeck.














Kenneth Hostrander is a right-handed hitting middle infielder from Endwell High School in Maine, N.Y.

“Kenny is a middle infielder who shows arm strength along with soft hands,” Stein said. “He knows how to play the middle by using his speed and, while we expect him to play up the middle, he is a good enough athlete to play anywhere around the diamond.”

A team captain for head coach Gary Crooks at Endwell High, the 5-10, 165-pound Hostrander batted .444 as a junior and was named third team all-state while leading the Spartans to a Section 4 Championship. He was also named a 2011 Preseason Honorable Mention Under Armour All-American, and has been named a 2012 Preseason Under Armour All-American heading into this season.

Hostrander is also a soccer standout at Endwell High.

“Offensively, Kenny looks to be a top-of-the-order type of hitter,” Stein said. “He knows how to handle the bat and can use his speed to put pressure on the defense. He will fit in well with our offensive philosophy.”














Matt Lynch is a junior college transfer from Heartland Community College in Normal, Ill.

“Matt will bring needed experience to our pitching staff in 2013,” Stein said. “He has really showed he can pitch off his fastball and use it on both halves of the plate. He has also showed the ability to throw his off-speed pitches for strikes.”

The 6-1, 185-pound Lynch attended St. Ignatius High School in Chicago, and he pitched at Maryland as a freshman this spring. He will spend his sophomore season under the tutelage of head coach Nate Metzger at junior college national power Heartland Community College, the same school that produced current EKU right-hander Andrew Wilson. Heartland has compiled a 124-35 record over the last three years and qualified for the NJCAA Division II National Tournament for the first time ever this spring.

While at St. Ignatius, Lynch, who commands a curveball and changeup and whose fastball ranges anywhere from 86-89 MPH, went 7-4 with a sub-3.00 ERA as a senior and 5-4 with a 2.30 ERA as a junior. He was named second team all-conference as a junior. Lynch finished his career at St. Ignatius fifth on the school’s career wins list and third on the school’s career strikeouts list. He was also an honor roll student all four years he was there.

“It looks like Matt will be used as a starter for Heartland this spring, and he should come in and compete for a starting role with us in 2013,” Stein said.














Kyle Nowlin is a right-handed hitting outfielder from William Henry Harrison High School in Harrison, Ohio.

“Kyle will fill an immediate need in the outfield following this year’s graduation,” Stein said. “He is a plus runner who can handle the bat, hit for average and power and play all three positions in the outfield.”

Under the guidance of head coach Shawn Sowders, the 6-1, 195-pound Nowlin is carrying a .379 career batting average into his senior year at Harrison High. He has also flashed great speed (he clocked in at 6.7 in the 60-yard dash at this summer’s Ohio Top Prospect Showcase) with 50 career stolen bases and 12 career triples. After hitting .440 with four home runs and 37 runs scored as sophomore in 2010, Nowlin was named to the first team All-Fort Ancient Valley Buckeye League team.

While playing for the Cincinnati Bulldogs this summer, Nowlin hit .476 with four home runs, 11 doubles, 38 RBI and 19 stolen bases.

Nowlin is also a standout wide receiver on Harrison High’s football team.

“Kyle is a very competitive kid due to the fact that he plays both baseball and football in a very competitive league in Cincinnati, and we really like that about him,” Stein said.














Trey Salisbury is a right-handed pitcher from Boyd County High School in Cannonsburg, Ky.

“Because we expect to lose several pitchers to graduation or the draft after this season, Trey could make an immediate impact with our pitching staff, either as a starter or a back-end guy, because he can throw three pitches for strikes,” Stein said.

The 6-0, 180-pound Salisbury has been a dominant force for head coach Brandon Ramsey’s Boyd County Lions the last two years. A four-year starter, he posted a 0.95 ERA as a sophomore and a 1.95 ERA and 83 strikeouts in just 53 innings of work as a junior. Salisbury was named to the all-district team and the Daily Independent All-Area team as sophomore and junior, and he was named the 64th District Most Valuable Player as a junior. He has also played in the East-West KHSBCA All-Star Game the past two seasons.

“Trey is exactly the kind of player we try to recruit on the mound,” Stein said. “He is extremely athletic and he can get college hitters out not only with his fastball but his secondary pitches as well.”














Doug Teegarden is a left-handed hitting shortstop from Boone County High School in Florence, Ky.

“Doug is a heady, versatile middle infielder who knows how to play the game and, because of his strong glove and arm, can play on either the right or left side of the infield,” Stein said. “He will definitely fill an important void up the middle caused by this year’s graduation and draft.”

The 6-1, 190-pound Teegarden, who played in this year's East-West KHSBCA All-Star Game, is carrying a .490 career batting average into his senior year at Boone County, and he was named the conference Player of the Year as a junior under head coach Wayne Huff. He also helped lead the Rebels to the Kentucky state tournament as sophomore while being named district and region Most Valuable Player.

“Offensively, Doug fills an immediate need as a left-handed bat,” Stein said. “Because of his great hand-eye coordination, he is a high average guy right now. With added strength, he could be a gap hitter in the future.”














Trace Vorbeck is a right-handed pitcher / utility player from Corbin High School in Corbin, Ky.

“Trace is a legitimate two-way Division I college baseball player,” Stein said. “He is an overall good athlete with a good arm, he is strong at the plate and he has the ability to one day hit for power.”

The 6-1, 195-pound Vorbeck, who played in last year’s East-West KHSBCA All-Star Game, batted an astounding .587 with 12 home runs, 19 doubles and 57 RBI as a junior for head coach Robert Ledington’s Corbin Redhounds. On the mound, he went 4-2 with a 2.25 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 40 innings of work. He has posted a perfect 6-0 record on the mound in the postseason during his high school career.

Vorbeck, who is Corbin High’s single-season home runs and batting average record holder, was named the Tri-County Player of the Year from 2009-10 and to the All-13th Region Team from 2008-10.  He was also named an honorable mention Perfect Game Preseason All-American in 2010.

“It’s getting more and more rare to have two-way guys in college baseball,” Stein said. “But I definitely think Trace can help us offensively and on the mound.”