University of Louisville baseball head coach Dan McDonnell announced the signing of infielder and right-handed pitcher Brandon Alphin (Mt. Washington, Ky.), left-handed pitcher Joel Bender (Cincinnati, Ohio) and middle infielder Ty Young (Coatesville, Pa.) to National Letters-of-Intent during the 2010 early signing period.
The trio is the second group of signees in the Cards' 2010 recruiting class with the remaining signees to be announced in the coming days. All of the signees in the Cards' 2010 recruiting class will report to campus next fall and be eligible to compete in the 2011 season.
Check www.UofLSports.com for updates on the 2010 Louisville baseball recruiting class.
Brandon Alphin, IF/RHP
Mt. Washington, Ky. (Bullitt East HS)
Alphin, a 6-1, 195-pound infielder and right-handed pitcher, earned First Team All-State honors and was named Sixth Region Player of the Year as a junior at Bullitt East High School, where he is coached by Jeff Bowles. On the mound, he was 8-4 with a 2.40 ERA and 67 strikeouts as a junior after going 7-2 with a 1.49 ERA and 74 strikeouts during his sophomore season. He was named MVP of the Semi-State and earned the win in the decisive third game with a complete game, three-hit shutout as Bullitt East made its first ever state tournament appearance. At the plate, he set new school records in 2009 in RBI (65), doubles (21) and hits (62) while finishing with a .477 average overall and seven home runs. As a sophomore, he hit .378 with five home runs and 28 RBI. He has also earned three letters in basketball at Bullitt East.
Joel Bender, LHP
Cincinnati, Ohio. (Oak Hills HS)
Bender, a 6-4, 200-pound left-handed pitcher, is a two-time All-Greater Miami Conference selection and a top-rated left-handed pitcher from Oak Hills High School, where he is coached by Chuck Laumann. He was also named First Team Ohio by ESPN Rise Magazine as he led the Highlanders to the district finals. He participated in the 2009 World Wood Bat Association World Championship and the 2008 World Wood Bat Association 18U National Championship. He plays summer baseball for the Midland Redskins.
Ty Young, IF
Coatesville, Pa. (Malvern Preparatory School)
Young, a 5-10, 170-pound middle infielder earned First Team All-League, All-Main Line, All-County and All-Southeastern Pennsylvania honors as a junior for Malvern Prep and head coach Mike Hickey. As a junior, he hit .444 with four home runs, 53 runs scored and 23 RBI. He also set a new school record for career runs. As a sophomore, he hit .343, reached base by walk or hit-by-pitch 62 times and scored 51 runs as an integral part of Malvern’s impressive 40-3 season and No. 8 national ranking by Baseball America. He has quick hands with good bat speed and uses the whole field. He participated in the 2008 World Wood Bat Baseball Association Underclass World Championship and the 2008 World Wood Bat Association 16U National Championship. He also plays summer baseball for the All-Star Baseball Academy.
