OREM, Utah – Utah Valley University baseball coach Eric Madsen has announced the signing of seven players to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period.
 
"I am very excited about this signing class. Derek (Amicone) has done another incredible job with this class and I am very grateful for what he, along with the help of David Carter, has been able to achieve in bringing another group of very talented players that should have an impact for us right away," Madsen said. "I know this class will be a great fit in our program. Combining them with the previous talent Derek has brought in will be a good foundation as we strive to compete for a WAC title each year."
 
The class includes six high school seniors and one junior college transfer. All will be on campus in the fall of 2018.
 
Robert Brodell | RHP | 5'10 | 160 | Brawley, Calif. | Brawley Union HS
Brodell preps at Brawley Union High School and also played for the Playa Vista Orioles. He was a first-team All-League selection and two-time MVP. Brodell has also been a part of a team that has won three straight Imperial Valley League Championships and in June won the CIF-San Diego Section Championship. He was a high school teammate of current Wolverine, freshman Blake Zeleny.
 
Recruiting Coordinator Derek Amicone on Brodell:
"Robert comes from a great high school program and plays for a great high school coach and former professional player Pedro Carranza. He's also played for the Playa Vista Orioles which is an excellent club program in Southern California. Robert has natural sink that he can throw underneath the barrel of a lot of hitters. He is a competitive young man who is used to winning. He has a great mix of pitches that will help him immediately and as he continues to grow and mature physically he will become even better."
 
Matt Dalke | RHP | 5'11 | 170 | Phoenix | North Canyon HS/SE Louisiana/Central Arizona
Dalke, a right-handed pitcher, began his collegiate career at Southeastern Louisiana and was part of a team that played Utah Valley in the Baton Rouge Regional during the 2016 NCAA Tournament. He then transferred to Central Arizona, where he'll play his sophomore season in the spring. Dalke attended North Canyon High School where he finished with a 1.93 ERA and 69 strikeouts as a senior and earned All-Region honors from Perfect Game. He also received All-State and All-Sectional honors and was district MVP.
 
Recruiting Coordinator Derek Amicone on Dalke:
"Matt comes from one of the premier junior college programs and plays for a great coaching staff at Central Arizona. Matt will add maturity and competitiveness to our pitching staff. He will be able to fill a lot of roles for us; he has the pitch-ability to impact the game as a starter or as a reliever. He commands his fastball and is aggressive in the strike zone with all of his pitches. He's going to really add depth, maturity and a winning mentality to our pitching staff."
 
Mason Gray | RHP | 6'2 | 178 | Phoenix | Pinnacle HS
Gray is a senior at Pinnacle High School in Phoenix. The right-handed pitcher posted a 1.79 ERA while helping his team to a second-place finish at the Arizona 6A State Championship. An honorable mention All-Valley selection, Gray pitched for Team Arizona in the prestigious Sunbelt Tournament and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Gray was also a named to Perfect Game's 2017 Underclass honorable mention and PBR Arizona ranks him as the 18^th-best prospect in the state.
 
Recruiting Coordinator Derek Amicone on Gray:
"Mason is one of the aces of arguably the best high school pitching staff in Arizona and comes from a great program and has great coaches in Roy Muller and Matt Grott at Pinnacle High School. He was a major factor in Pinnacle's runner up finish in the ultra-competitive 6A classification in Arizona. Mason has an extremely projectable frame at 6-2 175. He already has a quick arm that will add more velocity as he gets stronger. In addition to a live fastball he also has an advanced changeup, throws his breaking ball for strikes and has a two-seamer that continues to improve. Mason has a chance to make an impact right away. He's got a very high ceiling and we are extremely excited about Mason and the competiveness and potential he brings to our program.
 
Jake Plecas | OF | 6'3 | 175 | Flagstaff, Ariz. | Coconino HS
Plecas preps at Coconino High School in Flagstaff, Arizona and he also played for the Arizona Sandlot. He was first team All-State and All-Region after recording 15 extra-base hits as a junior. Plecas was named the region Offensive Player of the Year and is a two-time Perfect Game Preseason All-American.
 
Recruiting Coordinator Derek Amicone on Plecas:
"Jake is a physical and athletic outfielder who will have a chance do some damage swinging the bat as well as having the athletic ability to play every spot in the outfield. Jake is 6-3 175 and is a plus defender in the outfield who runs exceptionally well for his size, covers a lot of ground, gets great reads off the bat and possesses a plus arm. At the plate, he has a lot of bat speed that can produce gap-to-gap power and will develop more power potential as he continues to physically mature and gets more at-bats. Jake has been an impact player for one of Arizona's best club program's in the Arizona Sandlot. We are looking forward to seeing the impact Jake brings to us at the plate and in the outfield."
 
Logan Petet | LHP | 5'11 | 155 | Boise, Idaho | Centennial HS
Petet is one of two left-handed pitchers in the signing class and preps at Centennial High School in Boise, Idaho. As a junior, he was named to the South Idaho Valley All-Conference first-team after going 4-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 65 strikeouts. Also named Team MVP and Team Cy Young, Petet pitched for the Kansas City Royals Area Code team and was also a 2017 Treasure Valley All-Academic Team selection.
 
Recruiting Coordinator Derek Amicone on Petet:
"Logan is as competitive as it gets on the mound. He's going to come right at hitters and isn't afraid of pitching to anyone which is one of the easiest things to see when evaluating him. Logan pitched extremely well this summer in the Area Code games in Long Beach CA, not allowing a run. He possesses a quality fastball that he can throw to both sides of the plate for strikes to right handers and left handers, throws a plus changeup and can throw his breaking ball for strikes and outs. Logan is a strike thrower, is extremely competitive and pitches with conviction which younger pitchers don't always have. We are looking forward to seeing the impact Logan will make for us."
 
Ty Vargas | INF | 5'10 | 180 | Palmdale, Calif. | Quartz Hill HS
Vargas is entering his senior season at Quartz Hill High School in Lancaster, California and has amassed a career batting average of .356, with seven home runs and 56 stolen bases. He is a three-time, first-team All-League selection and has helped lead his team to three straight Golden League Championships and into the CIF quarterfinals twice. Vargas was also named Team MVP in 2016.
 
Recruiting Coordinator Derek Amicone on Vargas:
"Tyler is a fun guy to watch play. He plays extremely hard, with a chip on his shoulder, and is talented. Tyler played for another one of Southern California's better club programs in the SoCal Bombers. He is also cousins of one our current players who we are very excited about, Drew Sims. It's fun to watch Tyler swing the bat because he's athletic, has bat speed, doesn't throw away at-bats or get cheated. He's a true base stealer and plays the game with instincts. He's going to create offense in multiple ways and will be a dynamic player in our program."
 
Cole Yocum | LHP | 6'1 | 170 | Mesa, Ariz. | Skyline HS
Yocum is the second lefty in the group and preps at Skyline High School in Mesa, Arizona. He was selected to the All-State and All-Conference teams and was named to Perfect Game's 2017 Underclass honorable mention. Yocum also pitched for T-Rex, which was ranked the No. 1 club team in the country by Perfect Game in 2016. PBR Arizona also ranks him as the 12^th-best prospect in the state.
 
Recruiting Coordinator Derek Amicone on Yocum:
"Cole is a fun LHP to watch pitch. He really burst onto the scene this summer. He has a very live arm, extremely athletic and has a very projectable frame that will allow for even more velocity when he puts some weight on. Cole possesses a lot of intangibles as well: he's extremely competitive, pitches aggressively and has great leadership attributes for his age. Cole will go right at and attack hitters and his secondary pitches he can throw for strikes and outs. He's played at an extremely high level with one of the best club program's in the country and in Arizona in TRex (ranked #1 club team in 2016 by perfect game) and the Arizona Diamondbacks scout team coached by Rex Gonzalez. We are excited to see the impact Cole makes on the mound and in the clubhouse."

 

Name	Pos	Ht	Wt	Hometown	High School/Previous Schools
Robert Brodell	RHP	5'10	160	Brawley, Calif.	Brawley Union HS
Matt Dalke	RHP	5'11	170	Phoenix, Ariz.	North Canyon HS/SE Louisiana/ Central Arizona
Mason Gray	RHP	6'2	178	Phoenix, Ariz.	Pinnacle HS
Jake Plecas	OF	6'3	175	Flagstaff, Ariz.	Coconino HS
Logan Petet	LHP	5'11	155	Boise, Idaho	Centennial HS
Ty Vargas	INF	5'10	180	Palmdale, Calif.	Quartz Hill HS
Cole Yocum	LHP	6'1	170	Mesa, Ariz.	Skyline HS

Logan Petet | LHP | 5'11 | 155 | Boise, Idaho | Centennial HS
Ty Vargas | INF | 5'10 | 180 | Palmdale, Calif. | Quartz Hill HS
Cole Yocum | LHP | 6'1 | 170 | Mesa, Ariz. | Skyline HS