Diamond Dandies: CMU Baseball Signs 6
11/13/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - Central Michigan baseball coach Steve Jaksa has announced his Class of 2015 signees.
The class comprises six players, four of whom hail from Michigan, two from Illinois.
Among them is left-hander Grant Wolfram, who recorded 88 strikeouts against just 12 walks in 56 innings while going 8-1 last season for Hamilton High School.
Wolfram is the lone pitcher in the class, and he is a good one. He is ranked as the No. 9 prospect in the state of Michigan and No. 180 in the region by Prep Baseball Report (PBR).
"He's a good-looking specimen of a kid who hasn't filled out yet," Jaksa said of the 6-foot-6, 210-pounder who chose CMU over Michigan, Michigan State, Western Michigan and several other big-name out-of-state schools. "And he has a great attitude."
Joining Wolfram in the class are infielders Jason Sullivan and Jarrod Watkins, catcher Evan Kratt, first baseman Jarod Burton, and outfielder Daniel Robinson.
Kratt hails from Richmond, Burton from Mattawan, and Robinson from Grosse Pointe Woods. Watkins and Sullivan both are Illinois products, Watkins from Washington, Sullivan from Bartlett.
Watkins, who has played every position on the infield except first base, was ranked No. 64 in Illinois by PBR and was named the 2014 Peoria Journal Star Player of the Year. He has a .444 career average and chose CMU over Indiana, Iowa, Illinois State and Bradley.
Sullivan is also an infielder and was ranked 78th in Illinois. He hit .417 with 20 stolen bases last season for St. Francis High School. He selected CMU over Northern Illinois, Ohio, Penn State, and others.
"They both are above-average runners and their skill sets are very high," Jaksa said.
The 6-4 Kratt backstopped Richmond High School to back-to-back appearances in the Division II state championship game, and is ranked as the No. 16 prospect in Michigan and No. 279 in the region by PBR. He is ranked sixth in the state by Perfect Game, a website that rates players from across the country.
He hit .430 in 2014 with a .593 slugging percent and drove in 30 runs. He was also recruited by Michigan, Michigan State and Western Michigan.
"He is a tall and he's a catch-and-throw guy with a quick release and he's going to hit," Jaksa said. "He has some arm strength.
"He is a really nice player, he has a high ceiling, and he is going to fill out. We obviously think a lot of him, and I think a lot of people think a lot of him. We really like the things that I think he is going to bring to us, and it stays with our philosophy of bringing in a catcher every year."
Burton, who bats left-handed, hit .361 with five home runs and 52 RBI last season for Gull Lake High School, and is ranked by PBR as the No. 35 prospect in the state. He also fits the mold of current CMU first basemen Cody Leichman, who is entering his senior season, and junior Zack Fields. That is to say the Burton possess good physical strength and has some pop in his bat.
"We really liked how he played the game, how hard he played the game," Jaksa said. "He would (take a) walk and sprint to first base. He is bound and determined to be a player, and the more we saw of him, we said, `This is a guy we gotta get.'"
Robinson, who attends Grosse Pointe North High School, is ranked 17th in the state and 295th in the region by PBR. He is ranked 18th in the state by Perfect Game.
Robinson, who is also the starting quarterback on the North football team and has received some looks on the gridiron, is a two-time All-Stater who bats and throws left. He selected CMU over Eastern Michigan.
"He has pop in his bat," Jaksa said. "He could have gone other places, but he is excited about us and we are excited about him. He has a chance to being a really good player.
"We like all the student-athletes we think that this is a real good group in terms of attitude."
 | Jarod Burton • IF/OF • L/L • 6-0, 200 • Mattawan, Mich./Gull Lake HS Ranked as the No. 35 prospect in the state of Michigan by Prep Baseball Report ... four-year varsity letterwinner ... 2014 Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association All-District First Baseman ... 2014 South Western Michigan High School Athletic Conference All-Division Team First Baseman ... named MLive Athlete of the Week (June 17, 2014) ... 2014 Kalamazoo Gazette Dream Team ... named to all-tournament team at the Perfect Game WWBA U-16 and U-17 National Championships ... last season, in 137 plate appearances, hit .361 with five home runs, 16 singles, 16 doubles and 52 RBIs and had a .685 slugging percentage and .478 OBP ... played summer ball for the West Michigan Broncos, Maroons HBF U-16 and Midwest Athletics ... also recruited by Eastern Michigan. | |
 | Evan Kratt • C • R/R • 6-3, 185 • Richmond, Mich./Richmond HS Ranked as the No. 16 prospect in the state of Michigan and No. 279 in the region by Prep Baseball Report ... ranked No. 6 in Michigan and No. 500 in the nation by Perfect Game ... three-year letterwinner ... as a freshman, named first team all-district and all-region by the Macomb Daily and RHS Varsity Rookie of the year, helping the team to a conference and district championship ... in sophomore and junior seasons, earned Times Herald First Team All-Conference and Macomb Daily First Team All-District, All-Region and All-County honors, leading RHS to conference, district and regional championships and a state runner-up finish ... also named to the Detroit News All-State Team ... freshman statistics included a .348 average, .430 OBP, 19 RBIs, 31 hits and a .415 slugging percentage ... led the team with a .452 average as a sophomore ... also posted a .531 OBP and .660 slugging percentage and totaled two homers, 38 RBIs and 48 hits ... hit the most doubles in a single season as a junior ... also had a .430 average, .532 OBP, .593 slugging percentage, two home runs, 30 RBIs, and 37 hits ... played summer ball with the Coughlin Cubs, Diamond Demons and East Coast Michigan ... also earned two letters in basketball ... also recruited by Michigan, Michigan State and Western Michigan. | |
 | Daniel Robinson • OF • L/L • 6-3, 195 • Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./Grosse Pointe North HS Ranked 17th in the Michigan and 295th in the region by Prep Baseball Report ... ranked No. 18 in Michigan and in the top 1000 in the nation by Perfect Game ... four-year letterwinner ... selected to 2014 MLive and MHSBCA Dream Teams ... earned first team all-state honors in 2014 ... named second team all-state in 2013 ... played summer ball for the Grosse Pointe Avengers, Redhawks and Redbirds ... also earned four letters in football ... started at quarterback for GPNHS ... selected Central Michigan over Ball State and Eastern Michigan. | |
 | Jason Sullivan • IF • R/R • 5-11, 185 • Bartlett, Ill./St. Francis HS Ranked No. 78 in the state of Illinois by Prep Baseball Report ... ranked No. 42 in Illinois and a national top 1000 prospect by Perfect Game ... four-year letterwinner ... two-year team captain ... 2012 Rich Janor Rookie of the Year Award recipient ... 2013 Rich Janor Golden Arm Award Recipient ... got the nod as the starting pitcher in the 2013 Illinois State Championship Game ... named First Team All-SCC Conference by the Daily Herald ... 2013 First Team All-Area Dupage (Daily Herald) .. 2013 First Team All-Area Kane (Kane County Chronicle) ... 2014 First Team All-SCC Conference (Daily Herald) ... 2014 First Team All-Area Dupage (Daily Herald) ... 2014 First Team All-Area Kane (Kane County Chronicle) ... 2014 All-SCC Player of the Year Runner-Up ... 2014 Rich Janor Louisville Slugger Award Recipient ... posted a .417 batting average and had a .508 on-base percentage with three home runs and 20 stolen bases ... had a .961 fielding average ... played summer ball with Team Demarini and Orioles Scout ... also earned three letters in basketball ... named 2014 All-SCC Conference ... chose Central Michigan over Penn State, Morehead State, Ohio, Southern Illinois, Eastern Illinois, Northern Illinois and Butler. | |
 | Jarrod Watkins • IF • L/R • 6-0, 160 • Washington, Ill./Washington Community HS Ranked No. 64 in the state of Illinois by Prep Baseball Report ... three-year letterwinner ... has played shortstop, third base and second base ... named the 2014 Peoria Journal Star Player of the Year for big and small schools ... earned first team all-conference honors ... selected to play in McDonald's All-Star Game ... has a career batting average of .444 with two home runs ... led the area in average and RBIs ... played three years of summer ball with the Central Illinois Outlaws ... chose Central Michigan over Indiana, Iowa, Illinois State and Bradley. | |
 | Grant Wolfram • P/IF • L/L • 6-6, 210 • Hamilton, Mich./Hamilton HS Ranked as the No. 9 prospect in the state of Michigan and No. 180 in the region by Prep Baseball Report ... four-year letterwinner ... as a freshman, named all-area, all-county and honorable mention all-conference after posting a 2.83 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 52 innings ... recorded a 2.92 ERA with 57 strikeouts in 50 innings with a 5-2 record, earning all-area, all-county, all-conference and all-district honors as a sophomore ... for junior season, recognized as Holland Sentinel Co-Player of the Year and with all-conference, all-area, all-district and all-region honors after posting a 1.00 ERA with 88 strikeouts against 12 walks in 56 innings (8-1 record) .... three-year letterwinner in tennis and basketball ... three-year all-area honoree in tennis ... as a senior, compiled a 30-1 record, receiving all-conference, all-region and all-state recognition ... earned honorable mention all-conference honors in basketball as a junior, leading HHS in points and rebounds ... selected CMU over Michigan, Michigan State, Western Michigan, Missouri, Kentucky, Liberty and West Virginia. |
