University of Nevada Athletics

Feb. 5, 2016

RENO, Nev. - Head coach T.J. Bruce has announced his first signing class at Nevada, as 12 standout players signed their NLIs during the fall signing period to join the Wolf Pack baseball program. Bruce's class consists of 10 prep athletes and two junior college transfers that will join Nevada for the 2017 season.

"One of our goals is to sign highly-athletic players that can play multiple positions and I think we did that with this group," said Bruce, who joined Nevada after being one of the top assistants in the nation at UCLA. "I think with this class we have a lot of athleticism and a lot of guys that can serve multiple roles for us whether it's pitchers or position players. These guys will be a great fit here and we're thrilled to have them join our program."

Bruce's first signing class at Nevada consists of five pitchers, five position players and a pair of two-way players. The class also consists of two Nevada products and 10 players from California.

Bio: A local product from Sparks that will graduate from Spanish Springs High School in the spring of 2016 … Member of the Oakland A's Area Code team for the 2015 Area Code Games … Ranked as the No. 2 left-handed pitching prospect out of Nevada according to Perfect Game … Earned letters in baseball, basketball and tennis with the Cougars … Posted a 2.20 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 43 innings as a junior, leading team to a High Desert League championship … Posted a 3.8 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 36 innings as a sophomore … Both his parents attended Nevada as his father played baseball and his mother played volleyball, while his sister is currently a junior on the volleyball team … Native of Sparks, Nev.

Bruce on Anderson: "Ryan has a lineage here at Nevada with his family. Going after Ryan was a huge get for us and he was a big target right off the bat, especially because he's a local product. He's a tall, physical, left-handed pitcher and he has the chance to be special."

Bio: Currently attending Chabot College in Hayward, Calif. … Played in 36 games in the 2015 season as a freshman with a .326 batting average and a .432 on base percentage … Tallied 46 hits, 26 runs and a team-best 32 RBI … Also pitched in eight games with four starts, logging 17.2 innings … Originally attended Hawai'i out of high school before transferring to Chabot … Was named to the 2014 Perfect Game Summer Collegiate All-American Second Team after batting .365 with the Alameda Merchants in summer ball … Graduated from Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, Calif. in 2014 … Earner three letters in baseball … Earned first team all-league and team MVP honors as a senior, leading Amador Valley to a 2013 CIF-NCS Division I title … Posted a 7-3 record on the mound with a 2.81 ERA while batting .409 as a senior … Native of Pleasanton, Calif.

Bruce on Echavia: "I think we have one of the best junior college bats in the state of California in Michael. He has the right makeup and toughness to be a big part of this team."


Bio: Will graduate from Westlake High School in the spring of 2016 … On track to become a four-year letter winner on the Warriors' baseball team … Named the second-best middle infield prospect in California and the 12th-ranked middle infielder in the nation according to Baseball America … A two-time Perfect Game Underclass High Honorable Mention selection … Earned first team all-league and all-county honors as a junior, batting .326 with 14 runs and 10 stolen bases … Batted .330 with 23 runs as a sophomore, earning second team All-Marmonte League honors … Set a high school record for top batting average by a freshman, batting .394 with 21 runs to earn Freshman Cal-Hi All-State honors … Played on the USA under-17 national team … Native of Moorpark, Calif.

Bruce on Flores: "I've recruited Tyler for the last few years. He's a multi-talented player than can play all positions. We're looking for him to come here and play in the infield. I think he's a player where you know what you have athletically, you just have to put the entire skill-set together."

Bio: Will graduate from Pioneer High School in the spring of 2016 … A letter winner in both baseball and basketball at Pioneer HS … A top-500 national recruit and the 48th-ranked RHP out of California according to Perfect Game … Represented team Pacific in the 2015 Under Armour All-American Pre-Season Tournament … Native of San Jose, Calif.

Bruce on Ford: "Grant is a starting pitcher. His arm works and has great stuff and I think he is an ultra-competitive player. I think he has the type of arm that you need at the college level and one that we need here at Nevada."


Bio: Currently attending Palomar Junior College for the 2016 season … Graduated from Great Oaks High School in 2015 as a three-year letter winner in baseball … Named to the 2015 Perfect Game California Region All-High School honorable mention team … Named Southwest League MVP and team MVP as a senior after batting .398 with 35 RBIs and a 2.47 ERA on the mound … As a junior, batted .405 with 26 runs, 24 RBI and five home runs while pitching 6.2 innings with a 2.10 ERA … Earned second team All-CIF, second team all-state and first team all-conference accolades … Helped guide Great Oaks to a 23-7 record and Southwestern Section title in 2014 … Native of Temecula, Calif.

Bruce on Hayes: "Much like Trenton (Brooks), Mitchell is a two-way guy that will provide us depth on the mound. He could be a big arm out of the pen or a starter, but he's definitely a left-handed infielder that will play a key role for us."


Bio: Will graduate from Valhalla High School in the spring of 2016 … Is a three-year letter winner in both baseball and basketball at Valhalla … Named to the Milwaukee Brewers Area Code Roster for the 2015 Area Code Games … As a junior, batted .370 with three home runs and 16 RBIs while also posting a 3-2 record on the mound with a 2.68 ERA in 2015 … Earned All-Grossmont Hills League Second Team honors as a junior … Helped lead Valhalla to a runner-up finish in the 2014 CIF San Diego Section D1 Championship … Named to the South Roster for the 2015 California Baseball Coaches' Association Annual North South Series … Two-time UT San Diego All-Academic honoree … Earned first team all-league and all-county honors in basketball while earning team's MVP award as a junior … Averaged 17.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game as a junior … Received Valhalla's Outstanding Underclassmen award for athletics for the 2014-15 and 2013-14 seasons … Selected as a top-50 prospect out of California and the fourth-ranked third basemen in the state according to Baseball America ... Native of Jamul, Calif.

Bruce on Henderson: "Cole played on a premier area code team in southern California. He's also a two-way guy that can pitch and play corner infield. He's a sinker, slider guy on the mound and is really competitive. We're looking forward to getting Cole here and having him contribute on both sides for us."


Bio: Will graduate from Orange Lutheran High School in the spring of 2016 … Posted a 6-3 record with a 2.74 ERA and 38 strikeouts as a junior in 2015 … Native of Orange, Calif.

Bruce on Mattson: "Luke comes Orange Lutheran High School and the Trinity League, which is one of the better conferences in all of California. He's a starter down there, so we look for him contributing here. Once he fills out and puts some weight on, he'll be a very good pitcher."


Bio: Will graduate from Santa Monica High School in the spring of 2016 … On track to become a three-year letter winner on Santa Monica's baseball team … Selected as a top-100 prospect out of California and a top-500 prospect nationally by Perfect Game … Batted .338 as a junior in 2015 with a .407 OBP while earning his team's defensive player of the year honor … Named to the All-Ocean League second team in 2015 … Also batted .358 as a sophomore in 2014 with a .482 OBP … Played for the Reds AAU team, which participated in the Goodwill Series held in Australia … Native of Los Angeles, Calif.

Bruce on McLaughlin: "Jaylon plays short for his high school and he's a talented guy that could play any sport. He's looking to come in and be one of the anchors of this infield and do quite a bit for us. We're thrilled to welcome him to our program."

Bio: Will graduate from Marina High School in the spring of 2016 … Posted a 1.75 ERA as a sophomore in 2014 … A native of Huntington Beach, Calif.

Bruce on Ohl: "He's a big, physical, right-handed pitcher. I think he has a heavy ball and the ceiling for him will be very high. His velocity is improving and when he gets to Nevada, he'll be bringing a big arm for our team."


Bio: Will graduate from Granite Hills High School in the spring of 2016 … On track to become a three-year letter winner on the Granite Hills baseball team … Earned letters with the baseball team in 2014 and 2015, helping lead Granite Hills to consecutive conference championships … Batted .340 as a junior, earning second team all-league honors … Cousin of junior Trenton Brooks … Member of the National Honor Society … Native of El Cajon, Calif.

Bruce on Shrum: "Dillon is from Granite Hills High School, the same as Trenton Brooks, which is a highly-successful program. He has big power potential. We see him as a right-right, first base, power player for us here at Nevada and we look forward to him joining our program."


Bio: Will graduate from Bishop O'Dowd High School in the spring of 2016 … Selected to the Oakland A's Area Code team before participating in the 2015 Area Code Games … Earner Perfect Game Underclass All-American Honorable Mention honors … Selected as a top 100 prospect out of California and top 500 prospect nationally according to Perfect Game … Has earned letters in baseball, football and track and field at Bishop O'Dowd High School … Led team to a North Coast Section league title as a junior in 2014 … National Honor Society member … A native of Oakland, Calif.

Bruce on Statum: "Otis is another area code player, which is a big deal for us. He's a corner outfielder with the combination of size and speed that you don't see every day. We're lucky to get him and we think he'll thrive here at Nevada."


Bio: A local product and graduate from Reno High School … Currently attending Western Nevada College … As a freshman, appeared in 17 games with 13 starts and an 8-4 record with the Wildcats … Also tallied a 2.82 ERA through a team-high 92.2 innings while striking out 65 batters … Led the conference in innings pitched and wins … Named to the All-Region second team …. Won WNC's pitcher of the year honor … Graduated from Reno High School in 2014 … Was a letter winner in both baseball and football in high school … As a senior in high school, led the Huskies to a Division I North regional championship while posting an 11-1 record with a 2.09 ERA on the season … Named to the 2014 All-State first team, RGJ All-North first team and All-North Pitcher of the Year … Also named to the 2013 All-North team.

Bruce on Young: "Matt's a local guy that we're excited to have. He's a left-handed pitcher that is really competitive - he played multiple sports in high school. Being a local guy, we're fortunate to get him and he'll bring some college experience with him here to Nevada."