Tuesday, July 19, 2005

(July 19, 2005) - East Tennessee State head baseball coach Tony Skole announced Tuesday that Darren Caldwell (Spartanburg, S.C.), Troy Mendez (Roswell, Ga.) and Anthony Biello (Lower Gwynedd, Pa.) have signed National Letters of Intent to play for the Bucs, beginning with the 2005-06 season.

            Caldwell is a right-handed pitcher from Dorman High School that can also play the infield and outfield. Current Buccaneer rising senior left-handed pitcher/outfielder Steven Calicutt (Spartanburg, S.C.) also played at Dorman High School from 1999-2002.

            Darren lettered four seasons at Dorman for coach Ben Waddle, with the Cavaliers posting an 80-36 record in that span. He was named all-region and all-county following both his junior and senior seasons. Darren had a 19-6 career record as a pitcher with a 1.20 ERA as a junior and a 2.10 ERA as a senior. At the plate, Caldwell hit .365 as a junior and .385 as a senior. He was a member of the 2003 and 2004 American Legion state champion Spartanburg Post 28 team.

            "Darren is a very versatile player who will help us on the mound and as a hitter," said Skole. "He has a chance to pitch for us right away and as an offensive player his speed can not be ignored. He comes to us from one of the most successful high school programs in South Carolina. Darren has been blessed with a lot of tools and it sure will be fun to coach him."

            Mendez is a left-handed hitting outfielder that played at Roswell High School, alma mater of ETSU rising-senior all-conference first baseman Blake Church (Roswell, Ga.). Troy lettered three seasons for coach Mike Power, with the Hornets going 49-13 over Mendez's last two years. He was second-team all-region following his junior season and was named first-team all-region after his senior year as he led the conference with a .407 batting average.

            "We are very excited that Troy has chosen to come to school and play baseball for ETSU," said Skole "Troy is a left-handed hitting outfielder that can flat-out hit. He led his team in hitting hits past season and seemed to just get big hit after big hit at one of the top high school baseball programs in the United States. I am anticipating Troy to make an immediate impact in our program. I really believe that he will be able to hit at this level right away."

            Biello is a switch-hitting shortstop that played at Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia, Pa. He was a four-year starter for the Blue Devils and was the 2005 team captain. He was named as a 2004 and 2005 Preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball and led his team to a 22-8 record last season. He batted .391 from the left side and .383 from the right side last year, and also had 18 stolen bases in 19 attempts, 21 RBIs and 29 runs scored.

            "Anthony is a pure baseball player," commented Skole. "He simply loves the game and this shows in his tremendous work ethic and in the passion at which he plays the game. He had an outstanding high school career and put up some great numbers both offensively and defensively. Anthony can really catch the ball in the middle of the infield and he should fall right in line with the great middle infielders we have had in recent years at ETSU."

            "These three young men will be a great addition to our program and university, said Skole. "Their youth will provide a spark and bring a lot of positive energy to our ball club. I am excited about their talents on the ball field, but even more impressed by the make-up of these young men. They definitely represent the type of student/athlete which we are attracting to ETSU. The fact that all three of these young men come from very successful high school programs really excites me. All of them know how to win which is very important. Our fans are going to enjoy watching these young men play over the next four years."