HARRISONBURG, Va., Nov. 29, 2007 – James Madison University baseball head coach Joe “Spanky” McFarland announced the signing of three high school athletes and a junior college player who will join the Dukes for the 2008-09 school year.

“We’ve had two highly-ranked recruiting classes in a row,” commented McFarland, who is entering his 11^th season with the Dukes.  “This class is small, but we’re trying to fill in some key holes from what’s left of the last two classes.  We needed to add a catcher, and of course you need pitching every year.  Plus there’s always a chance we lose a few guys in the draft and we have to prepare for that.  As far as hitting, the catcher is a left-handed hitter and the outfielder is a switch hitter so that helps us out.  Basically, we’re just trying to fill in the pieces to the puzzle to add to the last two classes.”

Kent Burford, Infield/Outfield, 5-11, 185, Waynesboro, Va./Stuarts Draft/Lenoir C.C.

“Kent is a speed guy who will help us both in the infield and outfield.  He played mostly second base last year as a freshman but he might also help us right away in the outfield.  He is also a switch hitter.”

At Lenoir Community College, Burford was named to the National Junior College freshman East West All-Star Game after leading the team with a .472 batting average in 47 games with 42 runs, 68 hits, 15 doubles, 32 RBIs, 16 walks, and an impressive 43 steals in 46 attempts.  He spent the 2007 summer helping his hometown Waynesboro Generals capture the Valley Baseball League championship.

Josh Futter, Right-Handed Pitcher, 6-1, 190, Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake

“Josh throws 87 to 90 miles per hour and can throw the sinker and slider.  He has the stuff to pitch for us right away.”

As a freshman, Futter helped lead Wilde Lake to the Maryland Class 3A state championship game and picked up four wins in the postseason.  He missed much of his sophomore season with injuries but rebounded in 2007 to be named to the All-Howard County Second Team.

Baltimore Sun Article

Jake Lowery, Catcher, 6-0, 185, Midlothian, Va./Cosby

“Many people think Jake is one of the top catching prospects in the Mid-Atlantic region.  He’s a good catch-and-throw guy as well as a left-handed hitter with power.  He has great leadership skills and a strong work ethic.  He has a chance to play for us right away.”

Lowery, who plays for his father, Tim Lowery, at Cosby High School, helped the Titans to a 17-5-1 record and the Dominion District title in the first year of the new high school’s existence.  Lowery was named First Team All-Dominion District, First Team All-Central Region, and Honorable Mention All-State after hitting .433 with 21 RBIs.  He spent the first two years of his high school career at Midlothian High School.

Digital Sports article

Evan Scott, Right-Handed Pitcher, 6-3, 175, Haymarket, Va./Battlefield

“Evan throws 88 to 92 miles per hour.  He’s been coming to camp here for a while so we’ve had our eye on him for quite some time.  He’s got a lot of upside, and we think he’s not done growing yet.”

Scott was the high school teammate of current JMU freshman David Herbek.  He went 4-2 for the Bobcats with a 2.30 earned run average and 68 strikeouts.  Battlefield finished second in the Cedar Run District in just its third season in existence and reached the Northwestern Regional tournament.  Scott was an honorable mention All-District performer.

Washington Post Article

JMU has had the top recruiting class in the CAA and one of the top 80 in the nation for each of the last two years according to rankings compiled by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.  Those two classes make up 17 of JMU’s 27 players heading into the 2008 season.  The Dukes open the season February 23 with a home doubleheader against Binghamton.