BATON ROUGE — Four more players, including two Louisiana natives, have signed national letters-of-intent with the LSU baseball program.
Right-handed pitcher Collin Smith of Pearl River (Miss.) Community College, right-handed pitcher/first baseman Will Harris of Slidell (La.) High School, first baseman/outfielder Josh Kreuzer of West Valley (Calif.) Junior College and right-handed pitcher Matt Capps of Alexander High School in Douglasville, Ga., are scheduled to enroll at LSU in the fall of 2002.
LSU has received letters from eight prospects during the fall signing period. The Tigers are expected to increase that total to 15 players by Wednesday, when the signing period ends.
Smith, a Baker, La., native who played outfielder at Central High School, pitched last season at Bossier Parish (La.) Community College before tranferring to Pearl River CC this year. Smith missed the early portion of the 2001 season due to an ankle injury, but recovered to record three saves in 18 innings of work. The 6-0, 195-pound right-hander posted a 2.00 ERA with 20 strikeouts and 12 walks.
Harris, the brother of current LSU pitcher Clay Harris, is a two-time all-state performer. The 6-4, 230-pound right-hander was 8-1 with a 0.98 ERA last season, and he has a 16-1 career record.
Kreuzer, 6-6, 240-pound native of San Jose, Calif., hit .435 with nine homers and 62 RBI. He received 21 walks while striking out just nine times, and he was hit by a pitch on 20 occasions.
Capps, a 6-2, 225-pound all-state selection, posted an 11-1 record and a 0.95 in 2001. In 54 innings, he recorded 89 strikeouts and 10 walks. He also batted .466 on the year with 13 homers and 44 RBI.
LSU’s earlier signees included catcher Matt Liuzza of Rummel High School in Metairie, La., left-handed pitcher Greg Smith of Alexandria (La.) Senior High School, right-handed pitcher Jered Salazar of Pearl River (Miss.) Community College and shortstop Matt Horwath of Lake Mary (Fla.) High School.