BATON ROUGE — Shortstop Micah Schilling of Silliman Institute in Clinton, La., and left-handed pitcher Clay Dirks of Hernando (Miss.) High School have signed letters-of-intent with the LSU baseball program. The signees are scheduled to enroll at LSU in the fall of 2002. LSU has received letters from 10 prospects during the fall signing period, which began on Nov. 14. The Tigers are expected to increase that total to 15 players by Wednesday, when the signing period ends.
Schilling, a 6-0, 190-pound left-handed batter, is regarded as one of the top prospects in the country. He was rated the sixth-best player at last summer’s prestigious Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif. Schilling was also rated No. 4 at the 2001 East Coast Professional Showcase in Wilmington, N.C., and he was rated No. 5 at the 2001 National Top Prospect Showcase in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Schilling, who led Silliman to a state championship in 2000, batted .570 last season with 12 home runs. A two-time all-state selection, he has a .523 career batting average with 38 homers. Schilling has also earned all-state honors as the quarterback for the Silliman football team.
Dirks, a 6-4, 223-pound southpaw, is an all-state performer who has excelled both on the mound and at the plate. He posted an 8-3 record with a 0.92 ERA last season, registering 140 strikeouts and only 27 walks.
Dirks, who batted .600 in 2001, is a career .375 hitter with 12 home runs. Dirks has a 28-11 career pitching record with a 0.85 ERA, 464 strikeouts and 69 walks. He has also earned two letters as a center/forward for the Hernando basketball team.
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, shortstop Matt Horwath of Lake Mary (Fla.) High School, 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.