Villanova University

Nov. 26, 2007

VILLANOVA, Pa. - During the recent early signing period, the Villanova baseball team inked 10 players to National Letters of Intent. Each of the signees is expected to enroll for the 2008-09 academic year. The Wildcats added five pitchers and five position players to the mix, although several of the players have a chance to be a typical Villanova two-way player and serve in both roles. There are 11 seniors on the Wildcat roster in 2008 and the incoming recruiting class will be one of the largest in the last few years.

"This group of signees as a whole represents one of the top efforts of the entire coaching staff," head coach Joe Godri said. "We are going to lose a lot of players at the end of this season and with this recruiting class we have addressed our needs both in the long term and short term. These 10 players are a nice complement to the players we have here already and will enhance the future of the program."

In recent years, Villanova has had a great deal of success with its recruiting classes, earning mention in the top-100 rankings by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper six times in the last seven years. In addition, the Wildcats have gotten significant contributions from their freshmen and other incoming players each season.

"We try to address specific needs with each recruiting class but our general philosophy is to go out and attract the best athletes possible to our program," Godri said. "We have had success in the past bringing in offensive players who can also help out of the bullpen. Given that we play in the Northeast and in a big home ballpark we always are looking for the top arms available and this group achieves that goal. Assistant coaches Matt Kirby, Chris Madonna and Rod Johnson, along with Doc Kennedy when he was here did a great job with this recruiting class."

Below are profiles of each of the 10 signees.

Jerry Battipaglia
RHP (Katonah, N.Y./Somers HS)

"Jerry is a big right-handed pitcher with a plus fastball who could fit into our pitching staff as either a starting pitcher or a closer. He played for a good fall league team and comes in with great experience."

Scott Buckwalter
INF/OF/P (Harrisburg, Pa./Central Dauphin HS)

"Scott is a big, physically strong player from the middle part of the state. He runs well and can play the corner spots in either the infield or the outfield. We think he has the potential to eventually fill a spot in the heart of the batting order."

Julian Diaz
RHP (Mercerville, N.J./Notre Dame HS)

"Julian is a great athlete who chose to play baseball at Villanova while also being considered for a basketball scholarship at some small schools. He has tremendous upside now that he will be focusing only on baseball."

Cuyler Esposito
2B/SS (Marietta, Ga./Lassiter HS)

"Cuyler lists right now as a middle infielder but he is a plus defensive player who can help us at any infield position. He played this summer for the ECB Shamrocks and is an exceptional athlete."

Carl Fiebig
INF (Darien, Ill./Hinsdale South HS)

"Carl is a pure hitter who can play any position in the infield. We see him contributing to our lineup immediately and see him being a player who can develop into an outstanding all-around offensive player."

Kyle Helisek
LHP (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley HS)

"Kyle is the first player we have signed from the western part of the state and he comes from a state champion program. He throws all four pitches for strikes and we see him being able to contribute in the bullpen and possibly as a starter."

Kyle McMyne
RHP/OF (Old Forge, Pa./Old Forge HS)

"Kyle is a typical Pennsylvania player who only started to get a lot of national exposure pretty late. He is a solid starting pitcher with a fastball in the mid-80's and plus secondary pitches. He can play the field as well and is very capable of helping us in both spots."

Tyler Sciacca
2B/SS (Staten Island, N.Y./Monsignor Farrell HS)

"Tyler is a player that we had tracked for quite a while going into his senior year and he is continuing to improve as he develops physically. He has played with a great showcase team for the Richmond County Baseball Club and will use that experience to his benefit at Villanova.

Thomas Tesauro
RHP (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrenceville Prep)

"Tom was the first player in this class to sign and he chose Villanova over several other national options. He has been profiled as one of the top pitchers in the East by rivals.com and upon his arrival he will compete for innings right away."

Kevin Wager
INF/OF (Vienna, Va./Oakton HS)

"Kevin comes from a military family and hasn't gotten as much exposure as he deserves. We see him developing into a middle-of-the-order hitter who can provide power in the lineup at the corner infield positions or in the infield."