Troy University Athletics
Troy Baseball Welcomes 10 Players to Signing Class
11/11/2022 9:21:00 AM | Baseball
TROY, Ala. – Troy University head baseball coach Skylar Meade announced 10 players who signed with the Trojans during the signing period. They will enroll in August 2023 and begin their playing career in the 2024 baseball season.
"First and foremost, I want to thank all of our staff for their efforts in putting together such an exciting recruiting class," Meade said. "Coach Godwin, Wolgamot, Landon, and previously coach McCauley spent tons of time on the road, on phones, and on visits to solidify this difference-making group. Recruiting is the lifeblood of any program aiming to do great things, and I really appreciate the work everyone in the building has done on and off campus to allow this great group of student-athletes to find their new home in Troy."
The signing class includes eight high school seniors and two junior college transfers from Alabama, Canada, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Trevor Bagwell, Tyler Denton, Joseph Garrison, Bernard Moon, Chase Nelson, Pavlos Piperakis, Cooper Smith, Peyton Watts, and Andre Wojtarowicz are all future Trojans part of Meade's second recruiting class at Troy.
The incoming class includes six pitchers and four position players.
Trevor Bagwell
RHP | 6'4 | 170
Zebulon, Ga. | Pike County HS | Home Plate Chili Dogs
"Trevor has every chance in the world to be a top-flight arm once he sets foot on campus," Meade said. He is long and lean, has a clean arm, and attacks with strikes every time he pitches. One of the best scouts in the business, Kevin Burrell, initially told us about him, and we tracked him very closely over the summer. His summer organization (Home Plate Chili Dogs) does a great job in arm development, so we think he will come here and be ultra-prepared to compete immediately."
Tyler Denton
C | 6'0 | 195
Knoxville, Tenn. | Hardin Valley Academy | eXposure
"Ty is a high-level player who brings both the ability to catch and hit with lots of power," Meade said. "Denton hit nine homers in the spring at Hardin Valley and continued to drive the ball with his summer program (eXposure). Brandon Turner, the owner of their program, rarely misses player evals, and he has continually raved about Ty's physical progression over the last two years. Ty has a great personality and will be a connector in our program when he sets foot next August."
Jojo Garrison
RHP | 6'5 | 230
Decatur, Ala. | Priceville High School | VBA
"Jojo is a big, strapping right-handed pitcher who came to our camp in early December of 21'," Meade said. "His coaches with VBA had raved about his progression before camp, and we understood all their sentiments once he threw to his first batter. He is a winner who can already throw three pitches in the zone, has shown enough velo (92 mph), and has the physicality to withstand the rigors of Sun Belt baseball. Jojo has all of the makings of a big-time arm on the national level if he can keep developing physically."
Bernard Moon
INF | 6'2 | 195
Atlanta, Ga. | Redan HS | Georgia Bombers
"Bernie is going to be a superstar in our program if he can continue progressing his game," Meade said. "One of my great friends, Curtis George, initially told me about Bernie during my time at South Carolina. We tracked him closely once we got the job in the summer and spring, as he almost led Redan High School to a state title. He can stay in the infield, hit for power, runs well, and has lightning-quick hands. Above all, he is a great kid, his teammates love him, and he has a great family who supports him along the way."
Chase Nelson
LHP | 6'1| 215
Lebanon, Tenn. | Chipola JC
"Chase was one of the most successful left-handed pitchers in all of junior college baseball last season," Meade said. "Nelson struck out 108 batters in 76 innings pitched and will be ready the day he steps on campus. His combo of fastball (up to 93) and hard-biting slider are pitches that we feel can translate to any conference in the country."
Pavlos Piperakis
RHP | 6'0 | 170
Plantation, Fla. | Saint Thomas Aquinas HS | X-Team
"Pav, we first saw at the WWBA playing for the X Team in Atlanta this summer," Meade said. "He attacks the zone with his combo of three pitches and can really command the fastball to the glove side (up to 89). Addressing the need for left-handed pitchers was very important to us in this class, so getting one as talented as Pav was a massive addition for us. However, Pav still has room to develop physically, and we feel his best years are still ahead of him."
Sam Schmidt
RHP | 6'2 | 175
Hoover, Ala. | Hoover HS | eXcel
"Sam is one of the more competitive arms we saw all spring and summer," Meade said. "He pitches with a purpose, has a real slider, and has already shown enough velo (92 mph) to win early in the Sun Belt. Sam's high school coach (Adam Moseley) has raved about his work ethic and physical transformation over the last year, and we still feel another jump is coming. Our favorite moment in watching him this summer was when he was pitching for Excel baseball in a one-run game; he allowed the bases to get loaded, then dug down deep and struck out the next three hitters while throwing his best fall of the day on the final pitch."
Cooper Smith
INF | 5'10 | 180
Louisville, Ky. | Saint Xavier HS | Canes American
"Cooper is a guy that one of my long-time friends Chris Burke, told me about a while back," Mead said. "Once Coop got in front of our staff, we knew immediately he was a supremely talented ball player. But, more important than that, he is a winner. State title as a football player last year, state champion, and tourney MVP in baseball. He set a state record for triples (13) and plays in the summer for one of the best programs in the country (Canes)."
Peyton Watts
INF | 6'1 | 175
Oxford, Ala. | Oxford HS | Top Gun
"Peyton is a smooth fielding infielder from here in Alabama who we initially saw our first week on the job last summer," Meade said. "He plays in a great summer organization for Robbie Brooks (Top Gun), and they raved about his ability to perform at a high level, day in and day out. Peyton elevates his games against the best players in the country, which we saw by his multiple home runs in the WWBA in July, then again in the fall WWBA in Jupiter."
Andre Wojtarowicz
LHP | 6'4 | 215
Ontario, Canada. / Frontier CC
"Andre is a massive LHP that we first saw at the Grand Park event in Indiana this September," Meade said. "We were struck, but the late hop on the fastball (up to 96) and the feel for the change-up he already possesses. One thing that will separate Andre down the road is his passion for becoming better, which has been evident in the results he has seen as the fall has progressed."
"First and foremost, I want to thank all of our staff for their efforts in putting together such an exciting recruiting class," Meade said. "Coach Godwin, Wolgamot, Landon, and previously coach McCauley spent tons of time on the road, on phones, and on visits to solidify this difference-making group. Recruiting is the lifeblood of any program aiming to do great things, and I really appreciate the work everyone in the building has done on and off campus to allow this great group of student-athletes to find their new home in Troy."
The signing class includes eight high school seniors and two junior college transfers from Alabama, Canada, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Trevor Bagwell, Tyler Denton, Joseph Garrison, Bernard Moon, Chase Nelson, Pavlos Piperakis, Cooper Smith, Peyton Watts, and Andre Wojtarowicz are all future Trojans part of Meade's second recruiting class at Troy.
The incoming class includes six pitchers and four position players.
Trevor Bagwell
RHP | 6'4 | 170
Zebulon, Ga. | Pike County HS | Home Plate Chili Dogs
"Trevor has every chance in the world to be a top-flight arm once he sets foot on campus," Meade said. He is long and lean, has a clean arm, and attacks with strikes every time he pitches. One of the best scouts in the business, Kevin Burrell, initially told us about him, and we tracked him very closely over the summer. His summer organization (Home Plate Chili Dogs) does a great job in arm development, so we think he will come here and be ultra-prepared to compete immediately."
Tyler Denton
C | 6'0 | 195
Knoxville, Tenn. | Hardin Valley Academy | eXposure
"Ty is a high-level player who brings both the ability to catch and hit with lots of power," Meade said. "Denton hit nine homers in the spring at Hardin Valley and continued to drive the ball with his summer program (eXposure). Brandon Turner, the owner of their program, rarely misses player evals, and he has continually raved about Ty's physical progression over the last two years. Ty has a great personality and will be a connector in our program when he sets foot next August."
Jojo Garrison
RHP | 6'5 | 230
Decatur, Ala. | Priceville High School | VBA
"Jojo is a big, strapping right-handed pitcher who came to our camp in early December of 21'," Meade said. "His coaches with VBA had raved about his progression before camp, and we understood all their sentiments once he threw to his first batter. He is a winner who can already throw three pitches in the zone, has shown enough velo (92 mph), and has the physicality to withstand the rigors of Sun Belt baseball. Jojo has all of the makings of a big-time arm on the national level if he can keep developing physically."
Bernard Moon
INF | 6'2 | 195
Atlanta, Ga. | Redan HS | Georgia Bombers
"Bernie is going to be a superstar in our program if he can continue progressing his game," Meade said. "One of my great friends, Curtis George, initially told me about Bernie during my time at South Carolina. We tracked him closely once we got the job in the summer and spring, as he almost led Redan High School to a state title. He can stay in the infield, hit for power, runs well, and has lightning-quick hands. Above all, he is a great kid, his teammates love him, and he has a great family who supports him along the way."
Chase Nelson
LHP | 6'1| 215
Lebanon, Tenn. | Chipola JC
"Chase was one of the most successful left-handed pitchers in all of junior college baseball last season," Meade said. "Nelson struck out 108 batters in 76 innings pitched and will be ready the day he steps on campus. His combo of fastball (up to 93) and hard-biting slider are pitches that we feel can translate to any conference in the country."
Pavlos Piperakis
RHP | 6'0 | 170
Plantation, Fla. | Saint Thomas Aquinas HS | X-Team
"Pav, we first saw at the WWBA playing for the X Team in Atlanta this summer," Meade said. "He attacks the zone with his combo of three pitches and can really command the fastball to the glove side (up to 89). Addressing the need for left-handed pitchers was very important to us in this class, so getting one as talented as Pav was a massive addition for us. However, Pav still has room to develop physically, and we feel his best years are still ahead of him."
Sam Schmidt
RHP | 6'2 | 175
Hoover, Ala. | Hoover HS | eXcel
"Sam is one of the more competitive arms we saw all spring and summer," Meade said. "He pitches with a purpose, has a real slider, and has already shown enough velo (92 mph) to win early in the Sun Belt. Sam's high school coach (Adam Moseley) has raved about his work ethic and physical transformation over the last year, and we still feel another jump is coming. Our favorite moment in watching him this summer was when he was pitching for Excel baseball in a one-run game; he allowed the bases to get loaded, then dug down deep and struck out the next three hitters while throwing his best fall of the day on the final pitch."
Cooper Smith
INF | 5'10 | 180
Louisville, Ky. | Saint Xavier HS | Canes American
"Cooper is a guy that one of my long-time friends Chris Burke, told me about a while back," Mead said. "Once Coop got in front of our staff, we knew immediately he was a supremely talented ball player. But, more important than that, he is a winner. State title as a football player last year, state champion, and tourney MVP in baseball. He set a state record for triples (13) and plays in the summer for one of the best programs in the country (Canes)."
INF | 6'1 | 175
Oxford, Ala. | Oxford HS | Top Gun
"Peyton is a smooth fielding infielder from here in Alabama who we initially saw our first week on the job last summer," Meade said. "He plays in a great summer organization for Robbie Brooks (Top Gun), and they raved about his ability to perform at a high level, day in and day out. Peyton elevates his games against the best players in the country, which we saw by his multiple home runs in the WWBA in July, then again in the fall WWBA in Jupiter."
Andre Wojtarowicz
LHP | 6'4 | 215
Ontario, Canada. / Frontier CC
"Andre is a massive LHP that we first saw at the Grand Park event in Indiana this September," Meade said. "We were struck, but the late hop on the fastball (up to 96) and the feel for the change-up he already possesses. One thing that will separate Andre down the road is his passion for becoming better, which has been evident in the results he has seen as the fall has progressed."
Skylar Meade, Blake Cavill & Zach Crotchfelt SBC Tournament Postgame - South Alabama
Thursday, May 21
Skylar Meade Postgame - ULM Game 2
Friday, May 15
Skylar Meade & Steven Meier Postgame - UAB
Tuesday, May 12
Skylar Meade, Jabe Boroff & Hayden Smith Postgame - South Alabama Game 3
Sunday, May 10