July 24, 2009
San Antonio – St. Mary’s University baseball coach Charlie Migl announced on Thursday the signing of six student-athletes to national letters of intent to join the Rattlers, starting with the 2009-2010 academic year. Alice native Roman Gomez; San Antonio natives Greg Herbst and Corbin Oakes; Uvalde native James Hipp; Shreveport, La., native Matt Holland; and Magnolia native James Worsham give the Rattlers 11 signees this offseason.
Gomez (Fr., 6’0″, C/P, Alice, Texas) comes to San Antonio from the traditionally strong baseball program at Alice High School. He was a four-sport athlete at AHS, competing in baseball, football, cross country and swimming. For coach Victor Escamilla’s baseball squad he earned All-District 31-4A honors as a pitcher and was named team MVP as a senior in 2009. He also helped lead Alice to a pair of regional quarterfinal and an area final during his time at the school.
Herbst (Jr., 6’6″, 1B/3B, San Antonio) comes to St. Mary’s after playing at the University of Kansas for the last two years. He hit .267 with three doubles, two homeruns, 11 RBI and six runs scored in just 10 games of action as a sophomore. As a freshman, he played in seven games off the bench, hitting .200 with a pair of RBI. He was named to the KU Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and Academic All-Big 12 for his work in the classroom. Prior to attending Kansas, he was a standout for coach David Collenback at Sandra Day O’Connor High School. He was a 2007 third team all-state and first team all-district selection and was also named to the academic all-state team. He helped lead the team to back-to-back Judson Tournament championships as well as consecutive trips to the bi-district finals. He batted .421 with four home runs, 28 RBIs and eight stolen bases during his senior year. He also went 5-4 with a 2.24 ERA in 59.1 innings on the mound. Off the field he was a member of the National Honor Society and graduated 12th in a class of 714.
Hipp (Sr., 5’11”, OF, Uvalde) joins the Rattlers after playing at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., for coach Jim Toman last season. He saw action in 18 games off the bench, hitting .273 with five runs scored. Prior to his time at Liberty he was a standout at McLennan College in Waco. He was a two-time NTJCAC All-Conference selection. He hit .339 with 42 RBI as a sophomore, was named to the 2007 Texas-New Mexico Junior College All-Star game and was named best male athlete at McLennan as a sophomore. At Uvalde High School he was a three-time all-state honoree for coach Derrick Dietrich. For his play, he was selected to the Texas High School Coaches Association All-Star Team. Off the field, he was named All-State Academic, was a member of the National Honor Society, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Who’s Who Among American High School Students and graduated in the top 10 percent of his class.
Holland (Jr., 5’11”, P, Shreveport, La.) comes to San Antonio after playing the last two years at Panola College for coach Todd Shelton. He helped to lead PC to a conference championship in 2009. On the mound, he went 5-1 with a 4.87 ERA in 15 games and struck out 32 batters in 40.2 innings of work. Prior to attending PC, he was a standout for coach Brian Fowler at Bird High School, where he earned all-city recognition. Off the field he was a member of the National Honor Society and the Honor Roll.
Oakes (Fr., 6’1″, P/1B, San Antonio) was a standout for coach Chaas Chapman at Ronald Reagan High School, earning all-state honors. As a senior he hit .439 with a .569 on-base percentage to earn Texas Sports Writers Association All-State, all-district and San Antonio 5A Super Team honors. He was also a two-time TSRN Tom Bensen Player of the Game honoree. He helped lead RHS to three regional state finals appearances. Off the field he graduated Cum Laude, was a member of the National Honor Society and is a Presidential Scholarship recipient.
Worsham (Jr., 6’1″, P, Magnolia) joins the Rattlers after playing at Midland College the last two seasons for coach David Coleman. He helped lead MC to a 37-21 overall record and a berth in the regional tournament as a sophomore. He saw action in 10 games as a sophomore out of the bullpen. Prior to his time at MC, he was a standout player for coach Dale Westmoreland at Magnolia High School.
St. Mary’s finished the 2009 season with a 36-17 overall record and 32-14 mark in Heartland Conference play. They finished third in the Heartland Conference standings, missing out on a trip to the NCAA postseason by just one game.