Mizzou Baseball Recruits

■ Final 2009 season stats for Eric Anderson, Mountain Vista HS:

Batting: .507 Avg (38-for-75), 38 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 33 RBI 5 SO, 14 BB, 8-FOR-9 SB, .602 ob%, .960 slg %, 21 PO, 3 #, .909 Fielding %

Pitching: 9-0, 1.806 ERA, 26 G, 5 CG, 2 SHO, 62 IP, 34 H, 21 R, 16 ER, 19 BB, 81 SO, 4.263 K/BB, 0.45 K/7, 0.855 WHIP

■ West baseball star Blake Brown 'pretty special' (pantagraph.com):

Whether sending the baseball sailing over the outfield fence or taking the extra base on a hit to the gap, Blake Brown appears almost effortless.

The swing is smooth and balanced. The stride is swift and efficient.Yet what appears to come easy to the Normal West High School outfielder has been honed by plenty of effort.

And when that off-field labor merges splendidly with Brown’s considerable natural talent, the result is a sight — and a baseball player — to behold.

“He’s pretty special,” West coach Chris Hawkins said. “He’s tough to get out. He’s
very mechanically sound and willing to hit to all fields.”

A University of Missouri recruit who also has drawn the interest of professional scouts, Brown is batting .446 with a school-record 12 home runs, 35 RBIs and 19 stolen bases for the 25-5 Wildcats.

“He’s got a cannon (for an arm), he can swing for power, hit for average and he can run,” said teammate, close friend and offseason training partner Colton Moore. “He’s got all the tools, and he’s using them well.”
. . .
Bloomington coach Steve Clapp, who has coached Brown in summer ball, saw plenty of those abilities last week when Brown blasted five home runs in two games against the Purple Raiders.

“A lot of times people think this is a football, basketball community all the time,” Clapp said. “It’s a shame the community doesn’t come out and see him play. I think he’ll have a great career at Missouri and then opportunities past that. The kid is special.”

Although Brown could be selected in the June first-year player draft, he plans to attend Missouri.

“It’s an honor to be considered for that,” he said. “But I’m putting that on the backburner. I’m thinking about that in my free time and trying to stay focused on the season.”

■ Kale Gaden has been receiving end-of-season accolades. He was named to the Oklahoma All State Team (Large East). He also was named to the Rawlings/Perfect Game All Region Team. And he has been nominated for consideration as the Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year and for High School Louisville Slugger All American.

■ From Tigerboard.com:

tigereye: While we may be losing some good players soon I met a couple of recruits this weekend at the BIG 12 Champ. The Garcia kid [Eric Garcia] just looks like a ball player. He has the body type and build of a MIF. He said he is excited and ready to get started at Mizzou. The other was a position player who just played and won the NJCAA Division III world series. [I don't have a name on thi splayer as of yet - trrip]