Northwest Nazarene University head baseball coach Tim Onofrei has announced that Jeremy Burk, Patrick Forgette, Randy Hall, Evan Parton, Aaron Vaughn, and Matt Voris have each signed Letters-of-Commitment to attend NNU and play for the Crusaders this fall.

Jeremy Burk (LHP, L/L, 5'11, 180, Hanford, WA) graduated from Hanford High School in Richland, WA and has pitched the last two years at Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, OR.  As a sophomore at BMCC, Burk was 3-6 with a 3.38 Earned Run Average in 66.1 innings, giving up 60 hits while walking 27 and striking out a team-high 68 batters.  “Jeremy will be another solid addition to our pitching staff,” Onofrei comments.  “He throws a heavy fastball and has a sharp breaking ball.  We are very pleased that he has chosen to become a student-athlete at NNU.”

Patrick Forgette (RHP, R/R, 5-10, 170, Kennewick, WA/Kamiakin HS) was the closer for the NWAACC East Region regular season champion Columbia Basin College.  He was recently voted to the second-team All-NWAACC East-Region All-Star Team as a relief pitcher after pitching in 17 games.  Patrick pitched 24 innings with a record of 1-0 and earned eight saves, giving up only 15 hits while walking nine and striking out 33.  During his two-year career at CBC, Forgette pitched in 30 games, compiling 44 innings with a 3-0 record, nine saves and a three-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio with 18 walks and 54 strike outs.

Coach Onofrei comments about Forgette, “Pat will add another important dimension to our bullpen as we use our pen at length and with the experience that Pat has closing ballgames for a quality program like CBC, we have every confidence that he will be just as successful here at NNU.  Pat obviously has swing-and-miss stuff with the number of strikeouts he has compiled at CBC, so we are really excited to have him here.”  Forgette plans on majoring in Criminal Justice at NNU and carried a 3.45 Grade Point Average at CBC.

Randy Hall (OF/UT, L/R, 5'8, 165, Eagle, ID / Bishop Kelly HS) joins the Crusaders after two years at Wenatchee Valley College in Wenatchee, WA.  As a sophomore this year at WVC, Hall batted .246 with 16 hits in 65 at-bats with three doubles and an on-base-percentage of .341.  Hall was a first-team all-conference baseball performer as a junior and senior at Bishop Kelly High School in Boise, where he also wrestled and played three years of varsity football.  Onofrei comments, “Randy is a versatile, solid ballplayer with good speed and will help us in several areas on the field.”

Evan Parton (RHP, R/R, 6'3, 220, Leavenworth, WA) is a 2010 graduate of Upper Valley Christian School and competed athletically at Cascade High School in Leavenworth, WA.  Evan was a first-team all-conference performer on the mound in the Caribou Trail League this spring as was also a second-team performer as a junior.  “Evan is an athlete that we are really excited about.  He is a big bodied athlete that really has the potential to be something special during his years at NNU.  He already touches the upper 80's and throws a sharp breaking ball and we are really looking forward to getting Evan into our program and watching him develop.”

Matt Voris (P/INF, R/R, 6'1, 170, Atwater, CA) is a recent graduate of Buhach Colony High School in Atwater, CA.  Voris was an all-area performer on the baseball field as a senior and posted a 3.9 GPA in the classroom.  About Voris coach Onofrei says, “Matt has a real loose arm on the mound and competed well in a very strong baseball area in California.  We look forward to seeing what he will bring to our program on the mound, in the infield, and in the classroom.”

Aaron Vaughn (P/INF, R/R, 5'11, 170, Tucson, AZ) graduated from Pusch Ridge Christian Academy in Tucson, AZ this spring and was named the 2A Southern Region Player-of-the-Year as a senior.  Vaughn posted a 9-0 record on the mound, striking out 58 in 36 innings pitched with a 1.94 ERA.  He hit .580 with an on-base percentage of .663 as he drove in 34 runs and collecting 17 extra base hits.  Onofrei says about Vaughn, “Aaron had a great spring in all facets of the game.  His velocity has climbed to 88 mph and he put up some really impressive numbers at the plate.”  Vaughn is also another solid student, posting a 3.4 GPA at Pusch Ridge Christian Academy.