Nov. 18, 2015
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Missouri State head coach Keith Guttin announced Wednesday (Nov. 18) the receipt of official commitments from five high school standouts and four junior college transfers during the NCAA's early signing period.
The Bears' batch of new recruits includes a pair of players ranked among the top 20 prep seniors in the state of Missouri, two of the top 40 members of the class of 2016 in Illinois, as well as two juco products who were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft over the last two seasons.
The new additions to the Bears' 2016-17 roster include pitchers Hunter Dame (Lebanon, Mo.), Kolton Gonnerman (Cincinnati, Iowa), Anthony Herron, Jr. (St. Charles, Mo.), Tyler McAlister (Waterloo, Ill.), Doug Still (Sikeston, Mo.) and Nate Witherspoon (Eureka, Mo.), outfielder Jack Duffy (Kansas City, Mo.), catcher Drew Millas (Swansea, Ill.) and two-way standout Trey Turner (Seneca, Mo.).
"Overall, I feel like we've really addressed some key needs with this class," MSU assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Nate Thompson said. "We've added some high-level arms -- some guys who have been very good in the past and whom we expect to come in and compete for time on the mound immediately. We've also gained some speed and athleticism with the position players in this group."
Dame, a right-handed pitcher, is the No. 20 senior in the state of Missouri and the eighth-rated player at his position according to Prep Baseball Report (PBR). The Conway High School product is a two-time all-state honoree, as well as a 2015 Underclass Honorable Mention All-American choice by Perfect Game and an Under Armour Futures Game selection. Dame logged a 9-2 record to go along with an 0.93 earned run average as a junior last spring, striking out 117 batters in 67.2 innings for a Bears squad that went 27-5 and won a district championship. The three-time All-Summit Conference selection was a first-team Missouri Class 3 All-State pick as a sophomore after posting an 8-0 mound mark and an 0.97 ERA during a season that saw him set the Conway school record with 17 strikeouts in a single game.
Duffy enters his senior campaign rated as Missouri's sixth-best prep prospect and the No. 34 outfielder nationwide in the class of 2016, according to PBR. A first-team Missouri Class 5 All-State selection as a junior and a Perfect Game Underclass Honorable Mention All-America pick, Duffy will not only bring his reputation as a defensive wizard in the outfield, but also a strong offensive track record to the Bears. Last spring, he batted .460 with 46 hits, 29 runs scored and 26 RBIs, while swiping 16 bases for a Staley club that finished as the state's Class 5 runner-up with a 27-5 record. He was named to the Kansas City Star's All-Metro First Team and was a participant in the 2015 WWBA World Championship.
Gonnerman will join the Bears for his final two collegiate seasons after completing his two-year stint at Marshalltown (Iowa) Community College, where he went 3-2 with a 3.07 earned run average over 29.1 innings as a freshman this past spring. The right-hander was an INA Class 3 All-State pick as a senior at Centerville High School, posting a 7-0 mound mark with a 1.17 ERA, while hitting .381 with six homer, 38 RBIs and 20 steals for the Big Reds. As a prep junior, he was an all-conference and all-district pick after logging 84 strikeouts. A five-sport prep athlete, he also competed in the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Series.
Herron also comes to Missouri State on the heels of an impressive debut season with Jefferson College, where he recorded a 7-2 record and an impressive 12.02 strikeout per 9.0 innings pitched ratio. The St. Louis native logged a 1.76 ERA with 89 total K's in just 66.2 innings for the Vikings to earn NJCAA All-Region 16 honors, then turned in a solid summer pitching in the prestigious Northwoods League, finishing with a 1.52 ERA and 15 strikeouts in his 17.2 innings with Eau Claire. Herron was the No. 5 prospect in the state of Missouri as a senior for Affton High School, rating as the No. 2 right-handed pitcher in the class of 2014. He was tabbed a second-team Central Region selection by Perfect Game and was selected in the 32nd round of the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft by his hometown Cardinals.
McAlister is a two-way prep standout for Waterloo (Ill.) High School, where he earned 2015 Underclass Honorable Mention All-America recognition from Perfect Game. The right-hander recorded a 4-2 mound mark to go with a 2.50 ERA with 38 strikeouts over 34 innings, while batting .458 and slugging .807 with seven homers and 36 RBIs as a junior for the Bulldogs' conference and regional championship squad. The No. 36 overall recruit in Illinois according to PBR, McAlister was an honorable mention choice for the Belleville News-Democrat Large-School (Class 3A-4A) All-Area team, then went 6-1 on the mound this past summer for the Rawlings Tigers.
Millas will bring deep Missouri State bloodlines, as well as his reputation as a versatile and athletic backstop to Springfield next fall. The three-sport standout at Belleville East High School is a two-time all-conference pick in baseball and the No. 4 catcher in the state of Illinois according to PBR. He was an Underclass High Honorable Mention All-America pick before hitting .360 as a junior and picking all-tournament honors at the 17U Perfect Game World Series. The son of former Lady Bear Nel (Patton) Millas and the nephew of MSU football letterman Dave Spring, Millas was also an all-conference pick on the grid iron as the Lancers' quarterback this fall, breaking numerous East single-season and career passing records.
Still is the second Jefferson College mound product in this year's recruiting class, as the two-time Major League Baseball draftee went 5-2 with a 4.70 ERA and 42 strikeouts in 44.0 innings of work in his debut season with the Vikings. Still was a two-time all-conference and all-district performer for Sikeston High School, where he went 5-0 with an 0.81 ERA as a junior before being selected by Atlanta in the 33rd round of the 2014 MLB Draft following his graduation. The Braves chose Still again in this past June's draft, this time using a 30th round pick on the left-hander.
Turner, a two-way threat, will join the Bears after completing his second season at Crowder College, where he batted .321 with five homers, 41 RBIs and 41 runs scored as a freshman this past spring. An outfielder and right-handed pitcher, Turner was a first-team Central Region selection by Perfect Game, a two-time all-district performer and the Central Ozarks Conference Co-Player of the Year as a prep senior at Neosho High School, where he hit .455 with 11 homers, while logging a 4-2 mound mark and a 1.37 ERA with 75 strikeouts. He was rated as the No. 9 overall prospect in the state of Missouri, as well as the third-best outfielder in the class of 2014, by Perfect Game.
A left-handed pitcher, Witherspoon was a first-team All-Suburban West Conference pick and an honorable mention MHSBCA All-State selection this past spring after posting a 6-1 record and 1.50 ERA for Eureka High School. Witherspoon ranked among the conference's leaders in strikeouts with 45 while issuing just 11 walks in 42.0 innings, helping the Wildcats to a 24-6 season that culminated in a fourth-place Missouri Class 5 finish.
The Bears finished with a school-record 49 wins last spring en route to capturing both the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles, as well as the Springfield Regional crown to advance to their second NCAA Division I Super Regional. MSU, which opens the 2016 season on Feb. 19 at UCA, will welcome back 18 letterwinners and five regular position starters from last year's club.
