SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Missouri State baseball head coach Keith Guttin announced Wednesday (Nov. 16) the receipt of official commitments from 10 high school standouts and one junior college transfer during the NCAA's early signing period. The Bears' signing class features seven players ranked among the top 20 prep seniors in Missouri, including four of the top 10-rated prospects in the state, according to Prep Baseball Report.

The new additions to the Bears' 2017-18 roster include eight pitchers, highlighted by Ty Buckner (St. Louis, Mo.), Mason Dickemann (Springfield, Mo.), Zach Gibbs (Wentzville, Mo.), Jake Hausmann (St. Charles, Mo.), Matt Russell (Kansas City, Mo.), Davis Schwab (Leawood, Kan.), Connor Sechler (Bolivar, Mo.) and Dennis Yingling (St. Louis, Mo.). Additionally, MSU added infielders Sam Faith (St. Charles, Ill.) and Robbie Merced (Springfield, Mo.), as well as catcher Max McGuire (Lincoln, Neb.).

"It's a pitching-heavy class," Guttin stated. "We feel like we have some good arms coming in, but the draft could impact that, so we'll have to wait and see. We expect to lose three infielders off our current roster next year, and we feel all of our infield signees will have a chance to come in and compete right away."

Ty Buckner - RHP 
St. Louis, Mo. - Ladue Horton Watkins High School
Buckner, the No. 6 overall prospect in the state of Missouri according to Prep Baseball Report, is coming off a strong junior campaign that saw the right-hander earn Suburban Central National Conference Player of the Year honors after going 3-2 with a 1.90 earned run average and 61 strikeouts in just 48 innings of work for Ladue (Mo.) Horton Watkins High School. As a sophomore, Buckner logged a perfect 5-0 mound mark and a 2.23 ERA and pitched a perfect game to earn all-conference recognition. He is also a two-time all-conference honoree as a second baseman and was named an Underclass Honorable Mention All-American by Perfect Game as a sophomore and junior.

MSU assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Nate Thompson on Buckner:
"Ty has great pitchability and he's still developing. He continues to add velocity and we really like his upside. We feel he can step in and compete against Division I hitters immediately and have success."

Mason Dickemann - RHP
Springfield, Mo. - Springfield Catholic High School
Dickemann will join the Missouri State program after completing his standout prep career as a right-handed pitcher and infielder for Springfield (Mo.) Catholic High School. A Second-Team Missouri Class 3 All-State pick as a shortstop last spring, Dickemann compiled a 5-1 mound mark with 60 strikeouts for a 21-8 Irish squad. Rated by PBR as the No. 16 overall Class of 2017 prospect in the state of Missouri, the All-COC Small and all-district honoree also batted .402, slugged .587, swiped 14 bases and drove home 23 runs as a junior.

Thompson on Dickemann:
"Mason is a local kid with a live arm and great frame. He is a very hard worker and good athlete who will look to compete as a two-way player. We think he profiles really well on the mound and will only continue to get better."

Sam Faith - IF
St. Charles, Ill. - St. Charles North High School
Faith has been a key figure for a potent St. Charles (Ill.) North High School club that won 66 games over the last two seasons, including a third-place finish in the Illinois Class 4A state tournament last spring. The switch-hitting middle infielder was selected to compete with the 2016 USA Baseball 17U National Team Development Program (NTDP) this past summer and was a two-time Perfect Game Underclass Honorable Mention All-America selection.

Thompson on Faith:
"Sam is very athletic, a dynamic, physical switch-hitting middle infielder who can really play. He can play any position on the infield with the ability to hit for power and average. We expect him to come in and compete for immediate playing time."

Zach Gibbs - RHP
Wentzville, Mo. - Holt High School
A versatile player who has excelled as a catcher, infielder and pitcher for Wentzville (Mo.) Holt High School, Gibbs was a Missouri Class 5 All-State selection last spring for a 22-8 Indians club. Ranked 19th overall in Missouri by PBR, Gibbs was the GAC Central's Player of the Year, as well as an all-academic team pick in 2016 after hitting .517 with three homers and 29 RBIs and logging a 2.63 ERA with 50 K's in 34 innings on the mound.

Thompson on Gibbs:
"Zach has a strong arm and an above average breaking ball as an out pitch. We feel he can come in and get outs right away at this level. We're really excited about his stuff."

Jake Hausmann - RHP
St. Charles, Mo. - Christian Brothers College High School
Hausmann compiled a 3-2 record with 34 strikeouts in 27 innings of work as a junior last spring for CBC High School. The 6-6 right-hander was rated as the No. 10 overall prospect in the state of Missouri by PBR, as well as a two-time Underclass High Honorable Mention All-America choice by Perfect Game. Additionally, he was a member of the Cadets 2015 Missouri Class 5 state championship squad that finished 32-7.

Thompson on Hausmann:
"Jake is a strong, physical right-hander with great stuff. He has a high ceiling and we feel like he can really progress in our system under (pitching coach) Paul Evans' tutelage."

Max McGuire - C
Lincoln, Neb. - Lincoln Southwest High School
McGuire will join the Bears after completing his prep career at Lincoln (Neb.) Southwest High School, where he hit .330 with a home run and 28 RBIs as a junior last spring to earn Nebraska Super-State and Class A All-State recognition. The catcher handled all 195 defensive chances without committing an error behind the plate to help lead the Silverhawks to their second-consecutive Heartland Athletic Conference and state Class A third-place finish in 2016. Ranked as the No. 3 recruit in Nebraska by PBR, McGuire was also a 2016 Underclass High Honorable Mention All-America selection by Perfect Game.

Thompson on McGuire:
"Max was our first commitment in this class. He's one of the premiere defensive catch-and-throw guys in the region. He's got a great frame — very strong and very physical. He has a ton of upside and he's only going to continue to get better."

Robbie Merced - IF
Springfield, Mo. - Springfield Kickapoo High School
Merced becomes the latest Springfield Kickapoo High School product to join the Bears, bringing strong baseball bloodlines and a proven track record as a prep multi-sport standout to Hammons Field. The son of 13-year Major Leaguer Orlando Merced and the great-grandson of 1955 National League Rookie of the Year Bill Virdon, Merced ranks as the No. 38 prospect in Missouri according to PBR. He helped the Chiefs to third-place Missouri Class 5 finish as a sophomore in 2015, as well as a 24-8 campaign last spring. Merced also prospered on the grid iron, playing a key role as a receiver for a program that went 21-3 over the last two seasons.

Thompson on Merced:
"Obviously Robbie is a local product with great bloodlines. He has a great frame, and he's been in our camps quite a bit, so we've seen him develop. He's going to continue to grow into his frame and he has a bright future as a middle infielder."

Matt Russell - RHP
Kansas City, Mo. - Staley High School
Russell enters his final prep season with an already-impressive resume as a right-handed stopper for Kansas City's Staley High School, the same program that produced current Bears Bryan Young and Jack Duffy. As a junior, Russell recorded a 6-2 record to go along with a 1.94 earned run average to garner honorable mention Missouri Class 5 All-State recognition after helping his club to a school-record 31 wins and a district title. In 2015, Russell went 4-0 with a 2.78 ERA as part of a Falcons' squad that posted state runner-up finish. Russell is rated as the fourth-best Missouri prep prospect in this year's class, the No. 2 right-handed pitcher in the state and the 164th overall prospect nationally by PBR.

Thompson on Russell:
"Matt, you could say, bloomed late and we're really excited to get him when we did. He has a long frame and great stuff that projects really well at this level. We expect him to compete early and develop into special arm with a bright future for the Bears."

Davis Schwab - LHP
Leawood, Kan. - Johnson County Community College/Blue Valley West High School
The lone transfer in this year's signing class, Schwab will join the Bears following stints at Kansas State and Johnson County Community College. The left-handed pitcher made four mound appearances for K-State last spring as a freshman after posting a standout prep career at Blue Valley West High School in Overland Park, Kan. He was a two-time all-conference honoree and a 2014 Kansas 6A All-State selection after logging six saves and a 1.58 ERA for the Jaguars' regional championship squad as a junior. Rated as the No. 17 Kansas prospect in the class of 2016 by PBR, Schwab was also a 2015 Preseason All-Central Region choice by Perfect Game.

Thompson on Schwab:
"Davis is another strong, well-built prospect. He has plus-velocity, a plus-breaking ball and he's pitched at the D-I level already. He was a good get for us and we feel he can come in and impact our staff quickly."

Connor Sechler – RHP
Bolivar, Mo. - Bolivar High School
The Bears will be adding another highly-accomplished and versatile athlete to their roster in Sechler, a two-sport standout who has helped Bolivar (Mo.) High School to conference and district titles on both the diamond and grid iron during his four-year prep career. As a right-handed pitcher, Sechler set Bolivar school records for strikeouts (100) and innings pitched (65), while going 7-3 with a 1.78 earned run average as a sophomore. The two-time all-district and All-COC Small honoree pitched a pair of no-hitters in 2015, before logging a 6-2 mound mark and a 1.50 ERA last spring en route to garnering second-team Class 4 All-State recognition. Ranked No. 12 among all Missouri prep seniors by PBR, he also led the Liberators to their 14th consecutive conference title in football this fall while setting a program single-season record to touchdown passes.

Thompson on Sechler:
"Connor is really good athlete with a strong arm. He's a guy who has a great frame and we feel he has a high ceiling under Coach Evans' guidance."

Dennis Yingling - LHP
St. Louis, Mo. - Lindbergh High School
Rated by Prep Baseball Report as the top graduating prep left-handeder in the state of Missouri, Yingling will give the Bears another promising arm after completing a standout career at St. Louis's Lindbergh High School. The two-time All-Suburban West Conference honoree has racked up 14 mound victories over the last two seasons, including a junior year that included 77 strikeouts in 61 1/3 innings last spring that netted Yingling a second-team Class 5 All-State nod. A two-way threat, he also batted .356 with four homers and 30 RBIs to help the Flyers to a fourth-place finish at the state tournament. Yingling was equally impressive as a junior, going 7-0 with a 1.34 ERA as part of a conference and district championship Lindbergh squad.

Thompson on Yingling:
"Dennis is a quality left-handed arm and one of the top high school pitchers in the state last year. He can really pitch. He throws multiple pitches for strikes, locates well and competes well. We think he can come in and have an immediate role and impact on our staff.

MSU opens the 2017 campaign Feb. 17 vs. Rhode Island as part of the McNeese State Lake Area Classic at Joe Miller Ballpark in Lake Charles, La. The Bears, who finished with a 38-21 season record last spring, will welcome back 15 letterwinners, including six position starters and the bulk of a deep 2016 pitching staff. Junior third baseman Jake Burger returns after earning All-America honors each of his first two seasons as a Bear, as does senior closer Bryan Young and three-year regulars Blake Graham and Aaron Meyer.