SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State received commitments from a number of high school and junior college standouts in recent weeks to join the Bears' 2023 baseball roster.

It should be noted that Missouri State's class of 2022 high school commits did not play as sophomores due to COVID-19 cancelling their spring 2020 seasons.

Corbin Bassham • 6-2 • 200 • 3B/RHP • Olathe, Kan. • Olathe South High
Bassham was the Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches first-team all-state third baseman after hitting .433 with 29 RBI, 19 runs scored, two home runs, nine doubles and a 1.216 OPS as a junior in 2021. He hit .359 with 10 RBI and a 1.038 OPS as a freshman.

Hitting Coach Joey Hawkins on Bassham:
"Corbin is a physical left-handed hitting third baseman who can also get on the mound with a fastball that sits around 86-87. He has a smooth left-handed swing that produces a lot of contact, and we expect him to grow into a hitter with power from the left side of the plate and be a run producer for our program."


Carter Bergman • 6-1 • 185 • C • Kansas City, Kan. • Basehor-Linwood High
Bergman is coming off a junior season in which he hit .350 with 13 RBI and 10 extra-base hits in 21 games, earning first-team all-United Kansas Conference honors. He was an honorable-mention all-conference pick as a freshman after batting .322 with nine runs batted in.

Hitting Coach Joey Hawkins on Bergman:
"Carter is a highly-ranked catcher from the state of Kansas who is an advanced defender behind the plate. He displays transfer quickness with his catch and throw ability as well as arm strength and accuracy. He is a physical right-handed hitter with hard-hit ability. A high IQ player who plays the game extremely hard and will be a big part of our program's future behind the plate."


Tyler Charlton • 6-2 • 185 • LHP • Foristell, Mo. • Christian Brothers College High
Charlton picked up co-Pitcher of the Year honors in the Metro Catholic Conference as a junior in 2021, tossing four complete games with a 6-1 record, 1.53 ERA and 85 strikeouts against six walks for the CBC Cadets, who finished fourth in the state tournament. He was also a first-team all-conference pick, allowing less than a runner per inning with a 0.95 WHIP. Charlton pitched on the junior varsity as a freshman, striking out 52 batters and walking 11 in 31 innings.

Pitching Coach Paul Evans on Charlton:
"Tyler throws a ton of strikes to both sides of the plate with quick pace. He has good feel for a changeup that he can use at any time and the ability to spin his breaking ball. Tyler will have a chance to fill some competitive innings as a freshman."


Carter DeGondea • 6-1 • 175 • LHP • Raymore, Mo. • Raymore-Peculiar High
DeGondea is a two-way star for the Raymore-Peculiar Panthers, on the mound and in the outfield. He helped the Panthers to a fifth-place state finish as a junior, with a season highlight of hitting a go-ahead grand slam to help his team end a 25-game losing streak to Lee's Summit West.

Pitching Coach Paul Evans on DeGondea:
"Carter displayed impressive loose lower arm slot from left side at our most recent showcase camp. He is a consistent strike thrower with arm side run on his fastball and a plus changeup. His competitiveness should allow for him to fill innings as a freshman."


Garrett Ferguson • 6-2 • 180 • RHP • Blue Springs, Mo. • Summit Christian Academy
Ferguson is coming off a junior season in which he set a school record with 115 strikeouts, doing so in just 60 innings with a 9-1 record, 0.93 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. He also led the Eagles with a .487/.582/1.287 slash line, helping the team to a 20-8 record and both conference and district championships. Individually, Ferguson was a second-team all-state and first-team all-district pick in addition to earning academic all-state recognition. As a freshman, Ferguson was an honorable mention all-conference pick and the rookie of the year, finishing with a 1.59 earned run average.

Pitching Coach Paul Evans on Ferguson:
"Garrett has had a lot of success throwing for Summit Christian but has also thrown in many high-level tournaments on the summer travel circuit. He has a very athletic 6-2 frame with an aggressive delivery down the mound. Currently an upper 80s arm with plenty of room for growth and we are very excited about his future."


Taeg Gollert • 6-2 • 200 • 3B/OF • Toronto, Ontario, Canada • Humberside Collegiate Institute
The 23rd-ranked prospect in Ontario according to Prep Baseball Report, Gollert is an advanced hitter who can play third base or in the outfield. He was unable to play high school baseball in either of the previous two years due to COVID restrictions in his native Canada. Gollert spent Fall 2021 with the Mississauga Tigers travel team competing against college programs in the United States. Gollert's brother, Harley, pitches for Austin Peay.

Hitting Coach Joey Hawkins on Gollert:
"Taeg is a right-handed hitting utility player with an advanced hit tool. His athleticism and plus arm strength profile him as a long-term third base or outfield option for us, but his versatility and pure ability to hit will give him a good opportunity to help our team as a freshman. He played for a high-level Canadian travel team who competed against various D1, D2 and junior colleges this past fall."


Aaron Hayes • 6-0 • 155 • RHP • Weatherford, Texas • Weatherford High/Cloud County CC
Hayes struck out 20 batters in 16.1 innings as a junior college freshman at Cloud County in Concordia, Kan., where he was also an academic all-conference selection. The right-hander threw a perfect game versus Caprock as a senior at Weatherford High in Texas, and finished that year with a 2.67 ERA, .173 opponent average and 27 strikeouts in 21 innings during the COVID-shortened season. He went 2-1 with a 1.78 ERA, .213 opponent average and 16 strikeouts in 19.2 innings as a junior.

Pitching Coach Paul Evans on Hayes:
"Aaron has a slender, athletic frame with a quick arm and possesses much upside with additional strength and weight gain once inside our strength and conditioning program. He has a three-pitch mix which displays a fastball at 90-92 and plus curveball from the right side. Aaron has the ability to come in and impact our team right away and compete for a weekend starting job."


Jake McCutcheon • 6-0 • 180 • SS/2B • Defiance, Mo. • Francis Howell High
McCutcheon earned honorable mention all-state honors as a junior after hitting .407 and slugging .522 with a .506 on-base percentage. He was also a first-team all-conference and all-district selection for the Vikings, who won a district title in 2021. McCutcheon's senior season will be his third as a starter for Francis Howell High.

Hitting Coach Joey Hawkins on McCutcheon:
"Jake is an athletic left-handed hitting middle infielder with advanced actions on the infield. His athleticism and smooth left-handed stroke should be able to help us in multiple spots early in his career, and he should have the ability to really grow inside our player development program."


Miles McKenna • 6-4 • 215 • LHP • Leawood, Kan. • Shawnee Mission South High
McKenna went 2-0 with a 2.20 ERA as a junior before injury prematurely ended his season and tallied a 4-2 record with a 3.20 ERA for the Shawnee Mission South Raiders as a freshman.

Pitching Coach Paul Evans on McKenna:
"Miles is a big, physical left-handed pitcher that has also thrown for Kansas City Royals scout team. He has mid-80s fastball that we envision getting better inside our development program, and we see him as a big part of future pitching staffs."


Hayden Minton • 6-4 • 220 • RHP • Collinsville, Okla. • Collinsville High/Johnson County CC
Minton pitched the 2020 and 2021 seasons at Missouri State and will spend the 2022 campaign at Johnson County CC before returning to the Bears in 2023. In two seasons at MSU, Minton started 12 games and posted a 3.96 ERA with 54 strikeouts and a .230 opponent average in 63.2 innings. He ranked ninth in the Missouri Valley Conference with a .221 opponent average as a freshman and was a Tulsa World Baseball Player of the Year finalist as a senior at Collinsville High.

Pitching Coach Paul Evans on Minton:
"We're very excited to welcome Hayden back into a Bears uniform. He's a proven weekend starter in the Missouri Valley Conference and will be a potential MLB draft pick over the next two seasons with a low to mid 90s fastball and a quality four-pitch mix."


Dylan Robertson • 5-9 • 185 • 3B/2B • Downers Grove, Ill. • Brother Rice High/Iowa Western CC
Robertson earned first-team all-region honors as a freshman last season at Iowa Western Community College, batting .377 with three home runs and 46 RBI for the Reivers, who finished with a 50-10 record. He added 14 doubles and walked 25 times with just 10 strikeouts in 48 games, ending the year with a .462 on-base percentage and .526 slugging figure. He helped the Brother Rice Crusaders to a regional title as a high school junior in Chicago.

Hitting Coach Joey Hawkins on Robertson:
"Dylan is a left-handed hitting third/second baseman with pure hit ability. His bat and zone awareness will allow him to impact our lineup from the time he steps on campus. His left-handed bat combined with versatility and competitiveness will be a huge help to our program. We are excited to see Dylan's power and infield ability develop inside our player development process here at MSU."


Luke Stamps • 6-0 • 160 • RHP • Bentonville, Ark. • Bentonville High
Stamps is an all-conference pitcher who was Bentonville High's opening day starter as a junior, his first season playing on the varsity. He helped the Tigers to a state quarterfinal appearance, tossing 30.1 innings and scattering 21 hits while striking out 37 batters.

Pitching Coach Paul Evans on Stamps:
"Luke is a competitive righty that will sit 86-88 and fill up the strike zone. He uses both sides of the plate and has shown an advanced slider. We expect him to be able to compete for innings as a freshman."


Zack Stewart • 6-2 • 225 • 1B • Lebanon, Mo. • Lebanon High
Stewart was the Ozark Conference MVP as a junior after hitting .425 with seven home runs and helping Lebanon High to its best record in 10 years. A first-team all-state pick in 2021 and member of the Ozarks Sports Zone First 9, he also struck out 65 batters in 39 innings on the mound. Stewart batted .397 with three homers as a freshman on the way to all-conference and all-district honors. His father, Mike, was a member of the 1998 MSU baseball team.

Hitting Coach Joey Hawkins on Stewart:
"Zack is a highly-ranked, strong, physical left-handed hitting first baseman who displays power to all fields and the ability to hit for some contact. His hard-hit ability is through the roof, and we see Zack competing for immediate playing time as a freshman and being a future middle-of-the-order bat in our program."


Tyler Tscherter • 6-2 • 170 • RHP • Reinbeck, Iowa • Gladbrook-Reinbeck High/Kirkwood CC
Tscherter pitched five seasons on the varsity squad at Gladbrook-Reinbeck High in Iowa, posting a sub-2.00 ERA in each of his final four years. He finished his prep career with over 300 strikeouts and 200 innings pitched as a four-time all-conference selection. Tscherter earned second-team all-state honors as a junior and senior, adding conference player of the year both seasons. He helped Kirkwood CC to a Division II JUCO World Series appearance in 2021, going 8-1 with a 2.16 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 50 innings for the 44-22 Eagles. He was a two-time conference pitcher of the week and one-time national pitcher of the week that season.

Pitching Coach Paul Evans on Tscherter:
"Tyler is a very good athlete with a quick twitch and repeatable delivery who possesses an 89-92 mile per hour fastball with ability to spin the ball. He displayed a very nice freshman year for D2 JUCO World Series participants, Kirkwood CC. We expect him to come in and compete for weekend innings as a starter."