SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State baseball has received commitments from a number of junior college and four-year transfers to join the Bears' roster for the 2023 season.

Gage Bradley • 6-3 • 190 • RHP • Clarksville, Tenn. • Rossview High/Vanderbilt
Bradley spent his first two collegiate seasons at Vanderbilt, pitching two innings over three appearances with three strikeouts. The Commodores advanced to the College World Series championship series his freshman year, when he was a teammate at VU with current Bear Will Duff. He was rated as the No. 7 overall prospect in Tennessee and the 72nd-ranked right-hander nationally by Perfect Game coming out of Rossview High in Clarksville, Tenn. Bradley was twice a PG Preseason All-America selection as a prep, ranked as the No. 210 overall national recruit, and helped Rossview to its first-ever state playoff appearance and championship in 2018.

Associate Head Coach Joey Hawkins on Bradley:
"We are thrilled to add a high-profile arm like Gage to our program. He was a highly recruited prospect out of the Nashville area and landed at an elite program in Vandy. Gage will bring a power fastball that can touch 95 with two quality secondary pitches. Gage has been having an outstanding summer as a starter in the Ohio Valley League and we look forward to him riding that momentum into our program this year."


Jake Eddington • 6-2 • 195 • RHP • Doniphan, Mo. • Doniphan High/Alabama
Eddington transfers back to his home state after spending two seasons at Alabama, where he appeared in 14 games for the Crimson Tide in 2021 and missed the 2022 season with an injury. Eddington struck out 25 batters in 21 innings as a true freshman, going 1-0 with one start in 14 appearances for an NCAA Tournament club. He was the top-ranked player in Missouri's class of 2020 according to Perfect Game USA out of Doniphan High and was a two-time all-state selection according to the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association. Eddington was also selected to the MLB Prospect Developmental Pipeline League following his high school junior season.

Associate Head Coach Joey Hawkins on Eddington:
"Jake is a premium arm joining us from the University of Alabama who got a ton of experience pitching in the SEC as a freshman. With electric stuff that features a fastball up to 96 and a wipeout slider, we see him throwing extremely important for innings next year for our pitching staff."


Carlos Guzman • 5-11 • 200 • 1B/C • Winter Garden, Fla. • Windermere High/Northwest Florida State College
Guzman joins the Bears after two years at Northwest Florida State College in Niceville, where he hit above .300 in both seasons and was a first-team all-conference pick and all-state tournament selection as a freshman in 2021. In two seasons with the Raiders, Guzman batted .303 with 61 runs, 49 RBI and 21 extra-base hits in 85 games. Originally from Venezuela, Guzman graduated high school in Windermere, Fla., and played for Next Level Academy.

Associate Head Coach Joey Hawkins on Guzman:
"We're excited to have Carlos joining us from a premier JUCO program like NW Florida where he hit in the middle of the lineup for two years. Carlos will bring us a quality bat with the ability to catch and play first base and his work ethic will only allow him to continue to improve at a high level."


Cody Kelly • 6-2 • 185 • C • St. Michael, Minn. • St. Michael-Albertville High/Minnesota/North Iowa Area CC
A highly-decorated prep catcher in Minnesota, Kelly joins the Bears after spending one season at the University of Minnesota and another at North Iowa Area Community College. Kelly was the top-rated catcher in Minnesota by Prep Baseball Report as a senior in 2020 and graduated ninth on the state's career RBI list with 111. He ranked in the top in the state in hits, average and RBI in each of his three high school seasons (senior year in 2020 was canceled due to COVID-19) and was a career .466 hitter. Kelly played in 23 games with 14 starts as a true freshman at Minnesota in 2021, batting .179 with six of his 10 hits going for extra bases. He earned first-team all-region honors at NIACC in 2022, batting .353 with 19 home runs and 51 RBI. Kelly slugged .720 on the season with 35 extra-base hits.

Associate Head Coach Joey Hawkins on Kelly:
"Cody is a dynamic player with elite strike zone management skills and a big-time bat. He's an experienced player at both the D1 and JUCO levels where he put up some impressive numbers. We're excited to have Cody join our program and continue to develop both as a hitter and a catcher where he will be a force in our lineup."


Ryan Lambert • 6-2 • 215 • RHP • Excelsior, Minn. • Minnetonka High/North Iowa Area CC
Lambert struck out 27 batters in 12.2 innings as a junior college freshman in 2022 at NIACC, making 10 appearances out of the bullpen for the Trojans. Pitching for the Minnetonka Skippers in high school, he was a team captain with a 2.04 ERA as a senior in 2021, and had a 0.42 ERA to rank top five in the state in 2019, earning team rookie of the year and all-conference honors as a sophomore in 2019.

Associate Head Coach Joey Hawkins on Lambert:
"We're thrilled to be adding an explosive athlete in Ryan. Coming from a great development program like NIACC we look forward to seeing Ryan continue to improve an arsenal that includes a cutting fastball up to 96 and a power slider and changeup. We expect Ryan to help lock down the back end of our bullpen."


Izzy Lopez • 5-11 • 175 • IF • Fort Worth, Texas • Arlington Heights High/Texas A&M/McLennan CC
A junior college teammate of current Bear Mason Greer, Lopez redshirted at Texas A&M in 2020 and played the last two seasons at McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas, where he won a national championship in 2021. Lopez batted .272 with 16 RBI and 31 runs scored that year and was named a NJCAA All-Academic Third Team member. As a regular starter in 2022, Lopez hit .282 with 47 runs and just 24 strikeouts in 170 at bats while helping the Highlanders to another JUCO World Series berth. He boasted a .401 on-base percentage with 32 walks. A two-time all-state selection in high school, Lopez was the district defensive player of the year as a sophomore and twice named a preseason All-American by Perfect Game.

Associate Head Coach Joey Hawkins on Lopez:
"Izzy will be a great addition for our program and bring many championship qualities to our team after leading McLennan CC to a national title in 2021. He is a high-level defender with big-time baseball IQ in all areas of the game. I look forward to seeing his bat continue to develop inside our program."


Reed Metz • 6-4 • 225 • RHP • Springfield, Mo. • Logan-Rogersville High/Tennessee/Crowder College
Metz returns home after spending his freshman season at Tennessee and sophomore year at Crowder College in Neosho, Mo. He redshirted in 2021 for the College World Series bound Vols and made the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll. Last season at Crowder, he helped the Roughriders to a JUCO World Series appearance and 54-13 record, going 2-1 on the mound in 16 relief appearances with 22 strikeouts, a .239 opponent average and 5.01 ERA in 23.1 innings. A two-way star at nearby Logan-Rogersville High, Metz was an all-district pick in 2018 and 2019 and a second-team all-state selection as junior in 2019. His senior season was canceled due to COVID-19.

Associate Head Coach Joey Hawkins on Metz:
"Reed will be joining us with experience from two incredible programs in the University of Tennessee and Crowder College. He is a big, physical RHP who has a plus fastball that can touch 95 and an outstanding changeup. We look forward to Reed throwing some important innings for us and continuing to develop under the guidance of Coach Petree and our staff."


Nick Rodriguez • 5-10 • 180 • IF • Tampa, Fla. • Jesuit High/Charleston Southern
Rodriguez earned Freshman All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball at Charleston Southern in 2022, where he hit .384 with 18 RBI and 17 runs scored in 34 games. He slugged .493 with a .489 on-base percentage while posting a stellar .971 fielding percentage. Just the second player in CSU history to earn Freshman All-America status and one of four shortstops nationally recognized to the team in 2022, Rodriguez was also a Big South All-Tournament selection as a rookie. Prior to college, Rodriguez played for prep powerhouse Jesuit High in Tampa, Fla., helping the Tigers to state championship as a sophomore, a No. 1 national ranking his junior season and top-five ranking his senior year.

Associate Head Coach Joey Hawkins on Rodriguez:
"We are fired up to add Nick after an incredible freshman campaign at Charleston Southern which resulted in Freshman All-American honors. Nick brings us some elite bat to ball skills and strike zone awareness at the plate. He is a dynamic athlete that is going to bring us some smooth defense and speed on the bases. We look forward to seeing him take his game to another level while developing in our program."


Brandt Thompson • 5-9 • 170 • RHP • Eden Prairie, Minn. • Eden Prairie High/North Iowa Area CC
A junior college teammate of fellow signee Cody Kelly, Thompson ranks eighth in North Iowa Area CC with 112 career strikeouts after a sensational sophomore campaign in which he went 6-0 with a 2.51 ERA. Thompson struck out 70 and walked 22 in 61 innings while holding the opposition to a .217 average on the way to earning second-team all-region honors. He fanned 42 in 31.1 innings as a freshman, going 3-3 with a 6.32 ERA and tossing one complete-game shutout.

Associate Head Coach Joey Hawkins on Thompson:
"Brandt is a pitcher who has developed at an extremely fast rate during his time at NIACC. We're excited to add a durable arm with a true 4-5 pitch mix that includes a fastball that sits at 90-93. I am excited to see he and Coach Petree work together to continue to develop an already impressive pitch arsenal."


Scott Youngbrandt • 6-0 • 195 • RHP • Tinley Park, Ill. • Victor J. Andrew High/Saint Louis
Youngbrandt played his first four collegiate seasons at Saint Louis University, where he spent most of the last two years in the Billikens' weekend rotation with 23 starts. He was a two-time Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week in his career, winning once as a senior (9 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K vs. Morehead State) and once as a junior (7 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K vs. Western Illinois). He finished his SLU career with 25 starts and 33 appearances, going 10-12 with 100 strikeouts in 122 innings. Youngbrandt also made the A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll each of his final three seasons.

Associate Head Coach Joey Hawkins on Youngbrandt:
"Scott brings a ton of value to us on the mound where he has a lot of Division I experience both as a starter and a reliever at SLU. Not only are we excited about Scott's ability on the mound with a four-pitch mix and the ability to attack hitters, but he will bring us a ton of leadership skills and baseball IQ."