McNeese State baseball coach Terry Burrows recently announced the signing of eight standout athletes, four from the junior college ranks and four out of high school.

            The eight will join the Cowboys for the 2010-11 season.

            Junior college signees include infielder/catcher Renny Weber of Bossier Parish CC, outfielder/first baseman Kyler Crenshaw and pitcher John Tatum of Angelina College and pitcher Tyler Parke of Central Arizona.

            Prep signees  include local standout pitcher/infielder Ty Griffen of St. Louis High, outfielder K. J. Semien of Atascocita High (Humble, TX), infielder Connor Lloyd of Harleton High (Marshall, TX) and infielder Taylor Drake of Blue Valley High (Stillwell, KS).

            Burrows said that all signees were outstanding athletes and that he expected each to make a strong contribution to the team during their careers.

            Weber was a prep standout at Destrehan High School where his .543 batting average and 40 RBI total in his senior year still rank among the highest in school history. As a rookie last year at Bossier, Weber batted .408 with one home run and 37 RBIs in  45 games.  He  only struckout 13 times in over 150 at-bats. Weber also ranked in the top 10 in hitting in not only Region XIV East Conference, but was in the top 10 in the entire region, which includes 14 teams. His outstanding campaign allowed him to be named to the 2009 Region XIV East All-Conference team as a catcher, as well as be nominated for the 2009 Texas/New Mexico Junior College All-Star game. He is the son of Steven and Becky Weber.

            Crenshaw is a very athletic player was also in the 2009 Texas/New Mexico Junior College All-Star Game. Out of Brenham High School, Crenshaw competed in both football and baseball. During his senior year, he earned honorable mention all-district honors as a quarterback in football and followed that up by batting .427 with 13 doubles, three home runs and 46 RBIs in baseball. He was an all-state selection in baseball two years running and was named to the 2008 All-Brazos Valley Team and 2008 All-Greater Houston Team. At Angelina, he hit .353 with five home runs and 20 RBIs. He is the son of Kip and Kim Crenshaw.

            Tatum is also currently a member of the Angelina  baseball team. He will step onto the McNeese campus  primarily as a pitcher. As a three year letterman at Texas 5A powerhouse Lufkin HS, he was an all-district honoree throughout his career. As a junior, he pitched 24 innings with 48 strikeouts and he posted  a sub 2.00 ERA. As a senior, arm troubles prevented  him from pitching but he hit over .300 with eight homers and 40 RBIs. A 6'4, 210 pounder, he has a very live fastball and good off-speed pitches. Tatum saw some time both in the field and on the mound last year at Angelina, and is expected to play a  key role for the Roadrunners this upcoming year. He is the son of John and Penny Tatum.

            Parke is a strong righthanded pitcher who has had success throughout his career. Attending Brookings High School in Oregon, he was a 2008 second team all-state selection, as well as a first team Far West League member. As one of the main relievers last year at Central Arizona, he compiled a 2-2 record with three saves, allowing eight earned runs in over 30 innings.  He also struckout 32 batters, gave up only seven walks and posted a 2.35 ERA. After helping lead his team to the Region 1 championship and a NJCAA West District Runner-Up, Parke was nominated to play in the ACCAC All-Star showcase as one of the top junior college prospects in Arizona.  He is the son of Myron and Patty Parke.

             Semien is a 6'0", 175 pound athletic outfielder from 5A Atascocita High.  He hit .373 with 38 RBIs, four home runs, and 13 stolen bases as a junior last season.  He has earned all-district honors the past two years. Semien helped lead his team to a   co-district championship in 2008 and to the district title in 2009. Semien also excelled the past  summer as a member of the nationally rated Houston Heat Baseball Organization. He is the son of Kevin and Marguerita Semien.

            Lloyd is another Texas high school product who is a versatile infielder.  As a junior last season, he hit .522 with 68 RBIs, four home runs and 44 stolen bases.  He has earned all-state and all-east Texas honors as well as all-district plaudits including league MVP. Along with his athletic accomplishments, he will graduate with over a 3.7 GPA.  He is the son of Jackie and Charla Lloyd.

            At 6-1 and 195 pounds, Drake is an athletic third basemen.  Last season, he batted .360 with 22 RBIs as a junior.  He earned second team all-conference honors as a third baseman and helped his team win the 6A state title as a sophomore.  He has also been named to the all-conference, all-state and all-metro teams. In addition, Drake was named to the Perfect Game Top 500 High School Prospect List in December of 2008, was on the Perfect Game High Follow List for the fall of 2009, and was on the All Rawlings Team in the Perfect Game 2009 National Underclass Showcase.  He is the son of Richard and Julie Drake.

            Griffen is two sport athlete out of St. Louis High School.  He's a member of the football team where he has been a standout at defensive end, recording over 40 tackles and forcing two fumbles this far this season.  He has been a pitcher and infielder on the baseball team, earning all-district honors.  Last season, Griffen batted .262 with a home run and 13 RBIs. He is also one of the team's leading pitchers. He is the son of  former McNeese athletes Todd (baseball) and Cathy (basketball) Griffen.

McNeese State Fall Baseball Recruits

Renny Weber                        C/Inf                        Norco, LA (Bossier Parish CC)

Kyler Crenshaw            OF/1B                        Brenham, TX (Angelina College)

John Tatum                        RHP                        Lufkin, TX (Angelina College)

Tyler Parke                        RHP                        Brookings, OR (Central Arizona College)

K. J. Semien                        OF                        Humble, TX (Atascocita HS)

Connor Lloyd                        Inf                        Marshall, TX (Harleton HS)

Taylor Drake                        Inf                        Stilwell, KS (Blue Valley HS)

Ty Griffen                        RHP/3B            Iowa, LA (St. Louis HS)