George Mason head baseball coach Bill Brown is pleased to
announce the signing of five players to National Letters of Intent. The pentad
will enroll at Mason in the fall of 2012 and be eligible to compete beginning
with the 2013 season.
The class includes shortstop Brandon Gum, shortstop/second
baseman Derek Evans, right-handed pitchers Tanner Love and Mark Maksimow and
outfielder/third baseman Cory Capaldi.
A native of Woodbridge, Va., Gum is a right-handed hitting
shortstop at Woodbridge High School, where he helped lead the team to a state
runner-up finish en route to collecting all-district honors in 2010.
Additionally, he played travel ball for Patriots National along with fellow signee
Derek Evans. While with the National, Gum and Evans were coached by Mike Myers
and organized by Mason alum and former major league player Mike Colangelo.
"Brandon has all the tools to become a premier shortstop in
the CAA," noted Brown. "His athleticism and makeup will give him the
opportunity to be an everyday player early in his career."
A right-handed hitting shortstop/second baseman, Evans will
join the Patriots from Haymarket, Va. and Battlefield High School. While at
Battlefield, he played under the tutelage of head coach and Mason grad Jay Burkhart,
in addition to playing alongside current freshman John Williams. In 2011,
Battlefield captured the region championship, and Evans collected First Team
All-Metro and Washington Post Northwest Region Player of the Year accolades.
"Derek was an early target for our program and our first
commit for this class," remarked Brown. "He has the ability to hit early in his
career, has fantastic intangibles and his versatility will allow him to compete
for playing time as a freshman."
A right-handed pitcher from St. Mary's, Ga., Love transferred
from Brentsville High School to Camden County High School for his senior season.
While at Brentsville, he helped the team capture a district championship in
2010 and left the school ranked third all-time in career saves. Playing summer
baseball for Mason alum Mike Colangelo, Love was part of the squad that won a
gold medal at the 2011 Coventry Commonwealth Games.
"The potential is extremely high for Tanner," stated Brown.
"He is a very athletic right-hander with a loose, quick, projectable arm that
will give him the opportunity to pitch right away."
Maksimov, a native of Hamilton, N.J. is currently a
right-handed pitcher at Notre Dame High School where he has been honored as
First Team All-Colonial Valley Conference each of his three seasons. He played
summer ball for the Philly Bandits under the direction of Coach Amaro in
addition to playing alongside current freshman Ray Toto and fellow signee Cory
Capaldi.
"Mark is an outstanding pitcher that has command of three
quality pitches," noted Brown. "His fastball has exceptional movement and sink
which is unusual for a young pitcher. We look forward to Mark getting some spot
starts and a ton of appearances his freshman year."
The final signee, Capaldi is a right-handed hitting
outfielder/third baseman from Telford, Pa. Named team MVP and team batting
champion his junior year in addition to collecting all-league accolades, he is
currently listed as a Top 1000 Best Prospects in the Country by PerfectGame.org.
"Cory has the ability to be an impact offensive player in
the CAA," stated Brown. "He is a very athletic and versatile player and we
expect him to be a core position player for us and get plenty of at-bats in the
spring of 2013."
