July 7, 2004

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - After another successful season at the helm of the Southeast Missouri State baseball program, Head Coach Mark Hogan has announced the signing of six players for the 2005 season. And this year's recruiting class has a local flavor to it as five of the six players are from Missouri.

Jamie McAlister heads the recruiting list. The Clearwater native was a standout athlete at Clearwater High School and was drafted in the 28th round of the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. The 6-foot-3 190-pound right-handed pitcher opted to play college ball and has spent the past two seasons with Jefferson County Community College.

"Jamie should get significant pitching time," Hogan said. "He was highly touted out of high school and could be a starter or reliever for us."

Currently McAlister is having a successful campaign for the Plaza Tire Capahas in Cape Girardeau.

While in high school, McAlister was an All-State selection in 2000 and 2001, Scouting Association Pitcher of the Year.

While at Jeffco, the strong righty had nearly a strikeout per inning, and better than a two-to-one strikeout to walk ratio to go along with a 3.33 ERA.

Another local product that will join the Southeast squad is Josh Parham. The Jackson native comes back home to play for Southeast after a stint with Fort Scott Community College. Parham is a 5-foot-10 left-handed pitcher. Parham had an outstanding career while at Jackson High School, and should give added depth to the Southeast pitching staff.

The third and final pitcher that Hogan announced is from Eureka High School. Casey Johnson, a 6-foot-3 left-handed pitcher who will come in as a true freshman, grew up in Cape Girardeau before moving to the St. Louis area. Last year at EHS, Johnson was 4-2 with a just 10 earned runs given up in 41.1 innings pitched. He led the Suburban Southeast in ERA with a 1.69 mark. He also was among league leaders in strikeouts and strikeout to walk ratio. The talented southpaw struck out 54 batters, good for a 9.15 average per game, and had a 3.28 strikeout to walk ratio to go along with a pair of complete games.

"Casey had a good career at Eureka," Hogan said. "He has good command of his fastball and breaking ball. He should be a good addition to our pitching staff."

Dustin Prichett, of Kennett, Mo., comes to Southeast via Forest Park Community College in St. Louis. The talented third baseman spent the past two years at FPCC, hitting .342 and .343 in 2003 and 2004, respectively.

"We recruited Dustin out of high school, but Denver Stuckey was here playing third base," Hogan said. "We're glad he's coming here to hit in our lineup. He'll give us some power in the middle of the lineup and he'll be strong defensively."

In 2003, Prichett played in 49 games with three home runs and 40 RBIs. In 2004, he hit 12 home runs with 59 RBIs in 60 games played. He also stole 25 bases with 55 runs scored.

The only out-of-state player announced is Levi Olson, who heads to Southeast from Santa Barbara City College. Olson comes to Southeast on the recommendation of former Indians coach Conan Horton, who currently coaches at SBCC. Olson is a 6-foot-3 225-pound catcher. After two successful seasons with the Vaqueros, Olson has already moved to Cape Girardeau and is playing with the Plaza Tire Capahas.

The final player announced is Jordan Payne. Payne, of Bolivar, Mo., spent the past two years at Crowder College in Neosho, Mo.

"Jordan is a very versatile player," Hogan said. "He's a shortstop by trade, but he could also play third base or outfield."

Payne is 6-foot-3, 180 pounds. He earned first team All-State honors as a football player in high school.

"He's very athletic," Hogan said. "He's a good runner and good hitter and his versatility will be great to have on the team."

He earned first team All-COC in baseball, and in 2003 was selected first team All-Region 16 for the Roughriders of Crowder College.

Southeast finished just one game short of winning the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament and qualifying for Regionals. The 2004 squad consisted primarily of newcomers, and the 2005 recruits should bring more talent to an already strong program.

"We're very happy with the players we've brought in thus far, and we should have some more to be announced soon," Hogan said.