Local Product Putnam Tops Maloney's Early Signings
11/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan head baseball coach Rich Maloney inked five players during the November early signing period (Nov. 10-17), including highly touted righthanded pitcher Zach Putnam (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer HS) from Ann Arbor Pioneer High School.
Maloney, who has inked 16 players in his first three early signing periods, added two players from Michigan and one each from Georgia, Ohio and Ontario (Canada). Twelve of Maloney's 16 early signings have been from Michigan.
The five players signed in the current signing period include Putnam, SS/2B Kevin Cislo (Novi, Mich./Novi HS), SS Jason Christian (Loveland, Ohio/ Loveland HS), OF Kyle McCreary (Fayetteville, Ga./ Star's Mill HS) and LHP Mike Wilson (Pickering, Ontario/Pine Ridge Secondary).
"I'm very excited about our third group of early signees, and these players should complement our returning team members for the 2006 season," said Maloney. "As most of my recruiting classes have been over the years, this class is filled with top-notch student-athletes. They have enjoyed success both in the classroom and on the field. They will play an important role in the continued success of the program and most important, they are student-athletes that will make the Michigan family proud."
Putnam, who led Pioneer to its first-ever state championship in baseball last spring, has earned All-America honors the past two seasons. Putnam was 9-0 with an ERA of 0.53 on the mound, and he hit .466 with 16 homers and 67 RBI last season.
"Zach is a blue chip prospect and a highly touted student-athlete. He is a two-way player and is considered one of the top high school prospects in the country both as a pitcher and a power hitter. He is an immediate impact player," said Maloney.
Cislo is an all-around athlete who can play the middle infield positions and uses his quick feet to handle the plays around the keystone. He served as football team captain this season and has earned all-conference honors in both baseball and football. He hit .322 as a junior with 17 stolen bases and 28 runs scored and was 4-0 on the mound.
"Kevin plays with a passion for the game and has demonstrated natural leadership skills. He has shown power potential with his bat and speed that will play well in the middle of our infield," said Maloney.
Christian earned all-conference honors for the Loveland Tigers while playing shortstop. A lefty swinger, he had 10 doubles, four homers and drove in 32 runs as a junior.
"Jason is a line-drive gap hitter with good speed and a plus arm. He has a projection able body with his best days ahead," said Maloney.
McCreary is a two-time MVP for the Starr's Mills Panthers and was named the Fayette County Player of the Year while hitting.405 with five homers, 30 RBI and 18 stolen bases.
"Kyle is a speedster who plays a hard-nosed style of baseball. A running back in football, he will add to the top of the lineup during his career as a Wolverine," said Maloney.
Wilson has pitched two seasons with Team Ontario, compiling a 1.86 ERA with 127 strikeouts and just 43 walks in more than 90 innings. Team Ontario was runner-up at the 2004 NABF World Series.
"Mike is a tough competitor on the mound. He is deceptive and has an excellent makeup and is projectable," said Maloney.
The Wolverines open the 2005 season in Florida (Feb. 25-March 1) with three games against Illinois-Chicago at the New York Mets spring training facility in Port St. Lucie (Feb. 25-27) and single games in Boca Raton vs. host Florida Atlantic (Feb. 28) and St. John's (March 1). The Wolverines open the home schedule with a four-game weekend series vs. Oakland University (March 25-27) and open Big Ten action with a four-game series at Minnesota (April 1-3).
Michigan Baseball Signees (as of 11/10/04)
| Name | Pos. | B-T | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown (High School) |
| Jason Christian | SS | L-R | 6-2 | 165 | Loveland, Ohio (Loveland) |
| Kevin Cislo | SS/2B | L-R | 5-11 | 187 | Novi, Mich. (Novi HS) |
| Kyle McCreary | OF | L-L | 5-10 | 185 | Fayettville, Ga. (Starr's Mills HS) |
| Zach Putnam | RHP/1B | R-R | 6-2 | 212 | Ann Arbor, Mich. (Pioneer HS) |
| Mike Wilson | LHP | L-L | 6-6 | 215 | Pickering, Ontario (Pine Ridge Secondary) |
N O T E S
Jason Christian, who is the editor for his school newspaper, earned academic all-league honors as a junior. His top effort as a junior included a 4-for-4 game with two homers and a double. He earned the Most Valuable Offensive Hitter Award in 2004. In summer action for the Franklin Savings A's, Christian hit .480 with a .554 on-base percentage and a .718 slugging percentage with 56 hits and 44 RBI. He will play for the Midland Redskins this summer.
Kevin Cislo is quarterback, defensive back and a punter for Novi's Wildcats and paced the 20-0 win over Canton in a district final game. Cislo recovered a fumble to set up the first score and passed for a TD on the next play, he ran 13 yards for a score to cap a 97-yard drive and made a fourth down goal-line stand tackle at the one-yard line at the end of the first half. He helped set up the third Novi score with a 64-yard punt that changed field position and added the final score on a one-yard sneak. Cislo was named defensive player of the year in baseball as a junior and offensive player of the year in football as a senior. He has earned conference academic honors the past two seasons in football.
Kyle McCreary is a three-sport athlete in baseball, basketball and football. He scored four touchdowns to set the school single-game record earlier this season. He played in the famed East Cobb summer program with the East Cobb Braves and was a member of Team Georgia that won the junior Sunbelt national championship in 2003. Top game highlights include a grand slam homer to tie and game-winning hit in extra innings to beat eighth-ranked team in state as a sophomore and collecting game-winning double in bottom of seventh to beat top-ranked team in state as a junior.
Zach Putnam, who also plays first base and shortstop, is rated the 27th best prospect by Baseball America. He set a Pioneer High record in 2004 with six triples and he scored 53 runs, drew 35 walks and was successful 25 times in 26 stolen base attempts. In 53 innings on the mound he fanned 61 and walked five. Putnam was considered by Baseball America as one of the top pitchers in USA Baseball's Junior National Team trials in Joplin, Mo. Putnam was one of the six nominees for the inaugural AFLAC National High School Player of the Year Award in 2004. He helped lead the Ann Arbor Braves to a pair of summer national championships.
Mike Wilson is ranked first by Baseball America on the Canadian high school list and 213th on the North American list. He was invited to the Canadian Junior National Team tryouts and was selected to the high school all-star team by the Toronto Star. An excellent volleyball player, Wilson was a member of the Canadian Bantam national champions and was named winner of the Award of Excellence by the Ontario Volleyball Association. He is an honor roll student.
Contact: Jim Schneider (734) 763-4423
