Wolverines Add Ballantine to 2009 Recruiting Class
5/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan head baseball coach Rich Maloney announced today (Thursday, May 28) the addition of RHP Ben Ballantine(Napa, Calif./Napa) to the team's 2009 recruiting class. Ballantine becomes the seventh prep to commit to the program and the first hailing from outside the state of Michigan.
Ballantine, a two-year varsity letterwinner and 2009 team captain for head coach Todd Pridy at Napa, is coming off a senior campaign that saw him post a 6-2 record with one save in 13 regular-season appearances. He also led his team to the Monticello Empire League championship. The 6-7 righty posted 56 strikeouts in 57-and-two-thirds innings and registered a 2.67 earned run average while holding opponents to a .268 batting average on his way to his second consecutive All-Monticello Empire League first team honor. Ballantine also appeared in 26 games as a rightfielder, hitting .265 with five doubles and 12 runs batted in.
"We are very excited to add Ben to our stellar group of incoming student-athletes," commented Maloney. "Ben possesses great size and has tremendous potential on the mound going forward. He has good command of his pitches and is the type of pitcher we believe can have great success for us in his time at Michigan."
An all-around athlete, Ballantine earned a total of seven varsity letters as a prep; three in basketball and two each in football and baseball. On the gridiron, Ballantine was team captain as a senior and helped lead the Indians to consecutive Monticello Empire League titles as a wide receiver, catching the game-winning two-point conversion in the Sac-Joaquin Section Championship game. On the hardwood, Ballantine averaged 13.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and a block per game as a center/forward in his senior season.
Ballantine joins six other local products who signed with the Wolverines during the November period. The six recruits, all from the state of Michigan, include CF Patrick Biondi(Woodhaven, Mich./Divine Child HS), RHP Kyle Clark(Portage, Mich./Portage Central HS), IF Derek Dennis(Ada, Mich./Forest Hills Central HS), IF Daniel Fields(Detroit, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit HS), 1B Cameron Luther(St. Joseph, Mich./St. Joseph HS) and LHP Rick Samuel(White Lake, Mich./Lakeland).
Ballantine spent the 2008 summer with the Napa Cardinals American Legion program, where he posted a 1.75 ERA and hit .365 and will play for the Napa Riverdogs prior to his arrival at Michigan in the fall.
The Wolverines finished the 2009 season with a 30-25 overall record, the seventh straight season the club has reached the 30-win plateau.
2009 Michigan Baseball Signees (as of 5/28/09)
| Name | Pos. | B-T | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown (High School) |
| Ben Ballantine | RHP | R-R | 6-7 | 205 | Napa, Calif. (Napa) |
| Patrick Biondi | CF | L-R | 5-9 | 150 | Woodhaven, Mich. (Divine Child) |
| Kyle Clark | RHP | R-R | 6-5 | 170 | Portage, Mich. (Portage Central) |
| Derek Dennis | IF | R-R | 6-3 | 165 | Ada, Mich. (Forest Hills Central) |
| Daniel Fields | IF | L-R | 6-3 | 200 | Detroit, Mich. (U of D Jesuit) |
| Cameron Luther | 1B | R-R | 6-4 | 220 | St. Joseph, Mich. (St. Joseph) |
| Rick Samuel | RHP | R-R | 6-2 | 205 | White Lake, Mich. (Lakeland) |
Wolverines Add Samuel to 2009 Recruiting Class(4/9/09)
Michigan Lands Five In-State Recruits in Early Signing Period(11/12/08)
Contact: Matt Fancett (734) 763-4423
