Meet the Wolverine Newcomers -- Part One
10/27/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Oct. 27, 2015
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball program and head coach Erik Bakich announced the recruiting class for the 2015-16 academic year earlier this month. The Maize and Blue has 13 incoming student-athletes, including ten freshmen and three upperclassmen. [ Full Release ]
The first five students from the class to be recognized will be freshmen Ako Thomas (Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel), George Hewitt (Brooklyn, N.Y./Salisbury School), Benjamin Keizer (Portage, Mich./Portage Northern), Jimmy Kerr (Scottsdale, Ariz./Notre Dame Prep) and William Tribucher (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente).
Ako Thomas - INF - Chicago, Ill. / Mount Carmel
Was a three-year varsity letterwinner at Mount Carmel High School in Chicago, Ill. ... Guided his team to a 2015 state runner-up title as a senior ... Named to the Daily Southtown's First Team All-Area team and the Chicago Catholic League All-Conference team during his senior season, after tallying four homeruns and earning a .397 batting average ... Finished his junior season with a .419 batting average and 31 RBI ... Earned Chicago Catholic League All-Conference Recognition and was named to the Illinois High School Association First Team All-State ... Helped guide his team to a 2013 state championship as a sophomore ... Also played summer ball with the Chicago White Sox Ace team from 2008-2010 and finished his summer ball career with the Gravel Baseball Team from 2011-2015 ... Spent the 2011 season playing for USA Baseball ... Was also a member of the National Honor Society and made the Honor Roll during all four years of high school.
George Hewitt - INF - Brooklyn, N.Y. / Salisbury School
Competed at Salisbury School in Salisbury, Conn., in the Western New England Prep Baseball League ... Was a four-year letterwinner ... Named a captain during his freshman and senior seasons ... Named to the Western New England Prep Baseball League All-Star Game as a junior and senior ... Also competed with the New England Ruffnecks summer league team in 2014 ... Began his summer league career in 2004 with the Brooklyn Bonnies.
Benjamin Keizer - LHP - Portage, Mich. / Portage Northern
Was a two-year varsity letterwinner at Portage Northern High School in Portage, Mich. ... Spent two years on the junior varsity team as the captain ... Named to the All-Division team as a junior .... Spent his final season as a Captain ... Named an Academic All-Conference Honoree as a senior and an Academic All-State Honoree during his junior and senior seasons ... Presented the US Army Scholar-Athlete Award during the 2015 year ... Also competed with the Midwest Athletics summer league team during 2014, where was a Perfect Game Underclass Honorable Mention ... Named to the 2014 Perfect Game WWBA 16U Championship All-Tournament Team ... Also played summer league ball with the HBF Maroons and the West Michigan Broncos ... Played basketball in high school and was a team captain ... Earned the highest academic honor award during all four years of high school ... Was a member of the National Honor Society and DECA .... Received the Outstanding Senior Award in Business Management and Administration.
Jimmy Kerr - INF - Scottsdale, Ariz. / Notre Dame Preparatory
Was a two-year varsity letterwinner at Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale, Ariz. ... Played one season on the junior varsity team and a season on the freshman team ... Was named the team's Most Outstanding Defensive Player as a senior ... Also named the team's Most Valuable Player during his senior season ... Played football as a freshman ... Named to the Senior Fall Classis All-Academic team ... Also competed with the Canyon Sandlot summer league team during 2015 ... Spent 2014 with the T-Rex summer ball club and 2013 with the AZ Dodgers Baseball team ... Was an Arizona Interscholastic Athletics Scholar Athlete ... Named to the principal's list as a Summa Cum Laude graduate ... Was also a member of the National Honor Society.
William Tribucher - LHP/OF - San Clemente, Calif. / San Clemente
Competed at San Clemente High School in San Clemente, Calif. as a member of the Seaview League ... Was a three-year varsity letterwinner and spent his freshman season on the freshman team ... Earned a 2.43 ERA as a lefty pitcher during his sophomore season ... Named to the All-League Second Team as a junior with a .330 batting average and a 2.8 ERA ... Earned a .358 batting average and a 1.7 ERA during his senior season and was named to the All-State Third Team and the All-League First Team ... Named the Loara Tournament MVP after guiding his team to the Loara Tournament title ... Led his team to a League Championship and a National High School Invitational Championship ... Was the Orange County North/South All-Star Game MVP ... Also competed with the Quakes Baseball Academy from 2011 to 2015 ... Was also a member of the Yankees 2014 Area Code Games team and the Angels Elite team from 2014 to 2015.
Michigan finished the 2015 season with a Big Ten Tournament championship and a trip to the NCAA Regional Tournament, where it went 2-2 and did not advance past the regional final.
Communications Contact: Katie Gwinn
