Maruszak on draft: 'I feel I'm ready'

USF baseball coach Lelo Prado said two weeks ago that he expected juniors Daniel Thomas and Addison Maruszak to be selected in the upcoming baseball draft, and Maruszak said Friday that he has told USF coaches he intends to sign a pro contract and not return for his senior year.

"I feel I'm ready to go. It's the next level, and I'm looking forward to it," said Maruszak, a second-team All-Big East selection after posting a .364 batting average and scoring a team-high 55 runs. "I'd love to stay, and I love USF, but I really do want to go."

The St. Pete Catholic graduate said Prado and his staff have been "very supportive" of his decision, letting him know he'd be welcomed back for his senior year if he's unhappy with his draft position. Maruszak has former major-leaguer and USF hitting coach Reggie Jefferson as an advisor and said he does not have expectations for when he'll be drafted. Maruszak's 26 errors this season were nearly twice as much as any USF teammate, and he could be drafted as a catcher because of his superior arm strength.

Maruszak was not included among Baseball America's top 115 draft prospects for the state of Florida, which could point to him being drafted in the later rounds. Fellow junior Daniel Thomas is rated as the state's No. 18 prospect according to BA, which has him among the top 200 prospects nationally.

One more draft update: We've told you that signees Adrien Nieto and Anthony Ferrara are likely to be drafted in the second and sixth rounds, according to BA, which would make it highly unlikely they'd make it to USF. Another signee who could be lost to the draft is Middleton's Corey Thomas, who could pitch or play infield for the Bulls.

Middleton coach Vernon Slater said Friday he had been told Thomas could be drafted in the first 10 rounds, and BA's draft preview tabs him as the state's No. 40 prospect. Thomas, a right-handed pitcher who played shortstop at Middleton, is listed as a third baseman by BA. He has the right outlook entering the draft, happy with the prospect of playing at USF but still excited about his draft potential.

"Either way, it's a good thing," Thomas said. "I really don't have any idea about the draft. If they're high on me, that will show up in the draft. I'm excited to be playing at South Florida, too."

Two more USF signees show up on BA's state draft preview, with Orlando Bishop Moore outfielder Alex Mendez rated as the state's No. 51 prospect and Clearwater Central Catholic shortstop Sam Mende listed at No. 54. That's not to say they couldn't be at USF this fall -- pitcher Derrick Stultz was rated No. 52 in the state by BA last season and opted to stick with the Bulls after being drafted, as did fellow freshmen Stephen Hunt and Junior Carlin.

Comments

[jarred]

Sucks they are laevin but its great to see our baseball program producing more pro caliber talent. Congrats guys.

[jarred]

leavin*

[Andrew]

Grey,

Could you give us a football update?

[G.A.]

Andrew, anything in particular?

[Reality]

I think we need an update from one of our better posters.

Where is DAVE W??????

[Reality]

Remember DAVE W, the flea wags the dog.

[Dave W]

Umm, I did stop commenting for a while, but the 7:06 Dave W post isn't me, and GA can verify that by the e-mail address I entered. I stopped posting for a while because my internet access is on a library computer, so I would be logging different IP addresses, plus I didn't feel like getting involved in the Akol debate, because we should be speculating on his matriculation before his production and impact.

On Akol- I like his height and that he had other offers. He'll be the best C from this class (over Teague and Rivas-Sanchez), and could become a solid BEAST level C. However, I am skeptical of his ability to gain the qualifying entry score, and even if he does, grades at USF could be a problem.

On baseball, I thought that giving Sanford a start in the most important game of the year was stupid.

On football, I think we need to wait for academic casualties, for both incoming freshmen and returnees, before we can really judge the team and our place in the conference (although I will say that I expect at least a 2nd place finish). I think getting the big JUCO tackle would be vital to improving the dire depth situation faced along the whole O-line.

On the issue of Pitt, I think they will fail to impress again. But I'm going to law school at Pitt, but there will be no conflict of interest at USF-Pitt games. I am a Bull. My freshman year at USF, we lost to Army at homecoming in the midst of a 4-7 season, with an average attendance of 20K or so. Last year, we hit #2 and sold the place out. I feel like I witnessed the rise of a program, and somehow was a part of it (maybe because I was at those pillow fights in 2004 and saw Pat Julmiste throw lasers in 2005. Those lasers were aimed at the ground or at a cloud, but lasers they were still). Anyways, prepping for law school entry has taken a lot of time, and with my car on its last legs, I don't get to the library frequently.

Again, GA, please compare my e-mail address with my name (and superior grammatical and vocabulary skills) and remove the 7:06 post.

And I, too, want a Justin Green update!

[G.A.]

The fake Dave W. has been deleted. It's from a unique IP that hasn't posted any other comments on the blog. Anybody else has people posting in their names, just shoot me an e-mail at aumanac1@aol.com and I'll investigate. My rates are reasonable ...