BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Gardner-Webb baseball program has announced the signing of 17 student-athletes during the early signing period for the 2021-22 academic year.
 
GWU welcomes Nate Alexander (Sugar Hill, Ga. / Hebron Christian Academy), Reid Bertram (Concord, N.C. / Cannon School), Clayton Blucher (Cranberry Township, Pa. / Seneca Valley HS), JT Carter (Fredericksburg, Va. / Fredericksburg Christian School), Will Dorrell Jr.  (Rock Hill, S.C. / Northwestern HS), Phil Fox (Ruffs Dale, Pa. / Hempfield Area HS), Garrett Greco (Rostraver Township, Pa. / Belle Vernon Area HS), Jason L'etoile (Lake Worth, Fla. / American Heritage School), Connor Maggi (Forest, Va. / Jefferson Forest HS), Chris McKenna (Parkland, Fla. / Stoneman Douglas HS), Ross Mulhall (LaSalle / Morgantown, W.Va.), Luke Osteen (Huntersville, N.C. / Hough HS), Ethan Shaw (Canfield, Ohio / Cardinal Mooney HS), AJ Solomon (Dayton, Ohio / Chaminade Juliene HS), Tyler Switalski (Waynesburg, Pa. / Waynesburg Central HS), Josh Tingler (Baltimore, Md. / Catonsville HS), and Spencer Williams (Forest, Va. / Jefferson Forest HS).
 
The recruiting class has garnered national attention, as it is currently ranked 80^th in the nation by Perfect Game.
 
"We are excited about this recruiting class," stated Gardner-Webb head coach Jim Chester.  "Each of these young men will provide a bright future for Gardner-Webb Baseball.  They all exhibit what we are looking for in a Runnin' Bulldog Baseball player: Selfless, Relentless, and Blue Collar.  A special thanks to coaches Conner Scarborough and Anthony Marks for their assistance and hard work in putting this class together."
 
Alexander joins the Runnin' Bulldogs via Hebron Christian Academy, where the right-handed pitcher hurled 29.1 innings his junior year, fanning 32 batters with a cool 2.10 ERA.  In 2019, he was 5-4 on the mound with 68 strikeouts and a 3.56 ERA in 72.2 innings of work.  Alexander has also been part of the Team Elite/Atlanta Braves Scout Team during the summer, posting a 0.00 ERA in 14 innings on the mound.
 
Bertram arrives to GWU from Cannon School in Concord, N.C., where the left-handed pitcher posted a miniscule 0.60 ERA with 21 strikeouts in over 12 innings of work last season.  He also batted .472 with a .600 on-base percentage for the year.  Bertram has also played for the CBC Baseball Club, earning Perfect Game All-Tournament Team honors three times and WWBA All-Tournament honors in 2019.
 
Blucher comes to Boiling Springs from Seneca Valley High School, where as a catcher he helped lead his team to the playoffs for the first time in four years as a sophomore.  He also has played for the Pittsburgh Spikes and Allegheny Pirates club teams, batting .470 with seven home runs, 52 RBI and 62 extra base hits in 41 games this past summer.
 
Carter has been a solid presence at Fredericksburg Christian, where the catcher/first baseman has earned first-team All-Conference and second-team All-State honors.  He has also been part of the Canes American travel team that won the WWBA 17U Championship this past summer.
 
Dorrell Jr. comes to Gardner-Webb from nearby Rock Hill, S.C., where the outfielder has been a steady contributor for Northwestern HS, batting a robust .545 last season and a solid .377 during his sophomore campaign, and was named a Preseason All-American both seasons.  Dorrell Jr. has also been part of the SBA Canes travel team, earning All-Tournament team honors on three occasions.
 
Fox, a right-handed pitcher/outfielder, batted .300 with seven runs and had a 2.62 ERA in six trips to the mound his sophomore season at Hempfield Area High School.   This past season he allowed no runs and gave up just one base hit in six innings of work.  Ranked one of the top-500 players in the country, Fox has also played for the East Coast Sandhogs travel team that went 7-0 in three days to win the Perfect Game WWBA Northeast Qualifier in New York.

Greco arrives to Boiling Springs from Belle Vernon Area High School, where he batted.328 with five RBI and 15 runs scored in 2019 and batted .406 as a freshman, earning All-Section honors both seasons.  Creco was named the 2018 Mon Valley Independent Breakout Player of the Year and was selected to play for the 2020 18U Ireland National Baseball Team at the European Baseball Championships before they were canceled due to COVID-19.  Greco has also played for the Pittsburgh Outlaws and Team All-American travel teams, and this past summer played for the Shott Construction Chuckers of the All-American Collegiate League in Pittsburgh, Pa., batting .361 with one home run, one triple, and three doubles to lead his team to the league championship.

L'etoile, a right-handed pitcher from American Heritage High School, is ranked by Perfect Game as one of the nation's top-500 players and received 2020 Perfect Game Preseason Underclassmen All-American honors.  L'etoile has also been part of the ELEVE8 Baseball travel team, earning numerous All-Tournament team honors.
 
Maggi comes to Gardner-Webb from Jefferson Forest High School, where he earned second-team All-District and All-Region honorable mention honors following his sophomore campaign in which the right-handed pitcher posted a cool 1.20 ERA along with a robust .450 batting average.  Maggi has also been part of the Dirtbags Scout Team during the summer, earning All-Tournament honors at the 2020 WWBA World Championship in Fort Meyers, Fla.
 
McKenna, a first baseman/outfielder, batted .263 with a .462 on-base percentage this past spring at Stoneman Douglas High School, which was ranked 61^st in the nation among high school baseball programs by MaxPreps.  McKenna has also spent his summers playing for the Elite Squad travel team, earning All-Tournament team honors twice this past summer.
 
Mulhall joins the Runnin' Bulldogs after playing the previous two seasons at LaSalle.  This past season, Mulhall started 11 of 13 games, batting .231 with two doubles, one home run, two RBI and a .302 on-base percentage.  The 2018 Gatorade Player of the Year in West Virginia, Mulhall played at University High School, earning Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Class 5A Player of the Year honors following his senior season.
 
Osteen, from nearby Hough High School in Huntersville, N.C., has earned two preseason All-American honors from Perfect game, as well as being ranked among the top-500 prospects in the nation.  Osteen has helped lead Hough High to three conference titles, and to the third round of the NSCAA playoffs his sophomore year in which he batted .340 with 26 stolen bases.  He has also played for the Dry Pond travel team, earning four All-Tournament team honors while also making three showcase Top Prospect lists.
 
Shaw comes to GWU from Cardinal Mooney High School, where the middle infielder batted .325 this past season, and has been ranked among the top-500 high school prospects by Perfect Game.  Shaw has also played for the Allegheny Pirates and Roth Brothers travel teams.
 
Solomon batted .325 as a sophomore at Chaminade Julienne High School, setting the program's single season stolen base record with 30 swipes.  A two-time All-Conference honoree, Solomon helped lead his team to a pair of state titles and was also named second-team All-Area and All-State in 2019 and also earned 2020 Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American honors.  He has also been a member of the Bo Jackson Elite travel team.
 
Switalski joins the Runnin' Bulldogs from Waynesburg Central High School, where the left-handed pitcher/first baseman posted a perfect 0.00 ERA and .364 batting average with 20 RBI during his sophomore season.  He was named one of the top-500 high school players by Perfect Game and also earned 2020 Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American honors. A two-time All-County selection, Switalski also played for the Beaver Valley Red travel team, earning All-Tournament team honors on multiple occasions.
 
Tingler arrives to GWU from Catonsville High School, where the outfielder has posted a robust .506 batting average, earning first-team All-County honors.  He was also named a 2020 Perfect Game Underclass All-American.  Tingler has also played for the Mid Atlantic Red Sox travel team, earning WWBA All-Tournament team honors in 2019 and 2020.
 
Williams comes to Boiling Springs from Jefferson Forest High School, where the left-handed pitcher has earned varsity team captain honors.  Williams has also played for the Invaders Baseball travel team program.
 
For more information regarding Gardner-Webb baseball, visit GWUSports.com or follow @GWUBaseball on social media.