Seven Preps, One Juco Player Sign

Seven prepsters and one junior college player signed letters of intent last month with Brigham Young University’s baseball team.

“I am excited to announce this year’s recruiting class from the early signing period,” said BYU coach Vance Law. “It is really a great group of young student athletes who have already shown that they can play against top competition.”

Derek Cone, a pitcher from Phoenix is the lone juco signee, finishing his sophomore year at Mesa Community College.

Fellow Arizonan Jaycob Brugman, a left-handed pitcher/outfielder, from Deseret Vista Thunder High in Phoenix is the most honored of the signees. He is first team all-state and was Player-of-the-Year for the Central Region, played in the Area Code Games, was rated by Rivals.com on ArizonaVarsity.com as the state's No.1 baseball prospect for the Class of 2010, and was recruited by Arizona State, Arizona, Oregon and Utah.

Five of the prep signees are from Utah: first-team all-staters Kelton Caldwell, an outfielder from Draper (Jordan High); Derrick Pitts, a pitcher/first baseman (Cottonwood High); Dillon Robinson, a third baseman (Lone Peak High); Desmond Poulson, a pitcher from Taylorsville (Cottonwood High); and Kolton Mahoney, a pitcher from West Point (Northridge High).

The other prep signee out of state is Wyatt Padgett, a first baseman/outfielder from Yucaipa, Calif.

Jaycob Brugman     OF, LHP     6-0     175     Phoenix (Desert Vista Thunder HS)
Throws left and bats left for legendary coach Stan Luketich. Participated in the Tournament of Stars in Cary, N.C. Also participated in the Area Code Games. Arizona Baseball Coaches Association 5A first team All-State... Arizona Republic 5A first team All-State... All-East Valley Tribune first team. Player-of-the-Year 5A I Central Region. Batted .508, 59 runs, 60 hits, 49 RBI, 7 doubles, 4 triples, 15 home runs, 16 walks, 9 hit by pitches, on base percentage of .582 and a slugging percentage of 1.017.  His 2008 honors and stats were first team All-Central Region, with a batting average of .461, 35 hits, 33 runs, 24 RBI, 8 doubles, 9 home runs, 12 walks, 4 hit by pitches, 9 stolen bases, an on base percentage of .548, and a slugging percentage of .921.
Coach Law says:  “Jaycob has tremendous tools and has a great ceiling on how good he can become.  He is fast with a strong arm and has great power from the left hand side of the plate.  He fits the style of offense we try to play with in speed and effort.  He is a great player and will represent our school in a positive way.”
Kelton Caldwell     OF     6-1     195     Draper (Jordan HS)
A lefty, Caldwell earned first-team all-state honors as a junior after hitting eight home runs and posting a .509 batting average.  Playing for the Angel Scout Team under coach Jeff Scholzen. He carried the biggest bat in the Beetdiggers’ high-powered lineup. He batted .493 and had an on-base percentage of .613. He also hit nine doubles, two triples and crushed six home runs. Deseret News First Team All-State in 2009 and 2010 ... in 2010, batted .451, hit six homers and seven doubles.
Coach Law says:  “Kelton proved to be one of the top hitters in the state last year.  He led a potent offense at Jordan and had an outstanding summer season playing with the Bucks under Chad Shepherd and the Marshall Gates Foundation.  We are extremely excited to have Kelton wanting to be a Cougar."
Derek Cone     RHP     6-5     180     Phoenix (Mesa CC)
Played high school ball at Desert Vista for Stan Luketich. High School teammates of Jaycob Brugman. Currently plays for Tony Cirelli at Mesa CC.  Made the Arizona Sophomore Showcase. Will be in the starting rotation for Mesa CC this year and is expected to throw out of their #1 slot in its rotation.
Coach Law says:  “We expect a lot of success from Derek bringing in some needed college experience to our staff for next season.  He has a lot of potential and continues to improve each season.  He throws hard, but we are excited about how he can control his extra pitches.  He is a solid individual that is very motivated with his academics.  We are excited to have Derek be a part of our program.”
Kolton Mahoney     RHP     6-0     195     West Point (Northridge  HS)
Threw a no hitter last season against Clearfield, 13-0, where he tossed a five-inning no-hitter, with six strikeouts on 62 pitches. Against Clearfield he only went to a three-ball count once and gave up a walk, spoiling the perfect game vs. Clearfield. Started for Northridge and Coach Allen Kawaguchi ... honorable mention all-state in 2010.
Coach Law says:  “We first saw Kolton at our summer camp and became very interested in his arm and ability on the spot.  He continued to get in front of our eyes during our fall camp and dominated our fall league.  Coach Kawaguchi has done a great job in getting him prepared for the next level. He has a great arm with high velocity and he commands a tough late breaking ball.  We are extremely excited to have Kolton join our team.”
Wyatt Padgett     1B, OF     6-0     195     Yucaipa, Calif. (Yucaipa HS)
A two-sport player at Yucaipa High School in Southern California.  As a junior last year, he hit .443 with 47 hits and 44 RBI. Also started as QB for the football team at Yucaipa. Fielded .981 in over 200 chances last year.  Threw for over 1,000 yards and had 9 TD as a senior.  CalHiSports.com first team All-State for California. Div II Second Team All-CIF Southern Section as a junior. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA #35 FOLLOW LIST, HS Game Time first team all-state.  Played on Yucaipa Thunderbird team ranked USATODAY #4 in the nation.  Played with Royals scout team and the Nighthawks’ summer travel team.  High school teammate of current Cougar missionary and pitcher Adam Miller.  Same high school as former Cougars, Kent Walton, Adam Miller, Ryan Chambers, Jeff Brown, Clayton Carson, and current Oakland A's outfielder Matt Carson.
Coach Law says:  “Wyatt is a strong left-handed hitter who has played against some of the nation’s top athletes.  He is strong and runs well and has good athleticism.  We are very excited to have Wyatt be a Cougar.  He comes from a strong line of Yucaipa players under the direction Coach Jeff Stout.  We have had some of our better players come from the Yucaipa program and we plan on Wyatt to continue on that same path.”
Derrick Pitts     LHP, 1B     6-1     190     Murray (Cottonwood HS)
Derrick has won three letters at Cottonwood high school.  He has played in big games for the Colts the last three years and will again be one of their key contributors on their way back to a state championship.  Has started at first base and also pitched.  Played for the Bucks summer team. Recruited by Cal State Fullerton.  In 2010 he was first-team all-state, batting .459 with 14 homers and 49 RBI.
Coach Law says:  “Derrick has a smooth swing and has great power. He really pitched well this summer and we are excited to see him have a lot of success his senior year.  He is very strong and has really displayed great hand-eye at the plate.  Both Derrick and Desmond have been coached by one of the great coaches in high school history, Jon Hoover, and will come into our program with a high level of knowledge about how to play ball.”
Desmond Poulson     RHP/OF     6-2     185     Taylorsville (Cottonwood HS)
Three-year letter winner at Cottonwood.  Started on the mound for the Colts as junior last spring, and played for the Utah Bucks traveling team this past summer.  Poulson played for the Angels Elite Scout Team last fall, and was recruited by Cal State Fullerton, Stanford and Baylor. Closed the 2008 State championship game against Dixie and current Cougar Chunner Nyberg and teammate Derek Pitts started that game, both as sophomores.  In 2010 he was first-team all-state, with eight wins and a 1.66 ERA. 
Coach Law says: "Desmond came to our fall instructional camp as a junior and we got a chance to see him progress and be very coachable during that time.  He is a great competitor and with a strong arm and good command of his pitches.  We are expecting Desmond to be a great leader on the mound and around our team. He had a tremendous amount of success this summer with the Bucks and this fall with the Angels scout team."
Dillon Robinson     3B     6-3     190     Pleasant Grove (Lone Peak HS)
He is one of the state’s most complete hitters, as he batted .463 and had an on-base percentage of .536. He hit 11 doubles, five home runs and drove in 32 runs during a spectacular junior season. Deseret News First Team All-State. There was only one 5A player had a better batting average than Robinson's .484. He also proved he has power. He was second in Utah Valley in home runs with five.  In 2010 he was first-team all-state and 5A MVP by the Deseret News, batting .532 with 10 homers, 14 doubles and 35 RBI.
Coach Law says:  “Dillon gives us a great offensive left-handed hitter that is one of the top high school hitters we have seen in a long time.  He plays with great passion and his understanding of the game should lead him to being a big part of our success.”