Xavier Baseball Announces Signing Class

CINCINNATI - Xavier baseball head coach Billy O'Conner announced the newest signees for the Musketeers, a 13-person class joining the program starting in 2023-24 academic year.

Caleb Anderson is an infielder from Franklin, Tenn., where he plays for Franklin High School.

At Franklin, Anderson is a four-year varsity starter, playing second base as a freshman and sophomore before moving to shortstop for his final two seasons of prep baseball. Coming off an All-District season as a junior after helping the team to a 20-12 record, he was named a team captain for his upcoming senior season.

He also earned Rookie of the Year honors as a freshman. He also played football Franklin. Anderson also has seven years of club baseball experience, earning All-Tournament Team honors from Perfect Game.

Anderson plans to major in Exercise Science at Xavier. He is the son of Jennifer and Jamie Anderson.

Eli Bridenthal is a right-handed pitcher from McCordsville, Ind., who plays for Mt. Vernon High School.

Bridenthal has earned All-Conference and All-State honors during his prep career, helping Mt. Vernon to a pair of sectional championships and one regional championship. He also has club experience playing for the Midwest Astros and has been ranked as high as No. 6 in Indiana by PBR.

Bridenthal is also a stand-out on Mt. Vernon's football and basketball team, earning all-state in football and all-conference honors in basketball.

Bridenthal plans to major in Business at Xavier. He is the son of Charles and Krista Bridenthal.

Braxton Brinegar is a right-handed pitcher from Lexington, Ky., where he attends Tates' Creek High School.

Brinegar is a four-year member of the varsity team at Tate's Creek, and his coming off a junior season where he batted .389, collecting 37 hits and driving in 23 RBIs to help the team to 27 wins.

He also has experience playing club for Kentucky Baseball Club and Commonwealth Baseball Club. He's been ranked eighth overall in the state of Kentucky and fourth among right-handed pitchers.

Brinegar plans on majoring in Marketing. He is the son of Charley and Carol Brinegar and has one sibling, Brooklyn, who played softball at Asbury University.

Ashton Chronister is a left-handed pitcher from Rogers, Ark., where he attends Rogers High School.

Chronister is a four-year member of the Rogers High School squad, helping the team to his 2021 6A State Championship.

He has club experience dating back to 2015, playing with the AR Sticks since 2020. He earned a spot on the Perfect Game Pre-Season All-American team in 2022.

Chronister plans on majoring in Exercise Science. He's the son of Graham and Kim Chronister, and has one sibling, Aidan. Both parents were student-athletes at Arkansas, Graham as a member of the basketball team and Kim as a volleyball player.

Jake Hooker is a right-handed pitcher and infielder from Zionsville, Ind., where he attends University High School of Indiana.

Hooker is a four-year varsity starter at University High School coming off a junior season where he posted a 1.83 ERA through 30.2 innings pitched, striking out 42. At the plate, he had a .405 batting average, driving in 34 RBI. Hooker earned IndyStar Postseason Super Team Third Team and 2022 PAAC All-Conference First Team after helping the team to a 19-8 record and a first-place finish in PAAC.

As a sophomore, Hooker helped University High School to a Regional Championship and a State Semifinal appearance, batting .330 with 21 RBI and posting a 1.91 ERA in 18.1 innings pitched, striking out 30. Hooker played club with Indiana Mustangs Knipp, 5 Star National Gold and Roundtripper Elite.

Hooker plans on pursing an Exploratory major at Xavier. His is the son of Brian and Angela Hooker and has one sibling, Regan.

Jake Lambdin is a shortstop from Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., where he attends Tesoro High School.

Lambdin has two years of varsity experience at Tesoro High School, with a career .290 batting average and .435 on-base percentage. He's also collected eight saves on the mound, allowing just one run in 10.2 innings pitched. Last season Lambdin helped his squad to 28 wins and a DIF Division 4 Championship as well as a CIF State Regional Championship.

He has nine years of experience playing club ball, and has played with Quakes Baseball since joining the 13U team.

Lambdin is the son of Kelly and Brandon Lambdin and has a sister, Makenzie.

Ryan Piech is a right-handed pitcher from Aurora, Ohio, where he attends Walsh Jesuit.

Piech is a four-year member of the varsity team at Walsh Jesuit, and currently holds the school's singes single game record for strikeouts at 19 and was named the Crown Conference Pitcher of the Year. Through the past two seasons Piech has help Walsh Jesuit to over 50 wins and has earned Preseason Elite 25 and First Team honors from Prep Baseball report. He also played two seasons of varsity basketball at Walsh Jesuit.

Piech has 10 years of club baseball experience, playing with Release Baseball and the Midland Redskins, and has twice been named to the Perfect Game All-Tournament Team.

Piech plans on pursuing a degree in Engineering/Business at Xavier. He is the son of Andrew and Lynnette Piech, and has one sibling, Kathryn. His father played football and Rugby at John Carroll.

Eric Podgorny is a right-handed pitcher from St. Charles, Mo., where he plays for MICDS.

In his two seasons of prep baseball so far, Podgorny has earned All-District and All-Conference honors in both seasons. He's been ranked as high as No. 2 on Prep Baseball Report's top prospects in the Class of 2023 in Missouri.

Most recently Podgorny has played travel ball for USA Prime National. He has been selected to the Rawlings/Perfect Game Underclassmen All-American Central Region team in each of the past two years.

Podgorny is the son of Irina and Oleg, and has four siblings, Abby, Liza, Stephanie, Emily.

Griffin Seibel is a right-handed pitcher from Glen Ridge, Ill., where he attends Glen Ridge High School.

Seibel is a four-year member of the varsity program at Glen Ridge, posting a 1.88 ERA in 39.0 innings pitched with 68 strikeouts on the mound, with a .309 average at the plate, collecting 29 hits and driving in 32 RBIs in 59 at-bats. Following the 2022 season, he earned All-State honors, was named to the Super Essex Conference Liberty Division First Team and was named a Top Returning Pitcher.

He has club experience playing for Northeast Supreme Eastcoast Lumberjacks. Seibel has earned a top 50 ranking among right-handed pitchers from Prep Baseball Report, and has been ranked in the top 500 player by both Perfect Game and PBR. He's also earned all-tournament honors, Preseason All-American Underclassman and was named to the Top Prospect Team by PG.

Seibel plans to major in Business at Xavier. He is the son of Mark Seibel and Marybeth Murphy-Seibel, and has two siblings, Bridget and Genevieve. His father played collegiate baseball at Clarke University.

Sam Shaw is in infielder from Victoria, British Columbia, where he attends Lambrick Park Secondary School.

Shaw has experience playing club baseball for the Victoria Mariners, Victoria Eagles, and Langley Blaze, a Brewers' scout team. When he joined the Blaze, he became the first Victoria Mariner to play on their BCPBL team in program history. Shaw also played for the LA Dodgers Scout Team in the East Coast Pro in 2022.

Additionally, Shaw played for Canadian Junior National Team at the U18 World Championships and World Qualifiers in 2022. At the World Qualifier in Mexico City, Shaw won the award for most RBIs during the tournament. During his club experience he earned MVP in four seasons, earning Top Hitter in three those seasons.

Shaw plans to major in history at Xavier. He is the son of Craig Shaw and Stephanie Revel, who were both competitive athletes in ice hockey and figure skating, respectively.

Tyler Stack is a catcher from Oswego, Ill., where he attends Oswego High School.

At Oswego, Stack is a three-year member of the varsity squad, helping the team to a conference championship in 2021 and a Regional Championship in 2022. He's coming off a junior season where he batted .308 and was named to the 2022 All-Area First Team. As a sophomore, Stack batted .291 with 19 RBI and earned First Team All SPC All-Conference honors.

Stack has also played club baseball for Rhino Baseball and was selected to Team Illinois in the Geico National Championship Series in July 2022.

Stack plans on majoring in Sports Management at Xavier. He is the son of Rob and Jan Stack and has one sibling, Jacob. His father played college football at Michigan Tech.

Aidan Zakarewicz is an infielder from Chalfont, Pa., where he played for Germantown Academy.

Zakarewicz is a four-year member of the varsity baseball team at Germantown, playing primarily at shortstop, and has helped the team to over 40 wins across the last two complete seasons. He's coming off a junior season in 2022 where he was an All Inter-Ac First Team selection and a Carpenter Cup selection after hitting .438.

Zakarewicz also has club experience playing for MA Show and the Bronx Bombers, winning the 2021 national championship.

Zakarewicz plans to major in business at Xavier. He is the son of Meg and Ed Zakarewicz.

Drew Zemaitis is a right-handed pitcher from Shorewood, Ill., where he attends Providence Catholic High School.

Zemaitis is a three-year member of the varsity team at Providence Catholic, earning a spot as captain going into his senior season. As a junior, he helped Providence Catholic to a Regional Championship after helping the Celtics to the Super Sectionals as a sophomore. Zemaitis was also a member of the varsity football team at Providence Catholic.

He also has experience playing club baseball for the Cangelosi Sparks.

Zemaitis is the son of Colby and Sarah Zemaitis, and has two siblings, Elle and Anna.

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