The Texas
A&M-Corpus Christi baseball team has added a pair of junior
college transfers to its recruiting class Islander head coach Scott
Malone announced Wednesday.
Joining the
Islanders for the 2009 season will be infielder Travis Cougot from
Blinn Junior College and right-handed pitcher Brandon Orr from
Cochise College in Arizona.
Cougot is a
5-11 middle infielder, who is in his first season at Blinn after
playing his freshman season at the University of Houston in 2006.
He has appeared in 32 games with a .286 average at Blinn. The
sophomore has four home runs and 17 RBIs after sitting out the 2007
season with injury.
As a freshman
in 2006 at Houston, Cougot played in 55 games starting the final
42. He finished the season with a .286 average with two home runs,
16 runs batted in and 28 runs scored en route to being named to the
Conference USA All-Freshman Team. Cougot was fourth on the team
with nine steals and had nine sacrifice bunts.
In high school,
Cougot played at Klein Collins High School where he helped lead the
team to a 33-6 record and a trip to the Class 5A Region finals.
Dual threat finished 7-2 on the mound with seven home runs to earn
First-team All-District 14-5A and All-Greater Houston First-Team
honors. Cougot was selected to play for Team Texas following his
senior season in the Sunbelt Classic in Oklahoma.
"I have a long
history with Travis," said Malone. "He has been very high on my
recruiting list from his time as a high school player. He was one
of the most sought after players in the Houston area during his
senior year.
"Travis had a
special freshman year at Houston and put up some impressive
offensive numbers. After spending the last year at Blinn, he has
worked very hard to become a better student and a better baseball
player. He will be a much welcomed addition to our roster and will
be counted on to bring us some veteran leadership in 2009."
Orr, a 6-5,
215-pound pitcher, is in his second season at Cochise College as a
starting pitcher for coach Todd Inglehart. He has posted an 8-4
record this spring with a 3.30 ERA in 82 innings with 71 strikeouts
and 17 walks. This past fall he played in the Arizona Community
College Athletic Conference All-Star Game. As a freshman, he was
9-5 as the Apaches won the region title.
At Palo Verde
High School in Tucson, Ariz., Orr lettered all four years. He
capped his career with the Titans with a 2.57 ERA and 7-5 record.
He posted 79 strikeouts in 65-2/3 innings with just 21 walks. He
was first-team all-city as a senior after being second team as a
freshman.
"We are excited
about adding another veteran arm to our pitching staff for 2009,"
said Malone. "Brandon comes from the highly competitive Arizona
J.C. circuit. He has been through the ups and downs of two full
seasons at the junior college level and had a great deal of
success.
"We are
counting on Brandon to help us overcome the losses of seniors Omar
Gutierrez and Brian Anderson. Brandon is a prototypical
right-handed pitcher - standing at 6'5 and 215 pounds he will be an
imposing force for sure. Most importantly he is a great kid and a
winner on the field."
The duo joins
pitcher Trevor Foss, who signed with the Islanders earlier this
spring. Six players signed this past fall with the Islanders –
Jeremy Narvaez, Weston Montgomery, Danny Lackner, Henry Garcia,
Chris Famiglietti, and Brett Carnline.
