Baseball Inks Five Texas Natives on Signing Day

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Staying close to home, the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi baseball program added five Texas products to its 2023 roster with the signings of Kody Gibbs, Tanner Marek, Matthew Molina, Jacob Sullens and Nash Villegas.
 
"This group of student-athletes brings a little bit of everything to our roster. A combination of ultra-talented young pitchers and versatile position players that will be the future of Islander baseball," said head coach Scott Malone. "Recruiting Coordinator Seth LaRue has done an outstanding job putting this group together.  These five young men will be the future leaders of Islanders baseball. Lastly, a huge bonus for our staff is being able to lure the top talent from local area high schools. It has always been a goal of this program to build our roster from the best student-athletes that the Coastal bend has to offer."
 
Gibbs is a pitcher from Needville, Texas. He's played club ball for the South Texas Sliders since 2016. Gibbs will be studying towards a degree in Civil Engineering at A&M-Corpus Christi.
 
"Kody is a physical 6'2, 200 right-handed pitcher. As a junior in spring 2021, Kody set the pace for a 22-win Needville High School team accounting for seven of those wins on the mound with a 2.96 ERA. He was also a top arm for the South Texas Sliders organization throughout his high school career. Kody has a steady 3 pitch arsenal with a projectable upper 80's fastball. As a proven strike-thrower we look for Kody to make an immediate impact on the mound," Malone said.


 
Marek is a catcher and utility player from Alvin, Texas. He led Alvin HS to the 23-6A District Championship last season and hit .426 in district. Marek played club for Lonestar Baseball Club. He'll be pursuing a degree in Engineering.
 
"Tanner is a First-Team All-District catcher. He has special bat-to-ball skills in the batter's box and when he isn't behind the plate defensively, he is a true utility specialist. On the field, Tanner has high baseball IQ and a blue collar work ethic that all coaches love. The hit tool and defensive versatility gives him immediate value for a role that will continue to increase with his time in an Islander uniform," Malone said.


 
Molina is a right-hander from Alice, Texas. He's a two-sport athlete at Alice HS who also plays football. His major is undecided.
 
"Matthew is one of the top arms in South Texas that you may not have heard of yet. From Alice High School, Matthew is a tremendous athlete who has an electric arm. With a fastball that already sits in the low 90's, the sky is the limit for Matthew and we can't wait to get to work with him next fall," Malone said.
 


Sullens is an outfielder from Keller, Texas. He was a part of a Keller HS team that finished second in state last season after winning the district, region and area championships. Sullens played club for Victus Scout. He'll be majoring in Business.
 
"Jacob is a dynamic right-handed hitting outfielder whose tools across the board jump off the page. He was a major contributor for Keller High School in Spring 2021 who was a top-ranked 6A team in Texas. His raw power, speed, and arm strength will make him a threat in the lineup from the day he steps on campus. As he continues to hone in his skill set, Islander fans will really enjoy watching Jacob play," Malone said.
 


Villegas, a hometown product from Corpus Christi, is both a pitcher and catcher. He was a First-Team All-District Catcher and First-Team All-South Texas Utility last season. Villegas will be pursuing a bio-med degree with a career goal of becoming a dentist.
 
"Nash is 6'6, 240 right-handed power pitcher and power bat who comes to us from right down the road at Flour Bluff High School. Nash is extremely talented and is a great athlete especially for being such a physical young man. The raw tools translate very naturally on the baseball field which includes a heavy low 90s fastball on the mound. In the Corpus Christi area, Nash may be more well-known for his accomplishments on the football field. Over the last two years as the starting quarterback for the Flour Bluff football team, Nash has helped lead them to an 11-2 record in 2020 and 8-2 through the regular season this fall. It will be fun to watch Nash grow and develop on the diamond as an Islander over the next few years," Malone said.


 
All five student-athletes will be freshmen on the 2023 roster.
 
Signing Day Roster

Name	Pos	Ht.	Wt.	Hometown/High School
Kody Gibbs	RHP	6-2	200	Needville, Texas/Needville HS
Tanner Marek	C/UT	5-11	175	Alvin, Texas/Alvin HS
Matthew Molina	RHP	6-0	170	Alice, Texas/Alice HS
Jacob Sullens	OF	6-0	195	Keller, Texas/Keller HS
Nash Villegas	RHP/C	6-6	240	Corpus Christi, Texas/Flour Bluff HS

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