Troy Baseball lands one of the top transfer classes in the country
Published 11:10 am Tuesday, January 9, 2024
- Troy Baseball boasts one of the top transfer classes in the country.
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This weekend, D1Baseball.com released its top transfer classes in the country and the Troy Trojans landed at No. 17 on the list.
During the offseason, Troy head coach Skylar Meade landed a historic transfer class, which includes Power 5 transfers, top junior college (JUCO) transfers and top mid-major players.
“Recruiting is the lifeblood of any great program, and our plan for success is no different,” Troy Coach Skylar Meade said. “We love our new players and their unique grouping of skill sets. Now is the time for this group to hone their craft to parlay their high-level talent into on-field success.”
Troy was in need of filling some holes after the departure of key players from last years team, which included Caleb Bartolero, William Sullivan and Zach Fruit, who are now playing professionally. These newcomers include former Clemson right-handed pitcher Jay Dill, former Auburn outfielder Mikey Bello and former Florida pitcher Clete Hartzog. Troy also landed transfers from junior college (JUCO) players Dylan King, Connor Burt, Josh Dima, Isaac Silva, Luke Lyon and Jacob Roettgen along with former Will Butcher and former Charlotte infielder Will Butcher Western Kentucky infielder Aidan Gilroy.
Dill is a 6-foot-6-inch pitcher from Dayton, Tenn., that held a 6.38 career ERA with a 3-3 record as a starting pitcher. He struck out a total of 59 batters in two years at Clemson.
In two years at WKU, Gilroy boasted a .284 batting average with 66 runs, 14 doubles, six triples, five home runs and 60 RBIs. On the defensive end, he earned a .966 fielding percentage with 406 put outs and 199 assists. In three years at Charlotte, Butcher earned a .279 batting average with 98 runs, 26 doubles, 29 homers and 132 RBIs. In the infield he also held a .917 fielding percentage with 90 put outs and nine assists. He was a Freshman All-American and All-CUSA in 2021. Bello earned a .229 batting average in two seasons at Auburn with 22 runs, one home run and 15 RBIs. He also boasted a .981 fielding percentage with 53 put outs from his position in right field.
In 2023, Hartzog earned a 1-0 record on the mound with an 8.53 ERA and 12 strikeouts at Florida. Before transferring to Florida, he started his college career at Wallace Community College in Dothan, earning ACCC South Division Pitcher of the Year in 2022 with a 17-7 record in 31 appearances on the mound.
King is a right-handed pitcher that started his career at Charleston Southern University in the Big South Conference. In 2022, he earned a 6.55 ERA with 15 strikeouts. In 2023, King played at Dyersburg State Community College, boasting a 5.27 ERA with a 4-2 record on the mound and 48 strikeouts.
Burt comes to Troy as a left-handed pitcher from Daytona State Community College He boasted a 3-3 record on the mound with 82 strikeouts and a 3.36 ERA. Dima is a left-handed pitcher that comes to Troy from John A. Logan College where he held a 3.60 career ERA with a 5-1 record and one save. He also struck out 92 batters in two seasons.
Silva comes to Troy after playing at Eastern Arizona Community College, where he boasted a 3.25 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 47 innings pitched. Lyon held a 2.03 ERA in 62 innings at Pearl River Community College last season. He also struck out 75 batters and was named Second-Team All-MACCC was named the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner in NJCAA Division II. Lyon played the 2022 season at Snead State and boasted a 9-2 record with 8.2 strikeouts per game. Lyon started his college career at Ole Miss, where he redshirted in 2021. He was rated as one of the top pitching prospects in the State of Mississippi coming out of high school. Roettgen played at Jefferson Junior College where he boasted 3-1 record on the mound with 95 strikeouts and a 3.27 ERA. His strikeouts-per-inning ranked second in the entire country.