Wayne State College interim head baseball coach Brian Disch announced today that two more players have signed with Wayne State College to play baseball for the Wildcats in the 2010-11 season. Signing national letters of intent were Luke Abkes from Millard North High School in Omaha and Michael Herman from Roncalli Catholic High School in Omaha. Abkes and Herman join Brandon Lalk of Oshkosh, Wisconsin and John Schaben of Monticello, Minnesota, who signed in the NCAA early signing period last November, as members of the 2010 recruiting class.
“We are very pleased to have Luke and Michael join our Wildcat family,” remarked Coach Disch. “Both of these players are great students and will be immediate impacts to our baseball program. They will both fill key roles to our team next spring.”
Abkes is a 6-1, 210 pound catcher from Millard North High School in Omaha where he is a four year starter for the Mustangs. He earned honorable All-State honors as a sophomore and junior. Abkes also lettered two years in football and started one season.
“Luke is a well built catcher with a strong arm,” said Disch. “He has a great work ethic and comes from a good family. He also has the ability to hit with power. He has been fortunate to come from a good baseball program at Millard North, which will help him succeed here. We expect good things from Luke both in the classroom and on the field.”
Herman is a 5-11, 185 pound shortstop from Roncalli Catholic High School in Omaha where he is a four year starter in baseball as well as a three time letter winner in basketball. Herman earned All-State Honorable Mention honors in 2009. He also earned All Conference honors in 2009. Herman also boasts many academic awards, earning Academic All-State and Academic All-Conference in both baseball and basketball in 2008 and 2009.
“Michael is a talented middle infielder with good range and a strong arm,” stated Disch. “He can also hit for average and with power. He comes from a baseball family and a baseball program that makes it to the state tournament year in and year out. Michael will be a nice addition to the Wildcat program.”
Wayne State College is an NCAA Division II school located in Wayne, Nebraska and competes in the 14-team Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Wildcats have won the Northern Sun Conference regular season title the last six seasons and have qualified for the NCAA Division II National Tournament six straight years and seven of the last nine seasons. Wayne State is 12-3 in the NSIC and 17-14 overall entering this weekend's four-game home series vs. Northern State on Saturday and Sunday starting at noon each day at the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex.
