HOUSTON – HBU baseball has announced a recruiting class of 21 student-athletes to join the Huskies this fall in preparation for the 2022 season, first-year head coach Lance Berkman announced Monday.
 
"We are thrilled to have these young men who have committed to our program," Berkman said. "We needed the right kind of player to begin this new chapter of Husky baseball. Each of these guys were selected because we feel that they are winning baseball players. I look forward to coaching them this year and expect great things this spring."
 
The Huskies have added 17 student-athletes from Texas, including 13 from the greater Houston area, and one each from California, Kentucky, Louisiana and Missouri. Among the new additions are nine pitchers, four infielders, two catchers, four outfielders and a pair of two-way players.
 
Nine members of this class have prior Division I experience in Matthew Charles (Texas State), Kevin Conley (New Mexico), Diego Davila (Sam Houston), Timothy Ewald Jr. (Dallas Baptist/Ball State), Cole Ferguson (Houston), Logan Letney (TCU), Caleb Munton (Texas State), Austin Roccaforte (Wichita State) and Will Ripoll (LSU). Only Conley and Ewald transferred directly from Division I programs, while 17 transferred from junior colleges and three are true freshmen.
 
HBU also expects to return 24 from last year's squad.
 
Following are bio capsules on each incoming student-athlete:
 
Caden Biedermann – IF – 6-2 – 195 – R/R – Houston, Texas (Bellaire)
Was a four-year starter at Bellaire High School for coach Nick Ozuna. For his career, hit .391 with a .524 on-base percentage and was a four-time all-district selection, including first-team honors three times. As a senior, hit .357 with three home runs and a .541 on-base percentage. Hit .440 with 15 RBIs in his COVID-shortened junior season, hit .429 as a sophomore and .338 as a freshman.
 
Mitchell Cashion – P – 6-2 – 210 – R/R – Missouri City, Texas (Ridge Point/Paris JC)
Played one season at Paris Junior College for coach Clay Cox. Made six appearances and struck out seven in 5.2 innings in 2020, before missing the 2021 season following Tommy John surgery. Made the NJCAA All-Academic Third Team in 2020 and Second Team in 2021. Was a two-year starter at Ridge Point High School for coach Clinton Welch and also was a three-year letterwinner in football. His mother, Marcy, earned her Master's degree at HBU and his father, James, played baseball at Mary Hardin-Baylor.
 
Matthew Charles – P – 5-10 – 180 – R/R – Houston, Texas (Heights/Texas State/Alvin CC)
Played at Alvin Community College for coach Jason Schreiber. Made five appearances out of the bullpen in 2021, tossing multiple innings each time. Notched a save and posted a 2.08 ERA with 17 strikeouts and five walks in 13.0 innings. Began his collegiate career at Texas State, redshirting in 2018 and making five appearances in 2019 as the Bobcats won the Sun Belt Conference championship. Threw one inning against HBU on April 16, 2019, and struck out the side. Was a four-year letterwinner at Heights High School for coach David Petty. Played in 84 games, hitting .318 with a .424 on-base percentage, 68 hits, 34 RBIs and 56 runs. Made the Honor Roll.
 
Kevin Conley – P – 6-0 – 185 – R/R – Spring, Texas (Oak Ridge/New Mexico)
Began his collegiate career at the University of New Mexico for coach Ray Birmingham. Played with his identical twin brother, Kyle. Won the 2019 Cape Cod championship. Was a three-year letterwinner at Oak Ridge High School for coach Mike Pirtle. As a senior, posted a 7-2 record with a 2.09 ERA and 41 strikeouts. Was a second-team all-academic selection.

Diego Davila – IF – 5-11 – 180 – R/R – Spring, Texas (Klein Collins/Alvin CC)
Played two seasons at Alvin Community College for coach Jason Schreiber. As a sophomore, started 45 games, hitting .345 with six home runs, 15 doubles, 32 RBIs, 35 runs and 17 stolen bases to earn first-team all-conference honors. Began his collegiate career at Sam Houston, appearing in 38 games as a freshman and hitting .256 with five doubles, a home run, a triple, 15 RBIs and 14 runs. Was also an Academic All-American with a 3.5 GPA. Was a four-year letterwinner at Klein Collins High School for coach Chris Griffin. Led the Tigers to a 26-9 record and a berth in the 6A Region II quarterfinals. Earned first-team all-district honors.
 
Drew Decker – C/1B – 6-1 – 195 – R/R – Houston, Texas (Second Baptist/North Lake JC)
Played two seasons at North Lake Junior College for coach Corey Mercer. In 2021, hit .413 with six home runs, 14 doubles, two triples, 37 RBIs and 35 runs, while slugging .711 and posting a .478 on-base percentage. Named first-team all-conference and conference catcher of the year. In his first season, hit .351 with four doubles and three triples. Played at Second Baptist for current HBU head coach Lance Berkman. Also lettered in football. His uncle, Brian Dorsett, played baseball at Indiana State and caught 14 seasons in the pros, while his cousin, Brandon Dorsett, also played baseball at ISU and was drafted as a pitcher by the Blue Jays.
 
Parker Edwards – C – 6-4 – 215 – R/R – Houston, Texas (Cypress Creek/St. Thomas)
Played one season at the University of St. Thomas under the current HBU coaching staff. Hit .357 with five home runs and 29 RBIs to earn second-team all-conference honors. Also made the Dean's List. Hit a pair of home runs in his first collegiate start against Howard Payne. Was a two-year letterwinner at Cypress Creek High School for coach Erin Bryant. As a senior, hit .415 with two home runs and 19 RBIs. Graduated Summa Cum Laude, the top two percent in his class and 12^th overall. His brother, Hunter, was a pitcher at the University of Houston.
 
Timothy Ewald Jr. – P – 6-0 – 210 – R/L – Saint Charles, Mo. (Francis Howell Central/Dallas Baptist/Jefferson College/Ball State)
Made four appearances for Ball State in 2021. Made six appearances for Jefferson College in 2020, posting a 4.63 ERA and 20 strikeouts and five walks in 11.2 innings. Began his collegiate career at Dallas Baptist. Was a three-year letterwinner at Francis Howell Central in Cottelville, Missouri, for coach Raymond Howard. 2018 Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American. Two-time Rawlings-PG Underclass All-American. Cousin, Devin Williams, is a pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers.
 
Cole Ferguson – P – 6-5 – 250 – R/R – Shelbyville, Texas (Shelbyville/Houston/Wharton)
Played one season at Wharton County Junior College for coaches Trey Porras and John Cannon. Made 14 starts, going 6-2 with a 5.21 ERA, 66 strikeouts and 25 walks in 65.2 innings. Hurled a five-inning no-hitter with four strikeouts in a 16-0 victory over Blinn on March 20, 2021. Began his career at the University of Houston, making three appearances without allowing an earned run in 2.2 innings in the shortened 2020 season. Was a four-year starter at Shelbyville High School for coach Zach Hubbard. Was a two-time All-Star and was the District Offensive Player of the Year. Was also a three-time all-state selection in basketball, leading the Dragons to the state 2A championship in 2019.
 
Connor Fremin – OF – 5-7 – 175 – L/L – Katy, Texas (Taylor/Wharton)
Played at Wharton County Junior College for coach Trey Porras. As a sophomore, hit .275 with a .435 on-base percentage to earn second-team all-conference honors and also earned academic all-conference honors. Was a three-year letterwinner at Katy Taylor High School for coach Matt Glover. As a senior, hit .315 to earn all-district honorable mention. Hit .405 as a junior, earning first-team all-Houston and second-team all-district honors. Was a two-time academic all-district selection. Also lettered twice in football.
 
Thomas King – P – 6-2 – 215 – R/R – Louisville, Ky. (Trinity/Barton/Olney Central)
Began his collegiate career at Barton College, before transferring to Olney Central College in Illinois. As a sophomore, made 10 starts, posting a 5-2 record with a 2.45 ERA, 65 strikeouts and 29 walks in 58.2 innings. Hurled seven shutout innings, striking out 12 and allowing only three hits in a 2-0 victory over Kaskaskia. Allowed one run on five hits with 10 strikeouts in an eight inning complete game victory over Rend Lake. Played at Trinity High School for coach Rick Arnold.

Logan Letney – OF/P – 5-10 – 190 – L/R – Conroe, Texas (Oak Ridge/TCU/Navarro)
Began his collegiate career at TCU, before transferring to Navarro College. In his first full collegiate season at Navarro in 2021, Letney batted .362 with seven homers and 40 RBIs while scoring 35 runs. He also pitched 16 innings with a 1.69 ERA, 15 strikeouts and five walks. He was a first-team all-conference and first-team all-region outfielder, while also earning academic all-conference  and President's honors. In 2020, hit .407 with a .553 on-base percentage, .667 slugging, one home run, four doubles and 10 runs. Was a four-year letterwinner at Oak Ridge High School for coaches Mike Pirtle and JJ Pierce. 2019 Montgomery County Player of the Year, hitting .372 with 20 RBIs and 20 runs, while going 10-2 on the mound with a 0.58 ERA, 86 strikeouts and only eight walks in 60 innings. Earned first-team all-state and District 15-6A MVP honors. Named the Conroe Courier Player of the Year, Texas High School Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Game MVP, THSBCA Academic All-State and Houston Baseball Coaches Association 2-Way Player of the Year. As a junior, hit .391 with 43 hits, seven home runs, 10 doubles, 34 RBIs and 32 runs. His mother, Yvonne, played volleyball at Texas A&M from 1987-91 and his brother, Braden, played football and baseball at Mary Hardin-Baylor.
 
Connor McBryde – OF –6-1 – 205 – R/R – Spring, Texas (Grand Oaks)
Was a three-year letterwinner at Grand Oaks High School for coach Lou Ferrel. As a senior, hit .313 with 28 RBIs and 12 stolen bases during the regular season, then .429 with 11 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 10 postseason games. Hit .333 with 11 RBIs and 11 stolen bases as a junior and .435 with 34 RBIs and was 24-for-24 on stolen base attempts as a sophomore. Was also a four-year letterwinner in golf. His mother, Cassandra, attended HBU from 1992-96 and his father, John, played football at Navy from 1992-1996.

Caleb Munton – 1B/OF – 6-0 – 210 – S/R – Pilot Point, Texas (Abilene Wylie/Texas State/Northeast Texas)
Began his collegiate career at Texas State, before playing at Northeast Texas. Hit .260 with a .400 on-base percentage, three home runs and 14 doubles in 2021. Was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter at Wylie High School for coach Clay Martin. Won back-to-back 4A state championships in 2016 and 2017. For his career, hit .383 with 58 extra-base hits and 125 RBIs. As a senior, hit .342 and earned all-district honors. As a junior, hit .412 with 22 extra-base hits and set a new single-season school record with 50 RBIs to earn district offensive MVP. Was an Under Armour Preseason All-American, was the No. 4-ranked catcher in Texas by Prep Baseball Report and was named to the Texas USA Baseball Team for a second time. Hit .340 as a sophomore with 11 extra-base hits and 38 RBIs. Was named to the Texas 4A All-State Tournament Team. Also played football, helping Wylie to a state 4A final appearance in 2017. Father, Dan, played baseball at Hardin Simmons.
 
Chad Ricker – P/IF – 6-1 – 205 – L/R – Argyle, Texas (Argyle/Navarro)
Played one season at Navarro for coach Mathew Podjenski, hitting .329 with five home runs, a .481 on-base percentage, .610 slugging percentage, while going 4-2 on the mound in 28.0 innings. Was a three-year starter at Argyle High School for coach Ricky Griffin. As a senior, hit .366 with a .490 on-base percentage and five home runs, while going 12-0 with a 0.88 ERA in 83.0 innings. Threw three no-hitters in the playoffs to lead team to state championship appearance. He was named district offensive and all-area MVP, made first-team all-state, first team THSB All-American team and earned academic all-district honors. Hit .369 as a junior and went 7-0 with a 0.36 ERA in 40 innings to earn district utility player of the year, first-team all-area and academic all-district accolades. As a sophomore, hit .429 with a .580 on-base percentage and slugged .730 while earning district utility player of the year, first-team all-area and academic all-district honors.

Will Ripoll – P – 6-0 – 180 – R/R – New Orleans, La. (John Curtis Christian/LSU/San Jacinto)
Began his collegiate career at LSU, making 10 relief appearances in 2019, posting a 6.48 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 16.2 innings. Had five strikeouts in three innings against Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament. Played at John Curtis Christian, going 10-0 with a 0.98 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 71.1 innings. Named the 2018 LHSAA Division I Most Valuable Player and Pitcher in leading John Curtis to back-to-back state championships. First-team all-state selection and named first-team All-Louisiana by USA Today. Voted 2018 Perfect Game Louisiana Player of the Year. No. 4-ranked prospect in Louisiana and No. 114 nationally by Perfect Game. Ranked 183 among Baseball American Top 500 Prospects. Grandfather, Bernie Isom, played football at Texas A&M.
 
Austin Roccaforte – IF – 5-8 – 160 – R/R – Tomball, Texas (Tomball Memorial/Wichita State/San Jacinto College)
Appeared in 30 games for San Jacinto College as a redshirt freshman in 2021, hitting .231 with a home run, a double, six RBIs, 11 runs and three stolen bases. Redshirted his first year at Wichita State. Was a four-year letterwinner and starter and two-year team captain at Tomball Memorial High School for coach Monte Huggins. Ranked 100^th overall and 20^th at his position in the state of Texas according to Prep Baseball Report. Earned second-team all-district honors as a sophomore and junior and earned all-district honorable mention as a freshman. Hit .315 as a junior and .325 as a senior. Was a three-time Baseball Factory Preseason All-American.
 
Jared Schatz – OF – 5-10 – 175 – L/R – Westlake Village, Calif. (Oaks Christian/Orange Coast)
Played two seasons at Orange Coast Community College for coach Nate Johnson. As a sophomore, hit .321 with a home run, two doubles, nine RBIs and 18 runs. Played 26 games as a senior at Oaks Christian, hitting .390 with a home run, six doubles, three triples, five RBIs and 22 runs.
 
Bernard Shivers – OF – 6-1 – 190 – R/R – Jersey City, N.J. (Snyder/Howard)
Played two seasons at Howard College for coach Mike Lopez. Appeared in 49 games in 2021, batting .367 with six home runs, 17 doubles, 55 RBIs, 56 runs and 10 stolen bases. In eight games during the covid-shortened 2020 season, played in eight games, batting .296 with 12 runs, six RBIs and eight stolen bases. Was a four-year letterwinner at Snyder High School. As a senior, hit .431 with four home runs, 15 extra-base hits, 27 runs and 24 stolen bases to earn second-team all-state honors.
 
Bryce Toney – P – 6-0 – 190 – L/L – Cypress, Texas (Cypress Ranch/Blinn)
Played at Blinn College for coach Harvey McIntyre. In 2020, posted a 3.18 ERA with nine strikeouts in 5.2 innings. Was a two-year letterwinner at Cypress Ranch High School for coach Corey Cephus. As a senior, posted three wins with a 2.94 ERA, 43 strikeouts and a .168 opponent batting average in 31.0 innings. Made the Honor Roll.
 
Trey Valka – P – 6-3 – 195 – R/R – Conroe, Texas (Oak Ridge/Wharton)
Played at Wharton Country Junior College for coach Trey Porras. Made 10 appearances and three starts in 2021. As a freshman, made five appearances, going 2-1 with a 4.15 ERA, 35 strikeouts and 12 walks in 26.0 innings.Was a three-year letterwinner at Oak Ridge High School for coach JJ Pierce.