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Leggett Announces 1998-99 Baseball Signees

August 24, 1998

CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson Head Baseball Coach Jack Leggett announced the signing of the 1998-99 class on Monday, August 24, 1998. Leggett also announced the addition of two transfers, Chris Heck and Justin Lombardi.

Heck is a 6-4, 210 pound lefthander from Saint Joseph’s (PA) University. The 10th round pick by the Marlins this past summer will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Lombardi is also a lefthander, as he comes from the University of Alabama. The 6-3, 195 pound Massachusetts’ native played sparingly for the Crimson Tide as a freshman in ’98 due to injury. He will have three years of eligibility left.

“We are very excited about the players we have coming into our program and think that several will be impact players for us soon,” says Leggett. “They all come from very strong baseball backgrounds and we are really looking forward to working with all of them. We feel good about how this class fills our needs.”

Clemson will begin fall practice on Sept. 15.

PLAYER            POS.    B-T  HGT. WGT. CL. PREVIOUS SCHOOL         HOMETOWNThomas Boozer     LHP     L-L  6-2  187  Fr. Richland Northeast HS   Columbia, SCKyle Frank        OF      L-L  5-10 175  Fr. Kingswood Regional HS   Wolfeboro, NHKhalil Greene     SS      R-R  6-0  195  Fr. Key West HS             Key West, FLMatt Henrie       RHP     L-R  6-3  195  Fr. Cardinal Newman HS      Jupiter, FLJeff Jackson      C       R-R  6-2  220  Fr. Kiski Area HS           Murrysville, PAMichael Johnson   SS      L-R  6-3  202  Fr. Georgetown HS           Georgetown, SCJosh Laws         OF      L-L  5-10 165  Fr. East Lake HS            Palm Harbor, FLSpencer Lindsay   OF      L-R  6-0  195  Fr. Irmo HS                 Columbia, SCMike Masiello     3B      R-R  5-11 180  Fr. Wellington HS           Wellington, FLDan Maurer        1B/LHP  R-L  5-11 195  Fr. Baron Collier HS        Bonita Springs, FLJoe Don Reames    OF      R-R  5-11 185  Fr. Seneca HS               Seneca, SCSteve Reba        RHP     R-R  6-4  165  Fr. Concordia Lutheran HS   Fort Wayne, INGrant Redding     OF      R-R  5-11 175  Fr. Homewood HS             Birmingham, AL

THOMAS BOOZER LHP, L-L 6-2, 187 Freshman Columbia, SC (Richland Northeast HS)

BEFORE CLEMSON: All-Region selection in 1996 and All-Area in 1997…played for the Region IV AAAA champions as a freshman and sophomore…earned four letters in baseball…from the same high school as current Tiger Henri Stanley…coached by Barry Mizzell at Richland Northeast High School…PERSONAL: His father, Tommy Boozer, lettered in football at Clemson in 1972-74…his godfather, Mike O’Cain, was Clemson’s football MVP in 1976 and lettered three times (1974-76); O’Cain is currently the N.C. State head football coach…born Thomas Chappell Boozer on Dec. 23, 1979 in Columbia, SC.

KYLE FRANK OF, L-L 5-10, 175 Freshman Wolfeboro, NH (Kingswood Regional HS)

BEFORE CLEMSON: All-State outfielder his last four seasons at Kingswood Regional High School…also was the team’s most outstanding offensive player and team most valuable player in 1996-98…the Class I Player-of-the-Year as a junior…a member of the Junior Olympic Championship All-Star team in Fort Meyers, FL…a Team One Showcase member that played at Clemson in 1997…hit .493 with 38 runs while striking out just twice as a junior…was the team captain in both baseball and football as a junior and senior…earned four letters in both baseball and football at Kingswood Regional High School…was a Scholar Athlete his last four seasons and a National Honor Society member as well…has a black belt in karate…coached by Chip Skelley at Kingswood Regional High School…PERSONAL: Born Kyle William Frank on Sept. 18, 1979 in Mount Kisco, NY.

KHALIL GREENE SS, R-R 6-0, 195 Freshman Key West, FL (Key West HS)

BEFORE CLEMSON: The all-time hits and single-season runs scored leader in Key West High School history…a Dade County All-Star team selection as a senior…played for the state champions as a sophomore…lettered three times in baseball…coached by Brooks Carey at Key West High School…PERSONAL: Pronounced kuh-LEEL…born Khalil T. Greene on Oct. 21, 1979 in Butler, PA.

MATT HENRIE RHP, L-R 6-3, 195 Freshman Jupiter, FL (Cardinal Newman HS)

BEFORE CLEMSON: A Second-Team All-County selection as a junior…led Cardinal Newman High School in triples and was second in slugging percentage as a junior…lettered in baseball…coached by Jack Kokinda at Cardinal Newman High School…PERSONAL: Born Matthew Scott Henrie on Nov. 28, 1979 in Brownsville, TX.

JEFF JACKSON C, R-R 6-2, 220 Freshman Murrysville, PA (Kiski Area HS)

BEFORE CLEMSON: All-Section AAA selection and as a junior, and a Westmoreland County All-Star as a sophomore and junior at Kiski Area High School…team captain and MVP of Kiski Area High School as a junior…hit .439 (high school and Legion combined) in 1997 with a .588 on-base percentage and .795 slugging percentage…also had eight homers and 49 RBIs while throwing out 60 percent of base runners trying to steal…hit .395 with 15 RBIs in 15 games as a sophomore…also an outstanding football player, garnering all-sectional honors as a junior and senior…also was team captain of the football team as a senior…finished third in school history in receptions and had over 190 tackles in three seasons, good for 10th all-time in school history…also finished eighth all-time in school history in three-pointers…lettered in baseball, football, and basketball…coached by Jack Jewart at Kiski Area High School…PERSONAL: Born Jeffrey David Jackson on Oct. 24, 1979 in Pittsburgh, PA.

MICHAEL JOHNSON SS, L-R 6-3, 202 Freshman Georgetown, SC (Georgetown HS)

BEFORE CLEMSON: All-Region VII AAA selection as a junior…also a member of the Sun News “Toast of the Coast” and the Post & Courier All-Lowcountry Team…a 1997 South Carolina High School Sports Report Select mini-camp invitee…played for the Region VII AAA champions with a record of 18-9, including a 10-0 record in region play, as a junior…hit .422 with 14 doubles in only 90 at bats as a junior…broke the Georgetown High School single-season record for runs scored with 40 and doubles with 14 in his junior season; also tied the school record with 38 hits as a junior…lettered four times in baseball…earned three academic letters for being on the honor roll in 1995-97…inducted into the National Honor Society…attended the Clemson Baseball Camp for six years from 1992-97 and won the hitting award in 1993 and 1997…coached by his father, Mike Johnson Sr., at Georgetown High School…PERSONAL: His father, Mike Sr., played baseball at Erskine in 1966-69…his grandfather, Farrel Owens, played football and baseball at Clemson in the early 1950s…born William Michael Johnson, Jr. on June 25, 1980 in Georgetown, SC.

JOSH LAWS OF, L-L 5-10, 165 Freshman Palm Harbor, FL (East Lake HS)

BEFORE CLEMSON: Played for the PAL National Champions in 1996 with a 31-9 record…East Lake High School had a 26-5 record in 1997 and 21-12 record in 1996…lettered four times in baseball and four times in soccer at East Lake High School…from the same city as ’98 freshman and ACC Rookie-of-the-Year Patrick Boyd…coached by Lee Byers at East Lake High School…PERSONAL: His uncle, Rhea Laws, played football at Tennessee and Baylor in the middle to late 1970s…born Joshua Rhea Laws on Jan. 12, 1980 in Jackson, MS.

SPENCER LINDSAY OF, L-R 6-0, 195 Freshman Columbia, SC (Irmo HS)

BEFORE CLEMSON: Selected to the South Carolina North/South All-Star game as a senior…an All-Region and All-State player as a senior as well…played for the AAAA state champions as a senior at Irmo High School and was the team MVP that season; that team was 29-3 and finished ranked 18th in the country by USA Today…was 43-for-100 with 47 RBIs, eight doubles, and five home runs as a senior…also hit .415 as a junior and .399 in the summer of 1997 in Legion, where he was also 57-for-143 with 48 runs, 13 doubles, five triples, six homers, 21 stolen bases, 49 RBIs, and a .524 on base percentage…also played for the Upperstate champions in Legion in 1997…lettered three times in baseball…coached by Strother Sligh at Irmo High School…PERSONAL: Born Spencer Crosland Lindsay on Oct. 27, 1979 in Columbia, SC.

MIKE MASIELLO 3B, R-R 5-11, 180 Freshman Wellington, FL (Wellington HS)

BEFORE CLEMSON: An All-Conference pick as a senior…also was the team captain and Gold Glove winner as a senior…hit .303 with 18 RBIs and only committed one error as a senior…played for the undefeated conference champions as a senior; that team reached as high as #8 in the nation according to USA Today and Baseball America…hit .405 with 16 RBIs, and was 4-1 with a 2.01 ERA, three complete games, and 38 strikeouts in 29.0 innings pitched as a junior…hit .419, and was 3-0 with three saves and 32 strikeouts in 18 innings pitched in the summer of ’98 in Legion play…received four letters in baseball…coached by Scott Benedict at Wellington High School…PERSONAL: Pronounced maz-ee-EH-lo…born Michael James Masiello on Oct. 16, 1979 in Santa Fe, NM.

DAN MAURER 1B/LHP, R-L 5-11, 195 Freshman Bonita Springs, FL (Baron Collier HS)

BEFORE CLEMSON: Batted .417 with 26 runs, five homers, and 25 RBIs his senior season…First-Team All-State selection as a junior…First-Team All-County as a sophomore and junior…All-Section as a junior…his team won the 5A State Championship as a junior with a 29-3 record…team was also District Champions as a junior and senior…was 13-2 on the mound as a junior…lettered four times in baseball…coached by Ted Parsons at Baron Collier High School…PERSONAL: Pronounced MAW-er…born Daniel N. Maurer on Dec. 26, 1979 in East Longmeadow, MA. JOE DON REAMES OF, R-R 5-11, 185 Freshman Seneca, SC (Seneca HS)

BEFORE CLEMSON: Named the High School Coaches Association State Player-of-the-Year, which includes all four classifications…hit .545 with nine doubles, three triples, 12 home runs, 43 runs scored, 31 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases his senior season…was 7-3 on the mound with a 2.32 ERA…for his career, he was 16-7 with a 2.91 ERA and 151 strikeouts in 137.0 innings…played in the North/South All-Star baseball game…Greenville News Baseball Player-of-the-Year and Region Player-of-the-Year his as a senior…made the All-Region team three times..also was All-State his junior and senior seasons by the Baseball Coaches Association and was All-State his senior season by the High School Sports Report…was a preseason All-American in baseball and a post-season Honorable Mention All-American as well…also excels in football…signed to play football at Clemson and plans to play at quarterback his first season…one of five finalists in the State of South Carolina for the Mr. Football Award…accumulated 6,914 career all-purpose yards in his career, including over 2,000 rushing yards and over 4,000 passing yards…had 87 career touchdowns…passed for 1,331 yards and 16 touchdowns in 1997…also had 761 rushing yards and nine scores…North/South All-Star game participant…High School Sports Report’s #14 player in South Carolina…PrepStar All-American as an athlete…#9 player in South Carolina according to SuperPrep…#12 player in South Carolina according to First Down Recruiting…Forrest Davis considers him to be a Blue Chipper and Impact Player…Player-of-the-Year in Region 1-3A…All-State selection…was a five-year starter and was All-Region as a freshman, junior, and senior…two-time Anderson Independent First-Team quarterback…Seneca High School MVP his junior and senior seasons in both football and baseball…lettered four times in football, five times in baseball, and once in track…has two brothers in professional baseball…Britt played baseball at The Citadel and Jay played at South Carolina and later attended The Citadel…born 9-26-79 in Charleston, SC…played for Coach Tom Bass at Seneca High School.

STEVE REBA RHP, R-R 6-4, 165 Freshman Fort Wayne, IN (Concordia Lutheran HS)

BEFORE CLEMSON: Unanimouns Conference Pitcher-of-the-Year as a junior…all-conference as well…received the Mr. Control Award…a preseason All-State selection in 1998…was 9-1 with 112 strikeouts and a 0.72 ERA in 67.2 innings pitched as a junior; also allowed just 16 walks and 38 hits…his team was the runnerup in the state, which has only one class, as a freshman…his high school won the conference championship as a junior…lettered in baseball…drafted in the ninth round out of high school by the Chicago Cubs…coached by David Bahr at Concordia Lutheran High School…PERSONAL: Pronouced REE-buh…born Stephen Michael Reba on Mar. 23, 1980 in Fort Wayne, IN.

GRANT REDDING OF, R-R 5-11, 175 Freshman Birmingham, AL (Homewood HS)

BEFORE CLEMSON: A speedy outfielder who tracks down fly balls well and gets a tremendous jump off the bat…a First-Team 6A All-State selection as a senior, where he was the team MVP on the 22-12 team…was 53-for-102 (.520 batting average) with 46 runs, 11 doubles, five triples, seven home runs, 42 RBIs, only nine strikeouts, and nine stolen bases in 10 attempts…played in the East/West All-Star game…All-Metro Birmingham team selection…a USA Today and High School Baseball USA Magazine Honorable Mention All-American…holds the school career record for batting average, hits, runs, RBIs, hitting streak, and triples; and is second in doubles and sixth in home runs…attended the Team One Showcase in Clemson in June of 1997…a member of the 1995 Alabama Legion State Championship team…selected as the Birmingham area Player-of-the-Week on Apr. 10, 1998 when he was .700 at the plate with five homers…also played basketball at Homewood High School where he was named the team’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player as a sophomore…lettered three times in baseball and three times in basketball…also a tremendous student in the classroom…a member of the National Honor Society, Beta Club, and Spanish National Honor Society at Homewood High School…had a 3.88 GPA and was academic All-State…ranked 10th in his class academically and made a 1200 on his SAT…coached by Bobby Statum at Homewood High School…Statum on Redding: “Grant has great quickness through the zone with the bat, an above average arm, and was a team leader. He is a dedicated student-athlete who is committed to excellence.”…PERSONAL: Born Grant Edmond Redding on Jan. 29, 1980 in Chapel Hill, NC.

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