A-State Baseball Completes 2022 Roster With 10 Summer Additions

JONESBORO, Ark. (9/1/21) – Ten summer additions joined the Arkansas State baseball program ahead of the 2022 season, head coach Tommy Raffo announced Wednesday.

The 10 newcomers consist of six junior college transfers, as well as four from four-year institutions – three of them Division-I transfers. The group, which includes three Arkansas natives, joins the eight signees from the fall signing period as the newcomers are all in Jonesboro preparing to begin fall workouts later in September.

“We are very excited to announce the addition of 10 Red Wolves to our baseball program,” Raffo said. “Recruiting Coordinator Rick Guarno did a great job of identifying talent and balancing out our roster. We upgraded our left-handed pitching and added players with unique skill sets to help Arkansas State compete and excel in the Sun Belt Conference.”

In total, 11 of the 18 newcomers hail from the Natural State, including all eight from the fall signing period. The summer additions include four left-handed pitchers and a pair of two-way standouts to provide versatility for the Red Wolves in 2022.

“These players will join the eight players from the state of Arkansas signed last fall. Together, this group of 18 new Red Wolves represents well-rounded athleticism and a strengthened pitching staff. We are excited for their potential and future for Arkansas State Baseball,” Raffo added.

JONATHAN BALDELLI | RHP | 5-8 | 150 | R/R | BARTLETT, TENN. | BARTLETT HS / CHRISTIAN BROTHERS
PRIOR TO A-STATE
Played four seasons at Christian Brothers University in Memphis … In 2021, owned a 5.86 ERA, striking out 46 batters in 70.2 innings pitched … Tied a career high with 8.1 innings pitched versus West Florida (March 20, 2021) in which he struck out seven batters … Appeared in 48 games in his career for CBU, drawing 23 starts and hurling a pair of complete games … Struck out 98 in 146.0 innings in his four seasons … Prepped at Bartlett High School, leading the Panthers to region championships in 2015 and 2016, as well as the district crown in 2016 and the state semifinals in 2015 … Tabbed to the All-Metro team, as well as being named a Shelby County All-Star and TBCA District 6 selection in 2017.

GUARNO ON BALDELLI: “Jonathan is a graduate transfer from Christian Brothers University, where he was the No. 1 starter last year for Head Coach Lee Parks. He brings years of college experience to the staff, and knows how to pitch and get hitters out. We anticipate him playing a big role for us out of the bullpen.”

AUSTIN BROCK | LHP | 5-10 | 170 | L/L | SENATH, MO. | SENATH-HORNERSVILLE HS / THREE RIVERS COLLEGE
PRIOR TO A-STATE
Played two seasons at Three Rivers College in Missouri, drawing 24 appearances and one start … Coached by A-State baseball alumnus Tyler Smith … In 2021, struck out 36 batters in 28.2 innings en route to being named second-team all-conference … Spent the 2019 season at Rend Lake College in Ina, Ill. … Prepped at Senath-Hornersville High School … Earned all-conference honors in 2018 … Two-way standout for the Lions, hitting .476 as a senior and a 4.53 ERA on the mound.

GUARNO ON BROCK: “Austin comes to us from Three Rivers College, where he pitched for A-State alum, Head Coach Tyler Smith. Austin is a left-handed pitcher who has the ability to get swings and misses with all his pitches. He will impact the back end of the bullpen and give us a weapon against left-handed hitters in the Sun Belt.”

MICKEY COYNE | LHP/1B | 6-2 | 215 | L/L | RENO, NEV. | RENO HS / SIERRA COLLEGE
PRIOR TO A-STATE
Spent two seasons at Sierra College (2020-21), playing at first base for the Wolverines … Played in 32 games … Hit .240 with six doubles and 10 RBI … Prepped at Reno High School, where he was a First Team All-State honoree and the Northern Nevada Player of the Year in 2018 … Three-time All-North Region … Helped the Huskies to the 2016 regional crown.

GUARNO ON COYNE: “Mickey is a true two-way player who was the first baseman and closer for Sierra College last year. He has gap-to-gap power and consistently gets on base. He’s a bulldog on the mound, attacking hitters with above-average stuff. We expect Mickey will carve out a significant role both on the mound and at the plate.”

JAKOB FREDERICK | LHP | 5-8 | 180 | L/L | SACRAMENTO, CALIF. | DEL ORO HS / SIERRA COLLEGE
PRIOR TO A-STATE
Pitched the 2020 and 2021 seasons at Sierra College … In 2021, drew five starts, tossing one complete game … Struck out 34 batters and walked 10 in 24.2 innings pitched … During the shortened 2020 season, hurled 13.1 innings, striking out 12 batters and recording a 2-2 record … Started out his junior college career at San Joaquin Delta College (Calif.), where he made 11 appearances out of the bullpen … Prepped at Del Oro High School, where he was a two-time First Team All-Sierra Foothill League (SFL) honoree … Named team MVP as a senior … Two-time Sacramento Bee All-Metro … Owned a career 3.36 ERA with a 15-6 record and nine complete games … Struck out 145 batters in 139.2 innings … In his freshman year, was called up to the varsity squad and tossed a five-inning no-hitter … Rated by Perfect Game as a top-500 overall player in the class of 2018.

GUARNO ON FREDERICK: “Jakob is another guy who helps us address our need for more left-handed pitching. He uses a 3-pitch mix to keep hitters off-balance, and has put up big strikeout numbers wherever he’s been. Jakob will be in the mix to get important innings as a starter, long reliever, or situational reliever.”

TRISTEN JAMISON | INF | 6-2 | 175 | R/R | NASHVILLE, ARK. | NASHVILLE HS / NATIONAL PARK COLLEGE
PRIOR TO A-STATE
Played the 2021 season at National Park College in Hot Springs, where he was one of the top power bats in NJCAA Division II as a true freshman … Named all-region and won the Natural State Player Award … Belted 23 homers, which ranked second nationally and drove in a team-high 70 runs to go along with a .328 batting average … Of his 65 hits on the year, 35 went for extra bases, as he notched 11 doubles and a triple … Also saw time on the mound, where he went 1-0 with a save in eight appearances, tossing 25.1 innings … Struck out 14 batters while walking eight, allowing just three earned runs for a 1.07 ERA … Prepped at Nashville High School, where he was a teammate of fellow A-State newcomer Ty Gordon … Helped lead the Scrappers to a pair of state championships, earning state MVP once … Two-time all-state honoree … Also lettered in football, where he was an all-conference selection, and was an all-state performer in basketball.

GUARNO ON JAMISON: “Tristen comes to us after a huge COVID-Freshman season at National Park College, where he hit 23 home runs last year. He is a great athlete who can play multiple positions in the infield, and has speed to steal bases as well. He will bring a speed/power combination that is really exciting to see.”

JUSTIN MEDLIN | LHP/1B | 6-0 | 215 | L/L | RIPLEY, MISS. | RIPLEY HS / MIDDLE TENNESSEE
PRIOR TO A-STATE
Played two seasons at Middle Tennessee … One of two players on the Blue Raiders’ pitching staff to hit both a home run and pitch seven or more innings in 2021 … Appeared as a pitcher, designated hitter and pinch hitter … Pitched 7 2/3 innings on the bump in six appearances in 2021 … In 2020, Pitched 12 1/3 innings for Middle Tennessee with four starts … Spent two seasons at Itawamba Community College and was a key two-way player for the Indians … Helped ICC reach the No. 2 national ranking in his sophomore year, when he was named an MACJC First Team All-State performer … Earned the JBB Two-Way Player of the Year award … Hit .306 with 45 RBI and a team-high 10 homers while recording a 7-1 record on the mound with a 2.48 ERA … Prepped at Ripley High School, where he was a four-year letter winner for the Tigers … Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal’s 4A Player of the Year and First Team All-State honoree as a senior … Hit .387 with 10 home runs in his career … On the mound, owned a 1.48 ERA with 103 strikeouts … 2017 and 2015 Region MVP.

GUARNO ON MEDLIN: “Justin is a graduate transfer from Middle Tennessee State, where he logged innings as a starting pitcher and ABs at DH for the Blue Raiders. He will compete to do both for us here, and I expect he’ll find his way into the starting rotation and the everyday lineup. He’s a true three-pitch starter as well as a power-hitting lefty with a good eye at the plate.”

TRESHON PASCHAL | RHP | 6-1 | 185 | R/R | SPRINGDALE, ARK. | HAR-BER HS / CROWDER COLLEGE
PRIOR TO A-STATE
Spent three seasons at Crowder College, with his third year of eligibility coming due to the COVID-19 pandemic that canceled the rest of the 2020 season … In the shortened 2020 season, hurled 7.2 innings in six relief appearances … Notched a 2-0 record with one save and nine strikeouts to just one walk … Did not allow a run on just five hits allowed … As a freshman in 2019, made 12 appearances with a 1-1 record, tossing 18.1 innings with 21 strikeouts … Prepped at Springdale Har-Ber High School … Compiled an 8-2 record at the varsity level, including a 6-1 mark as a senior with a 2.000 ERA … In that year, he struck out 51 batters and walked just nine in 42 innings pitched, allowing opponents to just a .191 batting average.

GUARNO ON PASCHAL: “Treshon possesses a mid-to-upper 90s fastball in addition to plus off-speed offerings. He has true closer stuff, and will bolster the back end of our bullpen as we look to replace departing seniors Kollin Stone and Jack Jumper. Treshon has an unbelievably high ceiling and we look forward to him working to reach that as a Red Wolf.”

CASON TOLLETT | C | 6-1 | 205 | R/R | LITTLE ROCK, ARK. | LITTLE ROCK CHRISTIAN ACADEMY / ARKANSAS
PRIOR TO A-STATE
Spent two seasons at Arkansas, redshirting in 2021 … Prepped at Little Rock Christian Academy under A-State baseball alumnus Brandon Eller … Top-ranked catcher in the state of Arkansas and No. 332 overall nationally by Perfect Game … Rated the third-best player in the state according to Prep Baseball Report and top-25 nationally at his position … Three-time Perfect Game Underclass All-American (2016-18) … Played in the 2017 Perfect Game Underclass All-American Games and the 2018 PG National Showcase … Named MVP of the 2018 PG West MLK Championship (Underclass) with Sticks Baseball Academy … Hit .513 as a junior with LRCA with seven homers and 48 RBIs … Named USA Today All-USA and Arkansas Class 5A All-State … Led Little Rock Christian to the 2018 Class 6A state quarterfinals.

GUARNO ON TOLLETT: “Cason is a transfer catcher from the University of Arkansas. He is an elite defender with a strong arm behind the plate, and has current gap power with the ability to hit the ball out of the yard on occasion. Losing Liam Hicks to the MLB Draft left a big hole behind the dish, and Cason will strengthen our catching corps in a big way.”

COOPER TREMMEL | C/OF | 6-0 | 180 | L/R | LAKELAND, TENN. | ARLINGTON HS / VOLUNTEER STATE CC
PRIOR TO A-STATE
Played one season at Volunteer State Community College, where he was a TCCAA First Team All-Conference selection at catcher … Hit .282 with 12 doubles, five homers and 27 RBI … Drew 30 walks while striking out just 28 times in 131 at-bats … Played multiple positions for the Pioneers … Prepped at Arlington High School … 2019 All-Region selection … Also played football for the Tigers.

GUARNO ON TREMMEL: “Cooper is a versatile athlete who is a catcher by trade but also spent time in the outfield in junior college. He’s a left-handed hitter with occasional home run power who will consistently barrel baseballs. He’ll be in the mix from day one as we look to replace the left-handed hitters we lost from last year’s lineup.”

KEVIN WISEMAN | RHP | 6-2 | 210 | R/R | AXTELL, TEXAS | LINFIELD CHRISTIAN (CALIF.) / WAGNER
PRIOR TO A-STATE
Strong arm out of the back-end of Wagner’s bullpen for four seasons (2018-21) who led the Seahawks with four saves in 2021 with a 4.56 ERA in 11 appearances … Held opponents to a .220 batting average … Made 26 career appearances (3 starts) for Wagner, hurling 53.0 innings with 69 strikeouts … Prepped at Linfield Christian High School in California … As a senior, posted a miniscule 0.99 ERA with 107 strikeouts in 71 innings over 17 appearances, going 9-2 with one no-hitter … Named Defensive Player of the Year and owns the school record for ERA, strikeouts and home runs … As a sophomore, hurled 55.1 innings in 15 games, striking out 60 with a 3.80 ERA … Posted an 8-3 ledger with a save to his credit … Son of Kim and Ken Wagner … Pursuing his MBA at A-State … Third cousin of Milwaukee Brewers play-by-play announcer Bob Uecker.

GUARNO ON WISEMAN: “Kevin is a graduate transfer from Wagner College, where he pitched at the back end of their bullpen for the last four years. Kevin owns a low-to-mid 90s fastball to go along with a wipeout breaking ball. We will look for Kevin to be a shutdown arm for us in the late innings.”