Dec. 19, 2007

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Head coach Mark McQueen has announced the addition of five incoming student-athletes who have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Richmond and play baseball next season. All five are East Coast products and two are local standouts - Zach Jung from Collegiate School and Ryan Mallory from Midlothian High School.

All five are entering their senior year of high school and will become Spiders in the fall of 2008. Along with the two Richmonders, the Spiders' class includes Adam McConnell (Yorktown, Va./Tabb HS), Phil Ruzbarsky (Westminster, Md./Westminster HS) and Matt Zink (Jericho, N.Y./Syosset HS).

"We are very excited to have each of these five young men make a commitment to the University of Richmond," said first-year head coach Mark McQueen. "Not only are these men outstanding baseball players, but they come from good schools, great families and have achieved above and beyond in the classroom. We look forward to have them as part of our Spider baseball family."

Zach Jung (Collegiate School)

Jung is a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher who ended his junior campaign for Collegiate with a spotless 6-0 record and a 1.84 ERA. With his team reaching the state playoffs, Jung threw 45.0 innings last season and mowed down 31 batters against just seven walks. The 2007 First Team All-State selection plays locally for American Legion Post 125.

Mallory is a power-hitting first baseman who garnered First Team All-District and Second Team All-Region honors after a junior campaign in which he batted .481. The 6-4, 220-pound left-handed hitting Mallory hit four homers and racked up 10 doubles. He was also a First Team Academic All-District and Second Team Academic All-Region pick. Mallory, who pitched a one-hitter in Midlothian's 9-0 win over Clover Hill to end the 2007 season at 15-5, was a Second Team All-District pick as a sophomore.

Both Mallory and Jung helped lead the Central Region Team to the championship in last summer's Virginia Commonwealth Games.

Adam McConnell (Yorktown, Va.)

McConnell batted .333 with 28 runs scored and two home runs as a junior, while swiping 15 bases in 16 attempts. Recruited by the Spiders as a shortstop, the 6-2, 190-pound right-hander possesses a strong arm, with excellent range and is able to turn the double play with ease. McConnell was a First Team All-District and First Team All-Region selection, while helping Tabb High School advance to the Region I playoffs with a 17-5 record and the top seed in the Bay Rivers district tournament. He was listed as one of the Top prospects for 2008 by Virginiapreps.

Ruzbarsky, a power-hitting corner outfielder, was a Second Team All-County selection last spring as a junior. The 6-3, 185-pound lefty hit three triples and scored 14 runs in helping Westminster High School win the 3A State Championship.

Matt Zink (Jericho, N.Y.)

Zink, who both pitched and played the outfield as a prep star on Long Island posted staggering high-school numbers. As a junior, he was a First Team All-Long Island selection and garnered the Nassau Conference AAI MVP award after a 7-1 pitching record and a .508 batting average. He had 32 hits, including eight doubles and five homers, with a .949 slugging percentage. Zink had a 0.65 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 47 innings. The 5-11 Zink was recruited by the Spiders as a centerfielder.

The Spiders open the 2008 season February 22-24 at the Jacksonville University Invitational in Jacksonville, Fla.