Nov. 15, 2011

OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss baseball continued to build its signing class with the addition of a trio of Louisiana players as the Rebels signed Gavin Cecchini, Stryker Trahan and Jacob Waguespack, head coach Mike Bianco announced on Tuesday.

The trio is the latest group of announced signees for the Rebels, joining three Mississippi players announced on Monday. Already announced as having signed with Ole Miss are Matt Denny, Zach Irwin and Chase Nyman.

Cecchini comes to the Rebels from Barbe High School in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where he plays shortstop. As a junior, he hit .532 with 13 doubles, 11 home runs and tallied 32 stolen bases.

This past season, Cecchini earned All-America honors from several organizations, including Baseball America, MaxPreps, ESPN, Under Armour and was named the MVP of the American Team at the Under Armour All-America Game.

The infielder also was named a Class 5A All-State selection and the Gatorade Player of the Year for Louisiana. He also competed with the USA Baseball 18U Team and is the 17th-rated player in the nation by PerfectGame.

“Gavin’s a very dynamic player,” said Ole Miss assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Carl Lafferty. “He’s a guy that comes in and makes an immediate impact on a program. He influences the game on both sides of the ball – with his bat offensively and certainly with his glove at the shortstop position.”

Trahan comes to the Rebels from Acadiana High School in Lafayette, Louisiana, where he helped lead Acadiana to a 26-9 record and the state playoffs as he hit .460 with 39 runs scored, 31 RBI, nine doubles and five home runs.

The left-handed hitting catcher was named a 2011 Under Armour All-American and selected to participate in the 2011 Area Code Games and USA Baseball Tournament of Stars. He also was named to the Perfect Game Underclass First Team.

PerfectGame also tabbed Trahan as the No. 52 rated player in the nation.

“We’re thrilled to have Stryker as a part of our program,” Lafferty said. “He has tremendous left-handed power offensively and projects as a middle of the lineup hitter. He also has great skills behind the plate.”

Waguespack will join the Rebels after a career at Dutchtown High School in Prairieville, Louisiana, where he helped lead his team to a 29-6 record and a berth in the state playoffs. Waguespack turned in an 8-0 record as a junior with a 1.83 ERA in 55.1 innings of work with 73 strikeouts.

This past summer, Waguespack joined fellow signees Chase Nyman and Zach Irwin playing for Marucci Elite. The right-handed hurler was named an All-Metro selection by the Gonzalez Weekly Citizen and the Times-Picayune.

“Jacob has a prototypical pitcher’s build,” Lafferty said. “He’s a guy who can really pitch. He commands his fast ball and breaking ball in the zone. He’s a tremendous competitor and has a track record of winning big games. We really feel he has a bright future at Ole Miss.”