ATHENS -- Georgia head baseball coach David Perno announced on Tuesday the signing of four more prospects to national letters of intent to attend UGA and play for the Bulldogs.
The group includes Patrick Boling, a left-handed pitcher from Cartersville, Ga., Malcolm Clapsaddle, a right-handed pitcher from Geneva, Fla., Jake Montgomery, a right-handed pitcher from Marietta, Ga., and Alex Wood, a left-handed pitcher from Charlotte, N.C.
“All four—Wood and Boling as lefties and Clapsaddle and Montgomery as righties—look to be contributors as freshmen and help us replace what we are going to lose next year,” Perno said.
Boling is a 6-2, 185 pound pitcher at Cartersville High School while Clapsaddle is a 6-2, 170-pound right-handed pitcher/third baseman at Oviedo High School in Geneva, Fla.
Clapsaddle pitched a complete-game six-hitter to beat eventual 6A state champion Lake Brantley in the District 3 final in April and has been invited to Perfect Game's National Showcase.
“Patrick is in the process of recovering from Tommy John surgery and he should be healthy enough to pitch a little bit in the spring,” Perno said. “Before the injury he was a power lefty with tremendous upside. He has a ton of potential.
“Malcolm is a right-hander with tremendous pitching ability. He has a plus fastball with tremendous breaking pitches. He is probably a very good comparison to Trevor Holder, has a good feel for the game and will contribute as a freshman in some capacity.”
Montgomery is a 6-3, 215 pound right handed pitcher/first baseman at Pope High School in Marietta, Ga. He was 5-3 for the Greyhounds in 2008 with a 3.00 ERA and 41 strikeouts.
The son of Scott Montgomery and Felicia Cheek, he was also a member of the East Cobb Braves this past summer and was the recipient of the Kevin Baldwin Award. His older brother Nick was a member of the Georgia baseball team from 2006-08.
“Jake has a lot of the same characteristics as Nick with probably a little better stuff,” Perno said. He is a very confident kid and continues to get better and better.”
Wood is a 6-4, 197 pound left-handed pitcher at Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte, N.C. He was 6-1 with a 1.90 ERA in 2008 and helped guide the Knights to a 28-6 record and the 2008 AAAA Western Regional title.
