Lions announce nationally ranked recruiting class

MARS HILL, N.C. - Mars Hill University head baseball coach Zach Honeycutt and his coaching staff have announced their 2023 recruiting class.

The class of '23 players includes three Division II transfers, four junior college transfers, along with sixteen high school recruits. The recruiting class has student-athletes from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Indiana, and Venezuela.

"Our coaching staff is extremely excited about this year's recruiting class," said Honeycutt. "I am very proud of our staff. We have worked incredibly hard to identify and recruit a large and talented freshman class while adding key transfers to continue to grow our program in the right direction. Recruiting Coordinator Mike Fitschen and staff have spent countless hours finding the best of the best to represent the future of Mars Hill baseball."

This class of '23 student-athletes is Coach Honeycutt and his staff's first full recruiting class. The high school class is currently ranked seventh in the nation; the highest-ranked recruiting class in Mars Hill baseball history.

The Lions 2023 recruiting class:

Name | Year |Position | Hometown (State) | Previous School

David Ziolkowski | Fr. | RHP/OF | Raleigh (N.C.) | Leesville Road H.S.

Coach Honeycutt on Ziolkowski – "David was our first recruit of the 2023 class. He has an opportunity to make an immediate impact as a two-way for us. His athleticism will be an asset to us both on the mound and in the outfield."

Caleb White | Fr. | OF | Rutherfordton (N.C.) | R.S. Central H.S.

Coach Honeycutt on White – "Caleb attended our prospect camp in December 2022 and had a great showing in the NC State games the following summer. His ability to handle the bat and his speed will give him an opportunity to contribute to the new style of offense we would like to play this upcoming year."

Caleb Smith | Fr. | INF/RHP | Merrillville (IN) | Adrean H.S.

Coach Honeycutt on Smith – "Caleb comes well recommended from a great travel ball organization. His ability to play multiple infield positions and his athleticism will add to our teams' depth this season, and his versatility makes him a true asset to our program."

Jackson Gowan | Fr. | RHP/INF | Forest City (N.C.) | Chase H.S.

Coach Honeycutt on Gowan – "Jackson came to our prospect camp and showed that he has the ability to be an impact arm for us right away. He has continued to develop throughout his senior year and we are very excited to have him on campus."

Steven Spaes | Fr.| UTL | Shelby (N.C.) | Shelby H.S.

Coach Honeycutt on Spaes – "Steven has shown the ability to hit at the next level. He had a great senior season followed by a successful summer in Legion Ball, which included a run in the state tournament. His versatility will provide us with more depth in multiple positions."

Davis Anders | Fr. | C/UTL | Franklin N.C. | Franklin H.S.

Coach Honeycutt on Anders – "Davis is an offensive catcher with the athleticism to move to different spots on the field. There is some thunder in his bat and we believe he has the making of a true power hitter. We are excited to add some of the best high school talent in the mountains this class and Davis was a premier talent from the area."

Parker Roberts | Fr. | OF | Candler (N.C.) | Enka H.S.

Coach Honeycutt on Roberts "We know Parker's high school coaches very well and he came well recommended in regards to his character and ability on the field. Parker is a very physical and athletic kid who played multiple sports in high school and will add athleticism to our offense.

Carter Potts | Fr. | SS | Avon Lake (OH) | St. Edwards H.S.

Coach Honeycutt on Potts – "Carter is a great addition to our infield. He has the ability to play shortstop and we are excited to watch him develop in our system. He is a football state champion as well and will be a great addition to a program trying to establish a winning culture".

Brennan Williams | Fr. | RHP | Mount Pleasant (N.C.) | Mount Pleasant H.S.

Coach Honeycutt on Williams – "Brennan has the potential to be a weekend starter in his career here. He has thrown big innings in his high school career and will be a great addition to our young pitching staff this year."

David Shontz Jr. | Fr. | OF | Orlando (FL) | East River HS 

Coach Honeycutt on Shontz Jr. – "David has a proven track record as a high school athlete in a very competitive baseball area. He is very physical and athletic and will be a great addition to our outfield."

Zachary Cimino | Fr. | OF | Elon (N.C.) | The Burlington School

Coach Honeycutt on Cimino – "Zachary has displayed the athleticism and tools needed to contribute at our level. He can play all three outfield positions, which will be a huge asset to our program."

T.J. Burske | Fr. | C. | Apopka (FL) | Apopka H.S.

Coach Honeycutt on Burske – "T.J.'s ability defensively can be a game changer for us. He comes from an established travel organization and will provide depth to a very important position on the field. We are very excited to add him to our family."

Landen Moore | Fr. | RHP | Jacksonville (FL) | Trinity Christian

Coach Honeycutt on Moore – "Landen has a unique ability to change speeds and pitch from multiple arm slots. He will be a great addition to our pitching staff this year. He has the ability to develop into a very special piece for our program."

Alejandro Aguilar | Fr. | LHP/UTL | Tampa (FL) | Jefferson H.S.

Coach Honeycutt on Aguilar – "Alejandro is very physical both on the mound and in the box. He comes from a good high school program and was a huge piece to their run in the state tournament which took them all the way to FL 4A semi-final game. Alejandro's physicality will give him opportunities to contribute on the mound and in our offense."

Phillip Devita | Fr. | RHP | Apopka (FL) | Apopka H.S.

Coach Honeycutt on Devita – "Phillip will be a great addition to our pitching staff. He threw big playoff innings for his high school this season and we are excited to watch him continue to develop in our system."

Michael Hawks | Fr. | RHP/UTL | Tampa (FL) | Plant H.S.

Coach Honeycutt on Hawks – "Michael has the ability to help us on both sides of the ball. He has displayed athleticism as a position player and has tremendous arm talent and upside on the mound. With big arm talent and natural ability at the plate, we feel Michael is just beginning to scratch the surface of his talent."

Peyton Kowalski | Fr. | RHP | Kernersville (N.C.) | Glenn H.S.

Coach Honeycutt on Kowalski – "Peyton is a very talented right-handed pitcher with real life on his fastball. He comes to us with the potential to be an impact arm and will be a great addition to our already young and talented pitching staff."

Brady Stephens | Fr. | RHP | Gainesville (GA) | Cherokee Bluff H.S.

Coach Honeycutt on Stephens - "Brady was a late addition to our freshman class and we are very excited about his addition. His ability to throw multiple pitches from multiple arm angles will add much needed versatility to the staff."

J.D. Lewis | Jr. | RHP | Waxhaw (N.C.) | Catawba Valley CC

Coach Honeycutt on Lewis - "J.D. will add some leadership and experience to our younger pitching staff. He has had success in big situations at the junior college level and we are excited to see it translate to us here."

Elec Yount | Jr. | INF | Catawba (N.C.) | Catawba Valley CC

Coach Honeycutt on Yount - "Elec will be a great addition to our infield. He was the starting shortstop at a good junior college program last spring, and enjoyed a successful year himself. He will add solid collegiate experience to the middle of our infield."

Gustavo Gonzalez | Jr. | INF | Barquisimeto (Venezuela) | Dyersburg CC

Coach Honeycutt on Gonzalez - "We were able to see Gustavo compete in his conference tournament this spring. He showed toughness and played the game with the style we would like to play with, which makes him a great fit and addition to our roster."

Jordan Searcy | Jr. | RHP | Polk County (N.C.) | Cleveland CC

Coach Honeycutt on Searcy – "Jordan has the potential to be an impact transfer arm. He will also add some leadership to our pitching staff. It was great to see Jordan develop throughout his time in junior college and we are excited to have him on our roster this year."

Jaden James | Jr. | UTL | Broward County (FL) | Erskine College

Coach Honeycutt on James – "Jaden is someone we have gone through the recruiting process a few times with and we are lucky to add him to our roster. His ability to drive the baseball and play multiple corner positions will be very valuable to us."

Brycen Jewell | Sr. | RHP | Jefferson GA | Lee University

Coach Honeycutt on Jewell – "We are very fortunate Brycen decided to take his fifth year with us. He will add collegiate experience to our newcomers and has the opportunity to throw big innings for us after a successful summer ball campaign."

Tai Gilbert | Sr. | OF | Sarasota (FL) | USC Aiken

Coach Honeycutt on Gilbert – "Tai is a very talented and athletic addition to our roster. He was the final addition and can make a big impact in the middle of our outfield and in our lineup. We were fortunate to add him so late in the summer and hope to help him reach his full potential in his final season of collegiate baseball."