FLORENCE, S.C. – Francis Marion University baseball coach Art Inabinet has announced the signing of eight players – infielder Derek Parker of Lancaster; outfielders Camron Asbill of Overland Park, Kan., Austin Smetana of Florence, and Jonathan Scott of Spartanburg; and right-handed pitchers Jordan Douglas of Hemingway, Rick Kalgstein of Coral Springs, Fla., Sebron Kirkland of Manning, and Joseph Whitaker of Hopkins – to national letters of intent to attend FMU in the fall of 2007.

Parker, 6-0 165-pounds, is a product of Lancaster High School, where he played under the direction of coaches Steve Williams, Eric Funderburk, and Rashad Cunningham. 

As a senior, he batted .288 with five doubles, six stolen bases, and six runs batted in.  He helped the Bruins to an 18-11 mark this past spring and a spot in the AAAA upper state playoffs. He has earned his team’s Coaches Award, Most Improved Award (2006), and a Golden Glove Award. He has also played for the Lancaster Post 31 American Legion squad.

Asbill, 5-9 167-pounds, is a transfer from Butler County College in El Dorado, Kan., and will have two years of eligibility at FMU. This past spring, he hit .257 with two home runs, 12 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases as Butler went 39-15 and captured the Jayhawk West Conference championship.

Asbill is a graduate of Blue Valley West High School.

Smetana, 5-11 190-pounds, is a product of West Florence High School, where he played for coach Bob Kleinknecht.  Smetana is the son of former Patriot infielder Gary Smetana, who played during the 1978 and 1980 seasons. 

As a senior, he hit .407 with three home runs and 22 runs batted in as the Knights advanced to the AAAA state tournament. He was one of three nominees for the Florence District One Senior Male Athlete of the Year Award.

Scott, 5-9 150-pounds, is a graduate of Spartanburg High School, where he played under the direction of head coach Tom Myers.

This past year, he batted .304 with two home runs, 13 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases for an 18-10 Vikings squad that made the AAAA state playoffs. Prior to the season, Scott was voted among the Fastest Runners in South Carolina by Diamond Prospects in its Best Tools-Class of 2007.

Douglas, 6-4 190-pounds, is a graduate of Johnsonville High School, where he played for coaches Scott Cook and Denton Graves.

Limited by an injury during his senior year, he was 2-1 with a 1.02 earned run average with 21 strikeouts. At the plate, he batted .333 with five doubles, one home run, and 20 runs batted in, as the Flashes advanced to the Class A Lower State finals.

Kalgstein, 6-0 190-pounds, is a product of Coral Springs Charter High School, where he played for coach Jerry Albert.

This past spring, he garnered All-County honors while posting a 7-4 record with a 2.31 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 72.2 innings.  He also recorded seven complete games. At the plate, he had one home run and eight RBIs.

Kirkland, 6-1 195-pounds, is a graduate of Laurence Manning Academy, where he played for coaches Steve Belangia and Ken Kellahan.

He was named to the SCISA All-State squad as a senior and is a two-time All-Conference selection.

Whitaker, 6-1 195-pounds, is a graduate of Lower Richland High School, where he played under the direction of coach Henry Mixon.

“We are very happy with this quartet of pitchers,” Inabinet said. “All have velocity in the mid-80s and should compete for innings next year as freshmen. Douglas, Kalgstein, and Whitaker are likely to step in immediately and could pitch on the weekend (conference series). Kirkland possesses a sharp breaking ball and could throw in mid-week games. This should be an exciting group to work with.

“Smetana will have an opportunity to play in one of the corner outfield positions, while Asbill and Scott both add speed to our roster. With his junior college experience, Asbill, a left-handed hitter, could step in and fill our vacancy in center field.

“Parker comes from a strong high school program and could help us on the left side of the infield or at second base. He plays with a lot of intensity and emotion, and will add competitiveness as a first-year player.”

Francis Marion finished the 2007 campaign with a 36-18 mark, the second-most wins in school history. The Patriots lose five seniors from that squad.

During the early signing period, FMU inked first baseman Chris Honeycutt of Fort Mill, outfielder Vince Farfaglia of Wilton, N.Y., and pitchers Tyler Lehman of York and Taylor Ramsey of Edgemoor.