Dec. 1, 2006

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Having brought some of the nation's top high school baseball talent to Chapel Hill over the last few years, the University of North Carolina continued its success on the recruiting trail by signing 12 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent, head coach Mike Fox announced Friday. Featured in this class are three of the top six prospects in the nation and five of the top 10 in North Carolina.

Headlining the group are pitchers Matt Harvey (RHP, Mystic, Conn.), Rick Porcello (RHP, Chester, N.J.) and Madison Bumgarner (LHP, Lenior, N.C.). Harvey and Porcello are rated as the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 prep prospects by Baseball America, while Bumgarner is ranked sixth by Perfect Game.

"We are excited about this class," said Fox, who is in his ninth season at his alma mater. "First of all I think we did a great job of recruiting the state of North Carolina. Secondly, we were able to build on our team's success last season and attract some of the best prospects nationally. And most importantly, I believe all of these young men fit the ideals and standards of our program and university. Time will tell, but hopefully this class will enable us to continue to compete for the national championship.

"My staff did a great job and put in a tremendous amount of effort in putting this class together. Coach Chad Holbrook and coach Scott Forbes spent the entire summer evaluating these young men, and you can see the results of their hard work. Coach Jason Howell also did a great job for us on campus."

This talented group will join the program in the fall of 2007 and will take the field for the Tar Heels in the spring of 2008.

The Tar Heels, who often started 10 North Carolina natives in the 2006 College World Series, excelled in their home state. In addition to Bumgarner, who is the No. 2 prospect in the state according to Impact Baseball, Carolina has signed No. 3 Patrick Johnson (RHP, Conover, N.C.), No. 5 Ben Bunting (CF, Randleman, N.C.), No. 8 Greg Holt (3B/RHP, Clemmons, N.C.) and No. 10 Ryan Leach (RHP/IF, Forest City, N.C.).

Other in-state signees include Garrett Davis (RHP, Fremont, N.C.) and Zeke Blanton (OF/DH, Forest City, N.C.). Davis is rated No. 13 in North Carolina by Impact Baseball, while Blanton checks in at No. 31.

UNC also added a pair of teammates from Columbia, S.C., A.C. Flora High School in left-hander Logan Munson and Brett Thomas, who rates as the state's top first baseman according to Diamond Prospects.

Lakeland, Fla., right-hander Nate Striz rounds out the 12-man class. He is rated as the No. 95 prospect in the nation by Baseball America.

2007 NORTH CAROLINA BASEBALL SIGNEES
Name	          Hometown	     High School	Pos.	Ht./Wt.
Zeke Blanton	  Forest City, N.C.  East Rutherford	OF/DH	6-1/190
Madison Bumgarner Lenior, N.C.	     South Caldwell	LHP	6-5/225
Ben Bunting	  Randleman, N.C.    Randleman	        CF	5-11/175
Garrett Davis	  Fremont, N.C.	     C.B. Aycock	RHP	6-3/175
Matt Harvey	  Mystic, Conn.	     Fitch	        RHP	6-4/190
Greg Holt	  Clemmons, N.C.     West Forsyth	3B/RHP	6-2/195
Patrick Johnson	  Conover, N.C.	     Saint Stephens	RHP	5-11/160
Ryan Leach	  Forest City, N.C.  East Rutherford	RHP/IF	5-11/165
Logan Munson	  Columbia, S.C.     A.C. Flora	        LHP	6-1/175
Rick Porcello	  Chester, N.J.	     Seton Hall Prep	RHP	6-5/195
Nate Striz	  Lakeland, Fla.     Santa Fe Catholic	RHP	6-2/210
Brett Thomas	  Columbia, S.C.     A.C. Flora	        1B	6-4/215

Zeke Blanton, Forest City, N.C. (East Rutherford, Coach Bobby Dale Reynolds), OF/DH, 6-1/190
Ranked as the No. 31 prospect in the state by Impact Baseball. A physical and athletic hitter that possesses great offensive skills. Also an outstanding student, he is ranked near the top of his class at East Rutherford high school. Coach Fox on Blanton: "Zeke is a great athlete, kid and student. We like his offensive skills. He can really run and has some pop in his bat. He comes from a top-notch high school program at East Rutherford (same as Chad Flack) and plays for a great high school coach in Bobby Dale Reynolds."

Madison Bumgarner, Lenior, N.C. (South Caldwell, Coach Jeff Parham), LHP, 6-5/225
One of the top left-handed pitchers in the country. Ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the state by Impact Baseball. Ranked the No. 6 prospect in country by Perfect Game and the No. 20 prospect nationally by Baseball America. A dominant left-handed pitcher with a low to mid-90s fastball and an effortless and clean delivery. Coach Fox on Bumgarner: "Madison is a great kid with a bright future. He is blessed with a great left arm, but I am more impressed with the type of young man he is. He is very humble and grounded. He receives a great deal of attention but handles himself well and with great maturity. He is passionate about helping North Carolina win a national championship, and we are so excited he chose to be a Tar Heel."

Ben Bunting, Randleman, N.C. (Randleman, Coach Dave Brown), CF, 5-11/175
An athletic and versatile player. Possesses great speed and great patience at the plate. Left-handed hitter. Ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the state of North Carolina by Impact Baseball. Coach Fox on Bunting: "We are excited about Ben's future. He is a terrific athlete and really impressed us this summer the way he swung the bat. He has great discipline at the plate and he has the traits to be an outstanding leadoff-type hitter. We also love the way he plays the outfield. We expect Ben to have a fine career at Carolina."

Garrett Davis, Fremont, N.C. (C.B. Aycock, Coach Charles Davis), RHP, 6-3/175
Ranked the No. 13 prospect in the state by Impact Baseball. A very projectable right-hander that has a great arm. Last year suffered a knee injury that prevented him from playing last summer. Possesses a low to mid-90s fastball and has outstanding command. Pitches in a very successful high school program at C.B. Aycock. Coach Fox on Davis: "Garrett is very gifted. He has unlimited potential. He is definitely a pro prospect. We are counting on Garrett to be a main fixture on our pitching staff. He has shown great work ethic in coming back from his knee injury. Garrett did not grow up a Carolina fan but he fell in love with our program and university. He is a fine addition to our team."

Matt Harvey, Mystic, Conn. (Fitch, Coach Ed Harvey), RHP, 6-4/190
Ranked the No. 1 prospect in the country by Baseball America and the No. 5 prospect in the country by Perfect Game. A very athletic right-handed pitcher that has great stuff. His fastball has reached the mid-90s, and he also has an outstanding curveball. Played for his father Ed at Fitch High School. Coach Fox on Harvey: "Matt has a pitcher's body and a terrific arm. We love his demeanor and his attitude about competing. He is a wonderful athlete that has a very bright future in this game. He loved our pitching program, and the way Andrew Miller and Daniel Bard developed. We are honored that Matt chose the University of North Carolina, and he can certainly help us reach the goals we have set for our program."

Greg Holt, Clemmons, N.C. (West Forsyth, Coach Randy Pope), 3B/RHP, 6-2/195
Ranked the No. 8 prospect in the state by Impact Baseball and the No. 216 prospect in the country by Baseball America. An athletic corner guy that hits for power. He also is an accomplished pitcher with an upper-80s to low-90s fastball and an above average slider. Coach Fox on Holt: "Greg just loves to play. He really is dedicated to being the best player he can be. We love his power and he has a strong arm. He is going to be a good player for us and we also think he can help us on the mound. Greg loves to win and he is a baseball rat so he is going to be a fine addition to our clubhouse."

Patrick Johnson, Conover, N.C. (Saint Stephens, Coach Darrell Reese), RHP, 5-11/160
Ranked the No. 3 prospect in the state by Impact Baseball and No. 134 prospect in the country by Baseball America. A right-handed pitcher with great stuff. Possesses a quick arm and a great curve ball. He loves to compete. Coach Fox on Johnson: "Patrick has outstanding stuff and he loves to compete. The tougher the situation the better Patrick gets and that's why we love him. He has great demeanor both on and off the field and he has also done a fine job in the classroom. Patrick has a bright future in front of him in Chapel Hill."

Ryan Leach, Forest City, N.C. (East Rutherford, Coach Bobby Dale Reynolds), RHP/IF, 5-11/165
Ranked the No. 10 prospect in the state by Impact Baseball Possesses an upper-80s fastball with a great curveball. He has also had great success as an infielder at the high school level. Played up until this season for coach Eric King at Kings Mountain High School. Coach Fox on Leach: "Ryan comes from a great baseball family and we love the way he competes. He has an outstanding arm with a big-time breaking ball. His breaking ball will allow him to have a great deal of success in college. Ryan is also a fine student and he is certainly the type of young man we love to have in our program."

Logan Munson, Columbia, S.C. (A.C. Flora, Coach Andy Hallett), LHP, 6-1/175
Ranked among the top left-handed pitching prospects in South Carolina by Diamond Prospects. He has great command and mound presence. Possesses a mid to upper-80s fastball with an excellent change up. Plays at one of the top high school programs in South Carolina at A.C. Flora. Teammate of signee Brett Thomas. Coach Fox on Munson: "Logan is a winner. He has a great demeanor about him on the mound and he performed really well against top-flight high school competition. We love the way he pitches to both sides of the plate and we love the way he competes. He is a welcome addition to our pitching staff."

Rick Porcello, Chester, N.J. (Seton Hall Prep, Coach Mike Sheppard, Jr.), RHP, 6-5/195
Ranked the No. 2 prospect in the nation by Baseball America. Ranked as the No. 16 prospect in the nation by Perfect Game. A dominant and polished right-handed pitcher that throws in the mid-90s. Also has a dominant breaking ball. A great student that comes from a great high school program at Seton Hall Prep. Coach Fox on Porcello: "Rick is a fine young man, a great student and had a strong desire to be a Tar Heel. Even though he is a projected first-round pick, Rick has a strong desire to spend his college career in Chapel Hill. He is a kid with great character and comes from a fine family. He is also very mature in the way he has handled all of his success. Rick could have gone to any school in the country, so we are excited he chose the University of North Carolina."

Nate Striz, Lakeland, Fla. (Santa Fe Catholic, Coach Mike Franzino), RHP, 6-2/210
Regarded as one of the top prospects in the state of Florida. Ranked the No. 95 prospect in the nation by Baseball America. Coach Fox on Striz: "Nate is a competitor that loves to pitch. He has a power arm and a plus slider. With his athletic body and bulldog mentality we are expecting Nate to do great things for our program. He loves to play and loves to compete. He is our type of competitor. Nate had a strong desire to be a Tar Heel, and we are excited to have him in our program."

Brett Thomas, Columbia, S.C. (A.C. Flora, Coach Andy Hallett), 1B, 6-4/215
Ranked the No. 1 first baseman in the state of South Carolina by Diamond Prospects. A big left-handed hitter with power. Teammate of signee Logan Munson. Also a standout student at A.C. Flora high school. Coach Fox on Thomas: "Brett is a great kid that has a lot of power potential. He really swung the bat well this past summer when we evaluated him against some of the best pitchers in the country. He is also a fine student, and from a baseball standpoint he will supply our team a quality left-handed hitter that can give our team some power."