Bat Govs add St. Louis-area product Gleason to 2014 roster

November 15, 2012 |

CLARKSVILLE –Austin Peay State University head baseball coach Gary McClure continues to bolster his roster at first base. The Govs coaching staff hopes to have solved that problem with the signing of Dre Gleason, of O’Fallon, Mo., for the 2014 campaign.

Gleason, a 6-1, 235-pound left-handed hitting first baseman, batted .314 last season at Fort Zumwalt North High School with two home runs and five RBI in only 35 at-bats. He enters the winter ranked the No. 6 player, and No. 1 first baseman, in Missouri by PerfectGame.org.

“Dre is one of the most highly touted high school prospects that we have been able to bring into our program in my 25 plus years at Austin Peay,” said McClure. “He is a big strong very athletic player that knows the strike zone, but has the aggressiveness it takes to be an outstanding hitter and run producer. Dre had the opportunity to play at many of the highest profile NCAA baseball programs in the country, but fortunately he believed we were a great fit for him to reach his goals.”

As a sophomore, he batted .423 with six home runs in 35 RBI during a 78 at-bat campaign. Gleason also played for the St. Louis Pirates, coached by Austin Peay alumnus Rick Strickland, during the summer.

“Dre is an outstanding young man with a great personality who possesses the ability to be a very good defensive first baseman,” McClure said. “He will bring the ability to hit for average and power consistently. He comes to us after playing for the St. Louis Pirates and Rick Strickland. We have been fortunate to sign some very good players from Rick’s program.”

Gleason, who enters his senior campaign with 35 career home runs, has been invited to the Power Showcase Home Run Derby the past three seasons. He was a first-team All-Gateway Athletic North Division and all-district selection in 2011.

Sections

Topics