Stetson University baseball coach Steve Trimper announced today the Hatters' fall signing class. These student-athletes will enroll in the fall of 2020 and will be members of the 2021 Stetson baseball team.
 
The group is primarily from the Sunshine state with nine of the 11 newest Hatters hailing from Florida, with a solid mixture of players from south Florida and the central part of the state.
 
The group is also pitching heavy with eight of the 11 at least splitting their time in high school on the mound, but five of those eight are two-way players currently.
 
"We are very excited to announce the fall signees and newest Stetson Baseball Hatters," Trimper said. "Coach Joe Mercadante and Coach Dave Therneau worked tirelessly over the past many months to identify the recruits that would not only be great players on the field, but better individuals around campus and in the Deland community. These young men will represent the Stetson Baseball community with class.
 
"This class is loaded with talent, and will help us with our program goals of reaching the highest level of success in college baseball."
 
Information on the newest Stetson baseball signees is below.

2019 Stetson Baseball Fall Signees

Austin Amaral is a right-handed pitcher from University HS in Orange City and is ranked at #275 in the nation for the class of 2020. Amaral was one of the first members of the 2020 class of Hatters and has a power arm that has reached up to 92 mph. He is a strike thrower who challenges hitters and has two good secondary pitches. He has a chance to develop into a future starter. He is a good student and was named to the Perfect Game Fall Top Prospect Showcase Top Prospect List in addition to the Florida League Invitational All-Tournament team.
 

Dylan Brazil is a two-sport star from Bishop Moore High in Orlando. A center fielder on the baseball field and an all-county receiver for the football team, Brazil is ranked as a top 500 prospect nationally. His biggest tool is his speed. He is a plus runner who plays the game as hard as anyone. He will pressure opposing teams in the field and is a guy who plays the short game extremely well and loves to cause problems on the bases. If he continues to develop offensively, he could become a very dynamic player at Stetson.
 

Anthony DeFabbia is an outfielder and left-handed pitcher from New York who is ranked among the top 500 players in the nation.  Much like Jovan Gil., DeFabbia will come in as a two-way player. In the outfield, he is a plus defender who gets great jumps on the ball and has a strong and accurate throwing arm. At the plate, he is a gap-to-gap hitter who is a high contact guy and has competed at a very high level in high school. On the mound, he is a three-pitch guy with a fastball up to 87 mph and two very good off-speed pitches. His father, Jerry DeFabbia, was a college baseball coach for more than 15 years at Pace, Iona, Fordham and Fairleigh Dickinson, so he is a very smart player who understands the game and has great instincts. DeFabbia transferred to Iona Prep after earning a state title while playing for his dad at Tuckahoe High as a sophomore.
 

Jovan Gill is a right-handed pitcher and first baseman from Ft. Myers and is ranked No. 141 in the nation. He is the top ranked recruit in the class and has a power arm that has been clocked at up to 94 mph. He has a great feel to his pitches. Gill is expected to be a two-way player who will bring a LH power bat to the lineup. He should contribute both on the mound and offensively immediately as a freshman. He is an ultra-competitive young man who plays with a lot of energy and emotion. He was named the Class 3A District 18 Co-Player of the Year in 2019 after moving from Kansas following his sophomore season. He was ranked as the No. 4 prospect in Kansas, where he was a second team All-State selection in 2018, for the class of 2020 before the move to Florida. He participated in the Kansas City Urban Youth Academy, which is sponsored by Major League Baseball, and attended Blue Valley Southwest High in Overland Park and Liberty High in Kansas City. He chose Stetson over a long list of schools, including Arizona, Florida, Wichita State, Miami, Liberty and FGCU.
 

Jonathan Gonzalez is a left-handed pitcher from Columbus High in Miami and is the younger brother of current Hatter Chris Gonzalez. Jonathan has really developed and improved over the past 12 months and is now touching the mid to upper 80's with his fastball. Jonathan has the stuff and toughness to be a very valuable and important piece of the Stetson pitching staff, just like his brother. His best pitch right now is his breaking ball. That pitch will allow him to come in and contribute right away next year as a bullpen guy, but he will have the chance to grow into a starter.
 

Ryne Guida is a right-handed hitting corner infielder from Ft. Lauderdale who is ranked among the top 500 players in the nation for 2020. His calling card is his bat - Guida was the leading hitter in Broward County as a junior with a .534 batting average. Guida has the potential to serve as a designated hitter as a freshman because hit bat should play immediately. He is a rare guy in that he is a great contact hitter but also has potential to be a plus power guy. Most players sacrifice one for the other, he has a chance to be both. He will need to continue his development defensively to have him ready to compete at first base. He is a high energy guy who loves to play and compete and will be a positive influence in the locker room and the dugout. Was a first team All-American at first base in addition to be an All-District selection as a junior. He was a first team All-American as a utility player as a sophomore in addition to earning District Player of the Year honors. He played Coral Springs Christian HS as a sophomore and Northeast High as a junior. 
 

Alberto McCarthy is a tall (6-5) left-handed pitcher from Melbourne's Satellite Senior High who is ranked No. 386 nationally in the class of 2020. McCarthy is ultra-projectable with a quick arm. He has a chance to throw extremely hard with a promising breaking ball and has already been clocked at up to 93 mph in high school. He played for one of the top travel teams in the country in FTB Tucci, a San Francisco Giants scout team. He is a very uncomfortable at bat for opponents because he throws a little across his body from that large frame with plus stuff. When he develops more consistency with his secondary pitches, he could be a guy who could assume any role on the pitching staff. Transferred from Viera HS after his sophomore year.
 

Maximus Rivas is a shortstop from Toms River, New Jersey, the same town that produced current Stetson standout Jonathan Meola. Rivas is a high energy infielder who is very sure handed. He is a guy who will field at a very high level right off the bat. He has good first step quickness and very good actions. Was selected for the 2019 Garden State Top Prospects Games and has been selected three times to compete in the Underclass Monmouth-Ocean All-Star Games. Plays in the summer for the Elite Squad 17u Florida National team. Chose Stetson over Old Dominion, Maine, UNC Asheville and Massachusetts.
 

Cole Stallings is a right-handed pitcher from Lithia where he attends Newsome High. Stallings, who is ranked as the No. 416 recruit in the nation, was one of the earliest commits for the class of 2020 and is a potential weekend starter for the Hatters. Stallings is a strike thrower who has been up to 91 mph with a plus breaking ball that he can throw in any count. He is working on his changeup, and it is getting better with every outing. Stallings is expected to be a workhorse for the Hatters because he throws a lot of strikes, competes and will step in to challenge for a big role on the staff as a freshman.
 

Camden Traficante is local product from Spruce Creek High, which is one of the most well-respected high school programs in the state. Traficante is an exciting player, a switch hitter and ultra-utility guy. He plays the game hard with a great set of tools. He is a good runner, has bat speed and has a chance to hit for some power. He has a very good frame that will develop in our strength and conditioning program. As a junior he collected nine extra-base hits – five doubles, two triples and two home runs – and scored 24 runs. He hit .279 for the season while stealing 12 bases and driving home 15 runs.
 
Jonathan Velazquez is a converted third baseman who will come to Stetson as a right-handed pitcher from Columbus High in Miami. With a physical frame, a loose, quick arm and very low usage on the mound, Velazquez has already been to the upper 80's and touching 90. He can develop into a power arm with the instruction and development under Coach Therneau. Velazquez is an extremely hard worker and loves to play the game. He continues the pipeline with Columbus High in Miami.
 

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.