Van Horn adds standout lefty to 2000 team

Lincoln -- Nebraska Head Baseball Coach Dave Van Horn announced Wednesday that pitcher Jamie Rodrigue of St. Clair, Mo., has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Nebraska and play baseball for the Huskers next season.

Rodrigue (pronounced ROD-reeg), a 6-0, 210-pound left-handed pitcher, joins the NU baseball team after a superb senior season for St. Clair High School. He compiled a 10-3 record on the mound and led the team to a third-place finish in the state tournament. A dominating presence on the mound, Rodrigue carried a 1.25 ERA, striking out 138 batters and walking just 20 in 80 innings of work, holding opponents to a .150 batting average for the season. Rodrigue had a solid year at the plate as well, hitting .523, recording 12 home runs, 50 RBI and going 6-for-7 in the stolen base department. He was named first-team all-state as a DH/utility player and first-team all-metro and all-conference as a pitcher. He is currently playing Legion baseball for Union Post, Mo., and has three saves for his 8-3 team.

Pitching coach Rob Childress said he is excited about the new addition to his pitching staff.

"A lot of college coaches and pro scouts never saw Jamie pitch until the state tournament," Childress said. "Some teams were wanting him to sign as a free agent since he wasn't drafted, but he was set on going to college. We feel lucky to have him in our program. He has the potential to play offense and pitch on the weekends for us a freshman. He should be a difference-maker on the mound."

According to Childress, Rodrigue's best pitches are his fast curve and changeup and he can throw consistently between 85 and 88 mph.

Rodrigue said the facilities and coaching staff were the main reasons he chose Nebraska over Florida, Missouri, Kansas and Kansas State.

"I was really impressed with the facilities and the way they treated the athletes," Rodrigue said. "I like their style of baseball and they got me really excited to play. I think it's a good situation for me."

Rodrigue was a standout all-around athlete for St. Clair, lettering four years in baseball and three years in football and basketball. On the gridiron, he was a second-team all-state quarterback and an honorable-mention all-state linebacker. He was first-team all-conference and all-area as both a QB and linebacker after setting school records with 18 touchdown passes and 1,300 passing yards as a senior. In basketball, he played forward and averaged 15 points and eight rebounds per game, earning first-team all-conference and honorable-mention all-area honors.

Rodrigue is a member of the National Honor Society and graduated with a 3.6 grade-point average. He is the son of Jeannette and Robert and has two brothers, Dereck, 21 and Dana, 15.