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Updated WV Class of 2017 Rankings Released

December 6, 2014

By Greg Williams
WV Director of Scouting

Josh PetitAs the snow begins to fly and baseball moves indoors for the next four months, the Prep Baseball Report scouting staff has reevaluated West Virginia's Class of 2017 rankings.

Of the current top 10 ranked players in this class, six are pitchers. At the top of the list is shortstop Josh Petit (George Washington - pictured at right) who hit .359 with 22 RBI as a freshman in 2014 earning Kanawha Valley Freshman of the Year honors. Petit plays travel baseball with the Richmond Braves National program and has prototypical size for a middle infielder at 6-foot-1, 170-pounds.

A trio of right-handed pitchers Conner Nurse (Washington), Kirk Jennings (Cabell Midland) and Austin Bulman (Jefferson) fill the next three spots. Nurse, a teammate of Petit's with the Richmond Braves, tops in the low 80s, but at 6-foot-4 appears to be primed for additional velocity gains in the next few years. Jennings, a 6-foot-3 two-way prospect, also shows potential as a middle-infielder. Bulman commands three pitches for strikes and showed a solid feel for pitching as a contributor on Jefferson's staff as a freshman in 2014.

C/RHP Chris Bailey (Chapmanville Regional) rounds out the top five. Bailey is a 6-foot-1, 200-pounder that hit .425 with 27 RBI while going 5-1 with a 1.85 ERA on the mound during his freshman season in 2014.

Following is a look at the complete list of prospects ranked in the top 10 in the Class of 2017. The number of ranked players in this class will continue to grow as we have more opportunities to see them in action. Look for the next update to the rankings in early March prior to the start of the 2015 high school season.

Top Ten West Virginia Prospects

Rank Name State School Class Pos Commitment
1 Josh Petit WV George Washington 2017 SS
2 Conner Nurse WV Washington 2017 RHP
3 Kirk Jennings WV Cabell Midland 2017 RHP
4 James (Austin) Bulman WV Jefferson 2017 RHP
5 Chris Bailey WV Chapmanville Regional 2017 C
6 Trevor Barnes WV Hurricane 2017 1B
7 Brett Linton WV Musselman 2017 LHP
8 Abe Stearns WV Point Pleasant 2017 RHP
9 J.T. Harris WV Bridgeport 2017 2B/MIF
10 Tim Zuspan WV Cross Lanes Christian 2017 1B


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