BYU baseball announced the signing of five recruits on Thursday. DC Clawson, Matt Favero, Payton Henry, Pete Nielsen and Shep Shepard all signed letters of intent to join head coach Mike Littlewood’s team.
DC Clawson
Clawson is a 6-foot-1-inch catcher from Dana Hills High School in Dana Point, California.
He was a member of the 2015 Underclass Third Team and played in the 2014 17U National Team Development Program. Clawson was also recruited by USC, UCLA and San Diego.
Littlewood said in a press release that Clawson had a “great baseball resume” and added that the program feels “fortunate to have him.”
Matt Favero
Favero is a 6-foot-4-inch left-handed pitcher from James Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia.
Favero was selected to the 6A Conference 6 and North Region First Team and was a Washington Post All-Met selection. He went 10-0 with a 0.82 earned run averaged with 81 strikeouts in 58 innings last season. He was also recruited by the College of Charleston, James Madison University, Liberty University and the College of William & Mary.
Littlewood said that Favero could make an immediate impact for the Cougars.
“Matt is a quality left-handed pitcher who we expect to be an immediate impact player for us on the mound,” Littlewood said in a press release. “Matt will locate multiple pitches, and he really knows how to compete.”
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Payton Henry
Henry is a 6-foot-3-inch catcher/first baseman/pitcher from Pleasant Grove High School in Pleasant Grove, Utah.
Henry was named to the 2015 Louisville Slugger High School All-American team and was the Utah state Gatorade Player of the Year last season. As a junior last year he pitched 11 innings in relief, compiling a 1-1 record with six saves and a 0.61 earned run average. He also hit .527 on the year with nine home runs and 46 runs batted in while leading Pleasant Grove High School to the 5A Utah state title. Henry was also recruited by Arizona, Arizona State, San Diego, Utah, Utah Valley, UNLV, Nevada, Cal State Northridge and Dixie State.
Littlewood said that Henry was a great signing for the program.
“Payton is one of the top power hitting catchers in the country and he had the opportunity to play baseball at any university he wanted,” Littlewood said in a press release. “We are ecstatic that he chose BYU. Payton will be a middle of the order type hitter for us for years to come, and an all-conference type player right away. We can’t wait to get Payton on campus.”
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Pete Nielsen
Nielsen is a 6-foot-2-inch switch-hitting shortstop and a teammate of Favero at James Madison High School.
He was named to the All-Conference and All-Region first teams, and was a second team All-Met selection by the Washington Post. Nielsen hit .410 with two home runs and 26 runs batted in as a junior last season. He was also recruited by the University of Virginia.
Littlewood said he has high expectations for Nielsen.
“I’ve been watching Pete play for three years now and if I had to describe him in one word, it’d be ‘gamer,'” Littlewood said in a press release. “Pete is a well-rounded, polished player who makes big play after big play for his team. Pete is a high school shortstop, but he’s a guy we could put anywhere on the field and he’ll be great. I believe Pete has the capability of being an all-conference player in his first year at BYU.”
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Shep Shepard
Shepard is a 6-foot-7-inch right handed pitcher from Dripping Springs High School in Kyle, Texas.
He compiled a 9-1 record with a 1.50 earned run average as a junior. He was also recruited by the University of Richmond, West Virginia and St. Edwards.
Littlewood said that Shepard has a lot of potential.
“Shep is a tremendous athlete who’s baseball ceiling is unlimited,” Littlewood said in a press release. “He plays in a very competitive league in Texas and for a great club team in Action Baseball. He was an incredible quarterback in high school and he gave that up last year to concentrate on baseball. It’s going to be exciting to see how he progresses over the next few years.”
