EDINBURG, Texas – University of Texas-Pan American baseball head coach Manny Mantrana announced on Monday the signing of seven student athletes to National Letters of Intent (NLI) for the 2012-13 academic year.
 
Joining the Broncs next season are outfielder Alex Howe (5-7, 180, Unanderra, Australia), catcher Jacob Huckabay (6-0, 195, Bryan, TX), third baseman Alberto Morales (6-1, 205, Bronx, NY), and pitchers Kyle Tokunaga (5-10, 165, Schertz, TX), Matthew Harrell (6-2, 205, San Antonio, TX), Matthew Daniels (6-1, 180, Richmond, TX) and Sam Street (6-3, 195, Melbourne, Australia).
 
“We have worked very hard on this signing class during the last year. Coach [Norbert] Lopez and Coach [Robert] Clayton really put in the work necessary to land a class of this caliber. All of the players are obviously talented players, but more importantly, they are high character people, which is what we are trying to attract to UTPA,” Mantrana said.
 
Howe is entering his sophomore year at Calrendon College. As a freshman, Howe hit .378 with 14 doubles, nine triples, two home runs and 46 RBI. He also scored 49 runs while walking 25 times and getting hit by a pitch 17 times compared to striking out just 16 times in 180 at-bats.

“We are very happy to add an offensive player of Alex's caliber. We think he is an advanced hitter who has the ability to square up a lot of balls. Considering he has only played baseball in the U.S. for two years, we expect his ability to really flourish in our system. He will add a lot to our offense from the get go,” Mantrana said.



Huckabay is entering his senior year at Bryan High School.

“Jacob is a very talented player and a very high character individual. His mindset and the way he approaches the game every day is something that fits in with us perfectly. He is advanced for his years athletically and we expect him to come in and contribute immediately,” Mantrana said.



Morales is entering his sophomore year at Calrendon College. As a freshman, Morales hit .375 with 15 doubles, nine triples, two home runs and 56 RBI. He also scored 45 times while walking 26 times and getting hit by 26 pitches, compared to 17 strikeouts in 176 at-bats. 

“We are very excited about the addition of Alberto. He is a very talented player that we feel will step right in and be a force in our lineup. We expect him to be a middle of the lineup type of bat that will drive in a lot of runs over the next two years as well as add a lot defensively to the infield,” Mantrana said.



 
Tokunaga is entering his sophomore year at Marion Military Institute. As a freshman, Tokunaga appeared in nine games, compiling a 2-0 record with one save and a 6.07 ERA in 29.2 innings.

“Kyle is the type of pitcher that we have targeted in this class. He has a loose, quick arm and the ability to spin a breaking ball that will give him swing and miss ability. He had a great freshman year and we feel he will have a great impact on our staff when he arrives on campus,” Mantrana said.



Harrell is entering his sophomore year at Calrendon College. As a freshman, Harrell appeared in 21 games, going 1-0 with an ERA of 8.72 in 21.2 innings.

“Matt has been a winner at every stage in his career. He is a fierce competitor who has that nasty streak that great pitchers have on the mound. His unique delivery along with his stuff can make it very tough on opposing hitters,” Mantrana said.










  
Daniels is entering his sophomore year at Hill College. As a freshman, Daniels appeared in seven games, going 3-3 with a 3.93 ERA in 34.1 innings.

“Matt is the type of pitcher that we feel we want to pitch the big games for us. He has a polished repertoire that makes it difficult on hitters to sit on one pitch. He is a player who is always looking to better himself, and we feel that he will really take the next step when he gets to Edinburg,” Mantrana said.







Street is entering his sophomore year at New Mexico Junior College. As a freshman, Street appeared in 12 games, going 6-2 with one save and an ERA of 4.13 in 56.2 innings.
“Sam is another great addition to this class. He is a versatile arm that can do a lot of things. He has experience as a starter as well as a reliever and was successful in the big games for New Mexico JC last year. His arm angle is very deceptive and it makes things difficult on hitters,” Mantrana said.
 

The University of Texas-Pan American Department of Intercollegiate Athletics competes at the NCAA Division I classification. UTPA, formerly known as Pan American College and Pan American University, is a part of the University of Texas System of Schools. The Broncs compete in 14 varsity sports; men's and women's basketball, golf, tennis, track and field, and cross country, along with women's volleyball and men's baseball. In 1963, then known as Pan American College, the Broncs men's basketball program won the NAIA National Championship with a 73-62 victory over Western Carolina. In 2008 UTPA joined the new all-sports division of the Great West Conference.