Joplin, Mo. – Missouri Southern head coach Bryce Darnell has announced that 11 newcomers have signed to play baseball at MSSU for the upcoming 2011 season. The new additions to the Southern baseball program are: Kevin Burgi (Carthage, Mo.), Grant Conrad (Lafayette, La.), Harrison Gerber (Lenox, Iowa), Cody Griebling (Germantown, Wis.), Tee Helsel (Branson, Mo.), Tanner Kaza (Rogers, Ark.), Jordan Kerbs (Ft. Scott, Kan.), Ben Millard (Prairie Village, Kan.), Michael Mudd (Silex, Mo.) and Ryan Wheat (Springfield, Mo.). Darnell also says that Dallas Burke, a transfer catcher from Iowa is set to join the Lions this season.
Burgi comes to MSSU after competing a season at Garden City Community College in Garden City, Kan. At GCC, Burgi hit .320 with 20 RBI. He also played four years at Valley View HS in Jonesboro, Ark. and was a two-time All-State selection and four-time All-Conference performer. Burgi helped the Valley View Blazers to a state championship in 2008 and became the school's all-time leader in RBI and hits, while also setting the single-season mark for RBI. He was selected to the Arkansas State All-Star team and was a four-time All-Regional pick. Burgi played one year of football for the Blazers and set the single-season record for touchdowns. Kevin is the son of John and Debbie Burgi and plans to be a social studies education major at MSSU.
Conrad was a three-year starter on the mound for the Lafayette (La.) Lions. As a sophomore, he was a second-team All-District selection and then earned first-team All-District honors during his junior and senior seasons.
Gerber and Millard are transfers from Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kan., where the duo played together for two seasons and helped the JCCC Cavaliers to an East Jayhawk championship in 2010. Gerber was a first-team East Jayhawk performer. He hit .402, with 43 RBI, 22 stolen bases and a .488 on-base percentage as a sophomore. For the Cedar Rapids HS Jayhawks, Gerber was a two-time All-District, all-Conference and All-Metro selection and set the career stolen base record. He also played two years each of football and basketball. Gerber earned first-team All-Conference and All-Metro honors on the gridiron. Harrison is the son of Timothy and Alice Gerber and will major in business at MSSU.
Millard was a second-team All-Conference selection this past season and hit .370, with eight homers, 65 RBI, four triples and swiped 23 bases. He played and started three years in HS for the Bishop Miege Stags, in which he earned an honorable-mention All-Conference nod as a senior. Ben is the son of Richard and Janice Millard and plans to major in business at MSSU.
Griebling arrives at Southern after helping the Madison College (Wis.) Wolfpack to the NJCAA DII Juco World Series. Griebling pitched the second game of the World Series and lasted 7 2/3 innings with only three earned runs allowed. He was an All-Conference and All-Region pick and compiled an overall record of 7-2 with a 2.90 ERA and 55 strikeouts in his two seasons with the Wolfpack. In three seasons for the Germantown HS Warhawks, he had a .509 batting average and a 2.30 ERA on the mound. He earned All-Conference honors and was named an All-Star of the MVP tourney. He also set 12 school records and was named All-Conference in his three seasons playing football. Cody is the son of Terry and Chris Griebling and will major in criminal justice at MSSU.
Helsel begins his career at MSSU after a record-setting four years for the Branson HS Pirates. At Branson, Helsel set the career record in hits (123) and at-bats (312). He also finished third all-time in batting average (.394) and doubles (27). As a senior, Helsel hit .505, with six home runs, 37 RBI, 27 stolen bases and 13 doubles. He earned second-team All-Conference honors as a sophomore and was a first-team All-Conference selection during his junior season. He helped the Pirates to a District title and the Sectional Qualifying round in 2008. Helsel was also successful on the gridiron and on the hardwood for the Pirates. He was selected as the Central Ozark Conference Defensive Player of the Year and the All Tri Lakes Football Player of the Year as a senior. He also holds the school's all-time record for defensive points (576) along with a record 183 career tackles. On the court, Helsel was an honorable-mention All-Conference performer during his senior year and contributed to back-to-back District championships and a Sectional title for the 2008-09 season. Tee is the son of John and Trisha Helsel and plans to major in education at Southern.
Kaza earned three letters and started two seasons for the Rogers (Ark.) HS Mounties and earned an All-Conference nod this past season. He also played three years of basketball for the Mounties and was an All-Conference selection in 2010. Kaza helped the Mounties to a state runner-up finish in 2009. Tanner is the son of Stephen and Melissa Kaza and is currently undecided on a major at MSSU.
Kerbs is a junior transfer that played two years for Labette Community College in Pittsburg, Kan. Kerbs started all 53 games both seasons for Labette CC and batted .333, with 17 doubles, 45 runs scored and 15 stolen bases as a sophomore. Kerbs started all four seasons for the Nevada (Mo.) HS Tigers. At Nevada, Kerbs hit .448 as a senior and was a first-team Joplin Globe All-Area selection. He was a first-team All-District pick and was named the District's Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year. On the basketball court, Kerbs played two seasons and received Offensive and MVP player awards. He also received the Roger Kennedy award and an Award of Excellence from the MSHSAA. Kerbs finished his basketball career as the 25th all-time leading scorer at Nevada HS. Jordan is the son of Bobby and Deana Kerbs and will be an accounting major at MSSU.
Mudd played two seasons at Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff, Mo. after starting four years for the Silex (Mo.) HS Owls. Mudd earned first-team All-State, All-County and All-District honors for the 2006 season. He helped the Owls win three District championships and a fourth-place State finish as a sophomore. He also played basketball for four seasons and was a four-time All-District selection and was also an All-County performer on the hardwood. Michael is the son of Terry and Sharon Mudd and will be a business major at MSSU.
Wheat competed two years at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Mo. prior to transferring to Southern. He played three years for the Glendale (Mo.) HS Falcons out of Springfield, Mo. and was a two-time honorable-mention All-Conference selection. Ryan is the son of Chris Wheat and is planning on majoring in nursing at MSSU.
Darnell is excited about what the future bodes for these 11 recruits.
"We feel like this recruiting class (including the group we got in Nov.) is a great group to continue to help our program grow into one of the best in the MIAA," Darnell said. "We signed a good combination of High School and JUCO players. Our staff is very excited to get the fall started."
The 11 newcomers will join a program that Darnell led to a third-place finish at the MIAA Postseason Tournament last season and has advanced to the Conference Postseason Tournament the past two years after failing to make a tournament appearance since 2002.
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