Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra Baseball program announced the signing of five players during the early signing period, which ended November 18. Head Coach John Russo and his staff inked a class of five talented high school players who will begin their educational and athletic pursuits at Hofstra in the fall of 2016.
 
"We are extremely excited about our early signing class," said Russo. "Our staff – Assistant Coaches John Habyan, Tyler Kavanaugh and Ron McKay – deserves a great deal of credit for the work they did during the recruiting process. We feel that we address many of our needs and, more importantly, we have added quality people to our program. I'm very proud that these young men and their families trusted our coaching staff and recognized our University as a great place to get an education as well as play baseball. Each young man will have a chance to be part of our future success."
 
Hofstra's early signees are:
 

Name	Ht.	Wt.	Pos.	Hometown/High School
Blake Hammerstein	5-10	205	IF	Manhattan Beach, CA/Mira Costa
David Moore	5-10	175	P	Wallingford, PA/Strath Haven
Sean Rausch	5-11	190	C/OF	Middle Island, NY/Longwood
Rob Weissheier	6-4	225	IF	Valley Stream, NY/Kellenberg
Kyle Young	6-10	205	P	Syosset, NY/St. Dominic

 
Blake Hammerstein
Infield, 5-10, 205
Manhattan Beach, CA/Mira Costa
 
High School: Letters in baseball at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, California…Helped Mira Costa to the Bay League Championship in 2015, batting .389 with one home run…Named Most Valuable Player of the freshman team in 2013 after posting a .464 average and a 9-1 record on the mound…Personal: Son of Megan Sustarsic and Clay Hammerstein…Has four siblings…Also recruited by Northern Colorado…Plans to major in business and pursue a career in commercial real estate.
 
Coach Russo on Blake Hammerstein: "Blake is an extremely talented infielder. We think as he gets bigger and stronger, he could become a real factor. He plays in summer for GBG, one of the best travel programs in California. Blake has the defensive and offensive skills to help us down the road."
 
David Moore
Pitcher, 5-10, 175
Wallingford, PA/Strath Haven
 
High School: Has played baseball and wrestled at Strath Haven High School in Wallingford, Pennsylvania…Posted a 1-2 record as a junior for the Panthers…Posted a 22-9 record on the mat as a junior and was an honorable mention All-Delaware County selection…Is 37-22 in his three seasons as a wrestler…Personal: Son of Janell and David Moore…Has two brothers and two sisters…Lists Clayton Kershaw and Yoenis Cespedes as his favorite athletes…Also recruited by New Orleans, Maryland –Eastern Shore, Central Connecticut State and George Mason…Plans to major in business at Hofstra.
 
Coach Russo on David Moore: "A truly exciting left-handed arm who, through a tremendous amount of hard work, has turned himself into a Division I prospect. Under the tutelage of JR Tolbert and the Bubba Baseball travel program, David has made leaps and bounds in the last year. Not many of the recruiting circuit knew the name David Moore, but they soon will. We are excited to see his continued growth once he arrives on campus."  
 
Sean Rausch
Catcher/Outfield, 5-11, 190
Middle Island, NY/Longwood
 
High School: Has played baseball and football for three years at Longwood High School in Middle island, New York…Earned all-league honors in baseball as a junior…Was all-division in football…National finalist for the Wendy's High School Heisman Award…Batted .330 as a junior with 25 stolen bases…AP Scholar…Personal: Son of Lisa and Jim Rausch…Has one sister and one brother…Father played football for two years at the University of Delaware…Chose Hofstra over Harvard, Columbia, Lehigh, Bucknell, Navy, Quinnipiac and Yale…Plans to major in finance and pursue a career as a stockbroker.
 
Coach Russo on Sean Rausch: "Sean is really well-rounded young man. He is a left-handed hitter with pop, impact speed and the athleticism to keep getting better. Sean has the chance to be a top to middle of the order lineup hitter and will factor in behind the plate and in the outfield right away. Beyond the physical tools, Sean's maturity, leadership and high character made him a must have for our program."
 
Rob Weissheier
Infield, 6-4, 225
Valley Stream, NY/Kellenberg Memorial
 
High School: Letters in baseball and track and field at Kellenberg Memorial High School in Uniondale, New York…Most Valuable Player as a junior after batting .372 for the Firebirds…Two-time Most Valuable Player on the track and field team where he throws the shot put…Placed first in the CHSAA in shot put as a freshman and sophomore, and third as a junior…Honor student…Member of the National Honor Society…Personal: Son of Kim and Russell Weissheier…Has two brothers…Brother, Kevin, pitched for the Pride in 2014 and 2015…Brother, Matt, is a red-shirt sophomore on the Pride…Also recruited by Albany…Plans to pursue a career in finance.
 
Coach Russo on Rob Weissheier: "Rob is a big, powerful right-handed hitting corner infielder that should have an immediate impact on the middle of our order. He will join his brother, Matt, on campus next fall and his oldest brother, Kevin, graduated from Hofstra in 2014. Having played for great coaches with the Next Level Titans, Rob's transition to the college game will be a seamless one."
 
Kyle Young
Pitcher, 6-10, 205
Syosset, NY/St. Dominic
 
High School: Has earned three letters in baseball and one in basketball at St. Dominic High School in Oyster Bay, New York…Helped the Bayhawks achieve a number ne ranking on Long island as a sophomore with a 5-1 record…Was 2-2 as a junior…Ranked number three on the Blue Chip Prospect List…Ranked as one of the top 100 scholastic players on Long Island by Newsday…Honor student…Named to the Principal's List in each of his three years of high school…Recipient of the Physics Gold Award…Personal: Son of Barbara and Christopher Young…Has one sister…Also recruited by St. John's, Stony Brook and Fordham…Aspires to pursue a career as an accountant or stockbroker.
 
Coach Russo on Kyle Young: "Kyle was a highly-recruited local product. He has developed nicely with the Storm Academy travel program and is extremely athletic for his size. Kyle's ceiling is about as high as any pitcher to come to campus and under Coach Habyan's tutelage, he has a chance to be achieve some special things with the Pride."