Rebs commit Louisville Slugger All-American

Drew Pomeranz (LHP, Memphis, TN) - The 2005/2006 baseball class saw the Rebels ink 6 players off of the 2006 Louisville Slugger All-American Team, which tied Texas for the most in the country.

Do not look now, but the Rebels received their second commitment from the '06 Louisville Slugger All-American Team when Collierville's Drew Pomeranz committed to the Rebels yesterday.

The 6' 6", 190 pound south paw was one of four junior pitchers named to the team. Ole Miss also landed Michael Park this Spring, who made the 2006 Louisville Slugger All-American squad in the "multiple position" category.

Drew is no stranger to the game of baseball, as his brother Stuart Pomeranz, was a second round selection by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2003 draft.

Like Stuart, Drew is a big time pitcher who simply mowes down anybody in front of him.

Pomeranz went 9-1 on the season with a 1.01 ERA. He tossed 6 shutouts (which was the second most in the state of Tennessee) and struck out 130 batters in 85 innings. Each category placed in the Top 10 in the state of Tennessee.

Drew was one of two Shelby County representatives on the Tennessee Class 3A All-State team. He was also one of 5 players that the Commercial Appeal nominated for Best of the Preps, which names the top player in football, baseball, and basketball. There were only two juniors nominated and Pomeranz was one of them.

Pomeranz throws a nasty 74 MPH twelve to six o'clock curveball and then blows you by with a 92 MPH fastball. His change up ranges in the 81 MPH range.

What makes Drew so good?

"I have command of all of my pitches. I stay calm out there. I do not freak out and start yelling at everybody. It does no good to yell at everybody. Things happen. If my velocity is not there, I still have my change up and curveball to go to. I can make adjustments from day to day," added Drew Pomeranz

As good as Pomeranz is; there still is room for improvement.

"This year, I am focusing on putting some weight and getting my velocity up. Those are the main things I want to work on. I can get it up to 92, but I am throwing it consistently in the high 80's. I want to get that to the low 90's before college."

Speaking of college, Drew has announced where he is going.

"I committed to Ole Miss yesterday. It just seemed like a good fit for me. It is far enough from home, but not too far. I think in baseball, they will help my improve the way I need to. They have a great program down there. They have been good the last few years and they just keep getting better and better."

Who were some of the other colleges that were involved in Drew's recruitment?

"I had other offers from Tennessee, Memphis, and MSU. I got weekly calls from LSU too. They wanted me to come down there to offer me a scholarship, but I never got a chance to go. Alabama was calling me weekly too, but I never had a chance to go down there either. All of the colleges wait until you visit them to discuss how much they are going to offer you, and the only schools I visited were Ole Miss, Tennessee, Memphis, and MSU."

Now the only question that remains is will Drew attend Ole Miss or go straight to the pros?

"It could go either way. If I did get drafted, and it was with the right team in the right round with the right money, I could get my education in three years. But right now, I am focusing on going to Ole Miss."