Baseball | November 29, 2018

PHILADELPHIA – Second-year head coach David Miller has announced that six student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to join the La Salle University baseball team in 2019-20.
 
Elijah Dickerson (Mount Holly, N.J.), Nick Gaitan (Atlanta, Ga.), Dylan Maria (Blackwood, N.J.), Jordan Morales (Souderton, Pa.), Gabe Rappa (Paulsboro, N.J.) and David Smith (Collegeville, Pa.) each inked their NLI's to join the Explorers.
 
The initial members of the Recruiting Class of 2019 are comprised of multiple outfielders and pitchers as well as a mix of corner and middle infielders.
 
Name – Position – High School – Hometown
Elijah Dickerson – OF – Rancocas Valley – Mount Holley, N.J.

• Dickerson is an outfielder with a 6-0, 182 pound frame with fluid movement. The left-handed hitter brings athleticism and has strong tools on both sides of the ball. He's a PG top 100 outfielder nationally, is ranked third in New Jersey at the position and was named to the Northeast Indoor Top Prospect List.
• Miller's Take: "Elijah Dickerson is a pure hitter that has the ability to win an Atlantic 10 Conference batting title some day."

Dylan Maria – OF/RHP – Highland Regional – Blackwood, N.J.

• Maria provides versatility on the pitching mound and at the plate. He has a 6-0, 185 pound frame and contributes both as a right-handed pitcher and an outfielder. The New Jersey native ranks in the PG top 500 overall, top 10 among N.J. outfielders and brings a high-speed fastball and breaking ball on the hill.
• Miller's Take: "Dylan Maria is a two-way player with a 90-plus fastball who should hit in the middle of our lineup."

Gabe Rappa – LHP – Neumann-Goretti – Paulsboro, N.J.

• A local product from Neumann-Goretti, Rappa offers a 6-1, 185 pound frame on the mound. His strong fastball is paired with off-speed pitches from the left side. Rappa is ranked among the PG top 500 overall and ranks seventh among New Jersey left-handed pitchers.
• Miller's Take: "Gabe Rappa is a lefty that has an upper-80 to low-90's fastball. A bulldog on the mound, he'll step on to campus and make an immediate impact."

Jordan Morales – LHP – Souderton Area HS – Souderton, Pa.

• Morales is a hard-throwing left-handed pitcher from Souderton, Pa. He has an athletic frame at 5-9, 175 pounds and attacks with the fastball while showing the ability to touch either side of the plate. The lefty hurler ranks inside PG's top 500 overall and fifth in New Jersey at the position.
• Miller's Take: "Jordan Morales is that sparkplug lefty than can pitch. He's not tall, but throws hard with plus off-speed and has a closer mentality."

Nick Gaitan – 3B/1B – North Atlanta HS – Atlanta, Ga.

• A powerful corner infielder, Gaitan brings a strong bat to the table. Gaitan has a lot of strength behind his swing with a 6-2, 230 pound frame. He has the arm strength to man third base routinely and has a PG ranking of 12th among third basemen in all of Georgia.
• Miller's Take: "Nick Gaitan is a smooth-fielding third baseman with a strong arm and a smooth bat."

David Smith – SS/OF – Perkiomen – Collegeville, Pa.

• Smith is a speedster who offers versatility as a middle infielder and outfielder. He operates as a switch hitter and has a 5-10, 160 pound build. The Pennsylvania product who played at Perkiomen ranks inside PG's top 100 players in the state.
• Miller's Take: "David Smith is a leadoff-type player with tremendous speed and is a switch hitter. He can play center field or shortstop and will be the sparkplug at the top of the lineup."