JACKSON, Tenn. – The Union University baseball team has announced their 2023-24 signing class. This class features Jamal Allen (Birmingham, Ala.), Dyllon Barrett (Bel Air, Md.), Noah Toney (Florence, Ala.), Joseph Hufstedler (Dyer, Tenn.), Elijah Ramsey (Millington, Tenn.), Matthew Autry (Collierville, Tenn.), Brody Mann (Fairview, Tenn.), Hudson Cepparulo (Paris, Tenn.), Scotty Wyatt (Collierville, Tenn.), Chase Spears (Munford, Tenn.), Alex Johnson (Roswell, Ga.), Cole Smith (Clarksville, Tenn.), and Cody Tjomsland (Sanford, Fla.)
 
Jamal Allen, a 6-foot-5 junior right-handed pitcher, prepped at Ramsay High School in Birmingham, Alabama where he played two years of varsity baseball. Allen has played collegiate baseball at Wallace State Community College in Selma (2018-2020), Xavier University of Louisiana (2020-2022), and Dillard University (2023) where he contributed to a 2023 GCAC Conference Championship. Allen achieved 2021 Black College World Series All-Tournament Second Team in 2021, 2021 Black College Nine First Team - Small Division at Xavier University of Louisiana, 2023 Baseball AIl-GCAC Second Team at Dillard, and participated in the HBCU All-Star Game in 2023. In 2021 at Xavier University of Louisiana, Allen accumulated 40.2 innings pitched, 11 Appearances, 1.79 ERA, and 32 scoreless innings. Off the diamond, Allen achieved two Associate degrees (Arts and Science) and was named to the Dean's List in 2020.
 
Dyllon Barrett, a 6-foot-1 sophomore infielder, prepped at Bel Air High School in Bel Air, Maryland where he helped lead his team to a 2022 regional championship. Barret transfers in from Ann Arundel Community College where he played one year of baseball.
 
Noah Toney, 6-foot-2 sophomore pitcher/utility, transfers to Union following one season of baseball at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville, Ala. As a freshman, he accumulated a 3.9 ERA on the mound for the Lions, which he aided to a conference championship. Toney prepped at Florence High School, where he played two years of basketball and four years each of football and baseball. During this time, Toney was recognized with several athletic honors, including All-Area and All-State in baseball. He was also once named Player of the Week in football.
 
Joseph Hufstedler, a 6-foot infielder, transfers to Union following two seasons of baseball at Bethel University in McKenzie, Tenn. He prepped at Gibson County High School, where he played four years of basketball and baseball. On the field, he was named All-District and helped his team to a district championship.
 
Elijah Ramsey, a 6-foot-4 utility, prepped at Tipton Rosemark Academy in Rosemark, Tenn., where he played five years of baseball and four years of basketball. He regularly collected athletic recognitions in both sports, including three Offensive Player of the Year awards and three All-District and All-Region honors in baseball. On the court, he was awarded Most Improved and was twice named MVP. Ramsey holds the Tipton Rosemark record for triples and ended his career ranked top-10 in batting average, doubles, and RBI. While Ramsey was a member, Tipton Rosemark baseball won two region and district championships. 
 
Matthew Autry, a 5-foot-7 freshman utility, prepped at Collierville High School where he played four years of baseball and one year of football. In 2022 Autry helped lead his team to both a district and regional championship. Off the field he was a member of NHS and graduated Cum Laude.
 
Brody Mann, a 6-foot-3 pitcher, prepped at Fairview high school where he played four years of baseball and two years of football. He helped his travel ball team to a USSSA State Championship, He was listed as a 2022 perfect game preseason underclass All-American and was listed to the perfect game top prospect list. Off the field he already holds a associate's degree in Macaronics from Columbia State. 
 
 Hudson Cepparulo, a 6-foot-4 freshman infielder, prepped at Henry County High School (Paris, Tenn.), where he played four years of both baseball and football. He was twice named All-District in baseball, while in football, he was a 2022 All-Region selection and a West Tennessee All-Star. During Cepparulo's stint, the Henry County football team achieved three region championships and the baseball team won district in 2022.
 
Scotty Wyatt, a 6-foot-4 freshman pitcher, prepped at Collierville High School where he played four years of baseball. Wyatt also played four years with the East Coast Sox. 
 
Chase Spears, a 6-foot-3 freshman pitcher, prepped at Munford High School, where he played four years of baseball. He accumulated multiple personal recognitions during this time, including District MVP, Super Freshman/Sophomore, and All-Season MVP. Additionally, he was named to the All-State team. 
 
Alex Johnson, a 6-foot-1 freshman pitcher, prepped at Roswell High School (Roswell, Ga.) where he was a three-year letterman in varsity baseball. He was captain of the baseball team during his senior year and accumulated 104 career strikeouts. He was also part of multiple Perfect Game tournament championships in the summer.

Cole Smith, a 6-foot-3 utility, prepped at Clarksville Academy, where he played four years of baseball and was named to the All-Region team.
 
Cody Tjomsland, a 6-foot-5 freshman outfielder, played three years of high school baseball at Seminole High School.

Riley Self's thoughts on the signing class

"For this signing class we pursued pitching heavy, asking the returning pitchers to carry the same load as they did last year would put too much stress on their arms to withstand the lengthy schedule and level of competition we compete in. Defensively we added a few infielders and outfielders that could make an instant impact on the program. On the offensive side of the diamond we were able to add more left-handed bats, which gives us the opportunity to create better match-ups and put our players in the best position to get their job done."

"As a whole, we feel that we improved our overall athleticism on the field with this class of players and have cultivated a culture of competition as each player is competing to earn starts regardless of their experience within our program. Thus far this class has done an outstanding job at competing at a high level, improving not only themselves but also their teammates around them." 
 
-UNION-