Baseball adds 10th, 11th pitching prospects to 2004-05 signee class

The Arizona baseball team added two more pitchers to its recruiting class during the early signing period on Wednesday, bringing the total of players signed to 15, including 11 pitchers.

Head coach Andy Lopez received commitments to play at Arizona from right-hander Michael Koons and lefty Lance Sewell on the final day of the signing period.

Koons, a 6-foot-1 righty from Castle Rock, Colo., will graduate from Douglas County High School next spring before heading to Tucson. He is the son of Tom and Donna Koons and will play his final high school baseball season for coach Scott Fellers.

Sewell, a 6-foot-1 southpaw, is the sixth player from Arizona to sign with the Wildcats during the early signing period. Hailing from Phoenix, he will graduate from Highland High School in the spring before heading south. Sewell is the son of Erika and Allan Sewell and plays for coach Scott Cook at Highland.

Rugby opens home schedule this weekend with Memorial Invitational

The UA rugby team opens its 2003/04 home schedule by hosting the Memorial Invitational. The two-day tournament will take place tomorrow and Sunday at Estevan Park.

The Wildcats will welcome the St. Mary's Gaels, the New Mexico State Chiles and San Diego State Aztecs to Tucson. All four programs have participated in postseason play in the last two years.

The Memorial Invitational is one of two four-team events hosted by the UA. However, the Memorial was the springtime event. The Wildcats have elected to host just one tournament a year - in the fall.

The Memorial Invitational is played in memory of fallen Wildcats and all those who have lost their lives in service of our country.

"It's appropriate that we do this in November," said Arizona head coach Dave Sitton. "We just lost another one of our dear friends this year and, of course, our country continues to lose brave soldiers worldwide who defend our country. November, being the month which Veterans Day is celebrated - the time could not be better."

The Wildcats (1-1) return a squad of 58 from last year's team, which finished 10-4 overall and 7-1 in conference play.

Arizona was a co-champion of the SoCal Conference. In addition, the team boasts 19 players who participated in the team's successful tour of New Zealand this summer.