Youngstown State head baseball coach Steve Gillispie is excited to announce that Gerrad Rohan and Billy Salem have joined the program for the 2015-16 season. Both student-athletes are transferring from Akron for their senior years.
Rohan is 6-foot-1 and has played primarily at the corner infield positions in his collegiate career. He is a native of nearby North Lima, Ohio, and a graduate of South Range High School. Salem is 6-foot-2 and played second and third base for the Zips. He is from Willoughby Hills, Ohio, and graduated from Lake Catholic High School.
Rohan batted .294 and ranked third on Akron's squad with 28 RBIs in 2015. He played in 96 games for the Zips over the 2012, 2013 and 2015 seasons. He was a two-time First-Team All-Inter Tri-County League selection and batted .455 as a senior at South Range.
"Gerrad really came on toward the end of 2015 season after redshirt season in 2014," Gillispie said. "He was an everyday, middle-of-the-order bat this past year, and he was one of their top run producers. He is a good athlete who defends the field quite well, and those abilities will provide us a chance to be a more offensive team this coming spring."
Salem hit a career-best .260 last season while scoring 13 runs and driving in 19. He played in 95 games while starting 70 times in three years at Akron. At Lake Catholic High School, Salem was an all-league and all-county selection, and he helped lead the team to the state semifinals in 2012.
"Billy brings some great versatility to our ball club," Gillispie said. "He is a very solid and clean defender who is capable of playing second base, shortstop and third base, and he adds a left-handed bat to our infield possibilities. He has a great understanding of the game and will provide a great deal of experience with over 300 plate appearances and around 100 college games played."
The additions of Rohan and Salem bring the total number of players on the 2016 roster who will be in their first year at YSU to 11. Seven more newcomers are expected to officially join the program as walk-ons once the fall semester begins next week.
