(May 25, 2009 - Ann Arbor, Mich.) -- The Concordia Cardinal baseball team signed a pair of left-handed pitchers, a corner infielder and an outfielder as they continue to add depth to their program after a second straight 25+ win season. Atop the list is the Cards signing of Garrett Keeler, a left-hander from Monroe St. Mary Catholic Central, who reminds the coaches of current Cardinal Brent McNeil, unquestionably the team's ace, who is entering his senior season. Also signed are Mike Berry, a left-hander from Troy Athens; Mike Cicchini, a corner infielder from Lutheran High North; and Nick Cowan, an outfielder from Clarkston.

Keeler brings with him an impressive resume as he currently is 8-2 on the season for SMCC, while having 23 complete games in his 30 starts (including 20 wins) for his career. Entering last week, Keeler has 188 career strikeouts while only walking 59. Add to his forte 14 career pickoffs, two shutouts, a one-hitter against Ann Arbor Gabriel Richard and a five two-hitters and it is clear why the Concordia coaches are excited about the prospect of Keeler toeing the rubber in Ann Arbor for four seasons.

Keeler, who is a team captain this season, was named First Team All-Huron League, All-District, Co-MVP, and Honorable Mention All-Region by the Monroe Evening News last season.

"Garrett is a bulldog on the mound," said Concordia head coach Karl Kling. "He has tremendous mound presence, knows fully what he wants to do pitch-by-pitch and isn't rattled by situations. He could be a mainstay in our rotation for all four years if he wants it, and I know he does, so we are thrilled about what his possibilities will be, especially considering how long this staff will be together as a unit."

Joining Keeler is another lefty in Mike Berry of Troy Athens, who is an unheralded prospect that will look to gain valuable work and experience early on.

"Mike is a soft-throwing left-hander who is the kind of pitcher that absolutely infuriates teams," Kling said. "Looking at him, teams will salivate. But he keeps people off-balance and as he continues to grow and develop, he will turn into something special for us down the road. While he may not see time early on for our varsity, he is exactly the type of kid we want: a hard-worker who wants something bad enough that he won't be outworked. That's Cardinal baseball in a nutshell!"

The last two seasons, Berry has finished with a 7-2 record, with 72 strikeouts in over 60 innings of work - mostly due to his ability to keep hitters off balance while working low and hitting spots.

Another player who embodies that persona is Cowan, a speedy outfielder from Clarkston. All of 5'6, Cowan doesn't possess the body that many scouts seek, but Kling saw two main things that can't be taught: speed and heart.

Cowan uses his speed - which has been timed at sub-7.0 in the 60-yard dash - to cover a lot of ground in the outfield and get excellent jumps on the bases making him a threat on both the offensive and defensive sides of the game. An exceptional bunter and solid contact hitter, Cowan batted near the .400 clip this past summer and fall for the Oakland Rattlers. In his career at Clarkston, Cowan was batting .461.

"Nick is going to be a spark-plug for us and he is going to make things happen and I know with his work ethic he is going to push people right away," Kling said. "Like Mike Berry, no one is going to outwork Nick and it's easy to overlook his size, but that will be his greatest weapon as he shows that there is a lot of fight in this dog's body."

The final signing is a versatile fielder in Mike Cicchini of Lutheran High North who can play both corner infield positions and might see some time on the mound.

Cicchini hit .336 last season for the Mustangs with 36 RBI and with a 6'2, 190-pound frame has a bright future ahead of him as a Cardinal.

"Mike is going to have to make an adjustment hitting the ball at the collegiate level, but when he makes that adjustment, he's going to be the prototypical corner guy - a player who can drive the ball and knock in a lot of runs," Kling said. "Defensively, he's a solid player and we'll look at him at both corner positions. We are very excited about adding Mike to our program as he further gives us options."