NATCHITOCHES – Athletic position players? Check. Strike-throwing pitchers? Check. A collective chip on their shoulders? Check.
 
Third-year coach Lane Burroughs had a list and the seven-member fall signing class Burroughs' Northwestern State baseball program introduced Wednesday fits the bill.
 
"The thing we look for at Northwestern State is we want to be athletic; with pitching, we want you to be competitive in the strike zone with more than one pitch, and we did that," Burroughs said. "We look for guys that have the makeup that fits our mold. It's a blue-collar, play-with-an-edge style. We do things right off the field, but when you step on the field, you've got an edge about you. All these kids are going to make the community and Northwestern State alumni very proud to be Demons."
 
The seven student athletes who submitted National Letters of Intent on Wednesday included six high school players – right-handed pitcher Austin Reich (Brusly/Brusly HS), third baseman/right-handed pitcher Austin Townsend (Shreveport/Loyola College Prep), catcher Kyle Swanson (Montgomery, Texas/Montgomery HS), right-handed pitcher Brian Metoyer (Natchitoches/Natchitoches Central HS), left-handed pitcher Jesse Fruge (Rosepine/Rosepine HS) and left-handed pitcher Corey Musselman (Zachary/Zachary HS) – and junior college right-handed pitcher Tim Winders (Katy, Texas/Northeast Texas CC).
 
Reich stands 6-foot-3 and is the son of two Northwestern State alumni. In his first three high school seasons, Reich has collected 31 career wins and has impressed on the summer circuit, being named co-Most Valuable Pitcher at the Oakley All-American Game and taking part in the East Coast Pro Showcase.
 
"Austin, in our opinion and in the opinion of a lot of scouts, is the top high school arm in Louisiana," Burroughs said. "We got a good one there. We're going to have to re-recruit Austin again this summer, because the draft is going to be in play with him. He's a Demon through and through. His dad played here. His mom went to school here."
 
Reich is one of two power-armed high school right-handers the Demons signed Wednesday. Joining Reich in that category is hometown product Brian Metoyer, a 6-foot-2, 158-pounder with a prototypical pitcher's body.
 
Metoyer turned in an all-district performance as a senior, striking out more than 30 batters for Natchitoches Central High School. Metoyer, a two-year letterman for the Chiefs, also carries a 3.0 grade-point average with him into his senior year of high school.
 
"He's a fastball-slider guy," assistant coach GT McCullough said. "He's got the frame. He's going to get a lot bigger. He throws hard now, his arm turns and he's a guy that's basically in our backyard. It will be good for the community to have the Natchitoches Central connection. We're exciting about having Brian on board."
 
Burroughs echoed his comments about Reich's potential draft status when referencing Metoyer, who has made his way onto scouts' radars as well. Like Reich, a piece of Metoyer's background is tied to his college choice.
 
"He was coached by a couple of former Demons – Kelly Spann, who coached here, and Jeramie Hale, who played here," Burroughs said. "They know what we're looking for, and Brian fits the bill. The body is there. It's loose. He has the ability, whether he's from Natchitoches or wherever, to be one of the top pitchers in the Southland. He can come in immediately on the mound. He has a great, great ceiling."
 
Fruge was an early commitment to the Demons. A two-time, first-team all-district pick at Rosepine, Fruge was named district Most Valuable Player and the Vernon Parish Player of the Year by the Leesville Daily Leader. Fruge helped lead Rosepine to three consecutive playoff berths, including a quarterfinal appearance as a sophomore.
 
Originally committed as a pitcher, Fruge proved to be a versatile addition to the Demons program.
 
"He started coming to our camps as a left-handed pitcher, and he really knows how to pitch," Burroughs said. "So we go to see him this summer, and lo and behold, we've got us an outfielder as well. He's what you're looking for in a leadoff hitter – can really run 'em down in the outfield – and he's going to help us on the mound. He can fill it up with three pitches. He's very smart. We've been recruiting him for a long time. We're excited to get him in the program and get going."
 
Joining Fruge in the left-handed pitcher signee group is Musselman, who comes from one of Louisiana's top programs in Zachary.
 
Musselman has posted an 11-5 record across the past two seasons while carrying a 3.2 GPA. As a junior, he went 7-2 and pitched to a 1.60 ERA. As a sophomore, he was part of a state finalist team.
 
"When you get a kid out of Jesse's (Cassard) program at Zachary, one thing you don't have to worry about is teaching them the game and teaching them how to play the game," Burroughs said. "They come here ready for that. Corey's a guy that has a real swing-and-miss changeup. He's not going to light up the radar gun, but he's a competitor, just a tremendous competitor when he steps on the mound. We went and saw him late this summer, right before we offered him, and he threw about four innings. He must have got 20 to 30 swings and misses off one pitch. He has a real feel for it and he has a chance to pitch for a long time."
 
Reich, Metoyer, Fruge and Musselman were joined by someone they could conceivably pitch to for four years in Swanson, a switch-hitting catcher from suburban Houston.
 
Swanson is another dedicated student athlete, carrying a 6.2 GPA on a 6.0 scale. He fits not only the Demons' mold, but the mold of the modern-era college catcher. Swanson has a 1.8 pop time and has been clocked at 6.83 seconds in the 60-yard dash.
 
"He's a really athletic catcher," said assistant coach Bobby Barbier, a former Demons player. "He reminded me of a guy we called JoJo (Anthony Jones). He's the kind of catcher that you really need in this day and age of the dead-bat era of college baseball. You really need a guy who can receive and throw, and we really think his bat's going to be there, too.
 
"He can get rid of it pretty quick. He can add 15-20 pounds and become a real threat in the middle of the order."
 
A big bat and versatility is what Burroughs expects Townsend to provide.
 
A left-handed hitter, Townsend has started each of his first three years at Loyola, including as a freshman on a state quarterfinalist. Individually, Townsend has progressed from honorable mention all-district honors as a freshman to a first-team selection as a junior. He also earned All-City honors from The (Shreveport) Times as a junior, the same year he was tabbed Loyola's Most Valuable Player.
 
Townsend, whose father was a state representative from Natchitoches for 12 years, is expected to see action as both a position player and as a pitcher.
 
"We started recruiting Austin when he was younger," Burroughs said. "Obviously, he's got some lineage here, but he's not signing with Northwestern State because of his name. He's signing because he's a very good baseball player.
 
"He's a strong, athletic kid; a left-handed hitter who has a great swing and a real knowledge of the strike zone. He knows how to hit, but I think he can also help us on the mound. He's a low three-quarters guy; not a lot of velocity, but he knows how to pitch and fill up the zone. It's a look we don't have in our program now."
 
Winders comes to Natchitoches from Northeast Texas Community College. He brings to the Demons the ability to throw three pitches for strikes, which could lead him to challenge for a spot in the weekend rotation upon his arrival.
 
With a fastball that tops out around 91 mph, Winders led NTCC in ERA as a freshman (0.73) and is expected to hold down a weekend rotation spot as a sophomore. In 14 appearances, 11 in relief, Winders allowed just 31 hits in 37 innings pitched.
 
"The thing about Tim, when I met him and his family on his official visit, I knew he's what Northwestern State baseball is all about," Burroughs said. "He has a chip on his shoulder. He's blue-collar. He's a hard worker, and he's a no-nonsense guy. He fills up the zone with three pitches, and he's a proven winner in a great league. That's what you're looking for when you get a JUCO arm."
 
While this was Burroughs' third early signing class as the Demons skipper, it marked the first one for the Burroughs-Barbier-McCullough trio, which came together after a summer riding on the coaching carousel.
 
"I'm extremely proud of how GT and Bobby came in late and really helped seal this class," Burroughs said. "I feel good about the future of Northwestern State baseball."