Nov. 29, 2011

MILWAUKEE - Tyler Thicke of Colgate, Wis., Brian Keller of Germantown, Wis., and Justin Langley of Clinton, Wis., have each signed National Letters of Intent to play baseball at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee next season, head coach Scott Doffek announced today.

"We are very excited to add these three recruits to the Panther family," Doffek said. "Each is very different in how they profile on the mound, but the one thing they have in common is that they are high-character kids with a desire to be great. We are looking forward to working with them and watching them develop over the next few years."

Thicke is currently attending Madison College and will complete his sophomore year there this spring. Keller and Langley are also both pitchers and are currently in their senior year of high school.

"I am extremely excited to get early commitments from the three of them," Milwaukee pitching coach Cory Bigler said. "All three are dedicated student-athletes who will improve our program both on and off the field."

Thicke spent his freshman season at Indiana University, making seven appearances. He earned a pair of starts in his season as a Hoosier, striking out six batters in 10.0 innings on the season. He allowed just one hit and no runs in five innings against Bucknell during his first career start, striking out three. That followed an impressive prep career at Germantown High School, becoming just the third player in school history to earn four letters under coach Parish Wagner.

After missing all of his junior season due to Tommy John surgery, he bounced back as a senior to go 3-0 with a 0.68 ERA. He struck out 89 batters in 48 innings, earning first team all-conference and all-suburban honors to help Germantown to the state playoffs for the first time in 24 years.

Thicke went 8-1 with a 2.24 ERA as a sophomore and pitched in the Wisconsin All-Star Game at Miller Park. That followed an impressive 7-1 record with a 3.02 ERA as a freshman when he became the first frosh in school history to toss a complete-game no-hitter. He also earned three letters in football and two in track and was named Germantown's Male Scholar-Athlete.

"Tyler is an athletic left-handed pitcher who is capable of pounding the strike zone with three pitches," Bigler said. "He will bring maturity and experience to the 2012-13 pitching staff. I look forward to seeing Tyler in a Panther uniform."

Keller helped lead Germantown High School to an 18-13 record in 2011 and looks to improve on that as a senior this spring. A year ago, we went 6-3 with a 3.38 ERA, striking out 82 batters in 76 innings of work while allowing opponents to bat just .230 against him. He was named a member of the Honorable Mention 2011 NOW All-Suburban Baseball Team.

"Brian came on late this past summer and fall," Bigler said. "He has a pitchers frame with plus arm-action and an extremely high ceiling. He is an exceptional athlete and tough competitor. His fastball angle and life give him a chance to be special at this level and beyond."

Langley helped lead Clinton High School to a WIAA Regional title in 2011. The team captain was named All-Rock Valley Conference Second Team as a junior after posting a 1.78 ERA and setting a school record with 103 strikeouts. Entering his senior campaign, he stands fifth in career strikeouts (139) and victories (10) in school history. He also holds the school mark with 16 K's in a game and is a 4.0 student in the classroom. In addition, the team won the Rock Valley Conference when he was a sophomore. The multi-sport athlete was also a first-team all-league basketball player as a junior.

"At 6-foot-7, Justin is a big left-handed pitcher that has a big upside," Bigler said. "His work ethic and competitive nature are even more impressive than his stature. I feel that Justin has a chance to be a true power left-handed pitcher and a front of the rotation guy."