More Signing Day Dawgs

BASEBALL

Pitchers John Taylor and Pete Nagel are the first two members of Georgia’s latest recruiting class after signing a national letter-of-intent to attend UGA, Dawg coach David Perno announced today.

A 6-3, 192-pound right-hander from Carnesville, John is the son of Terry and Charlotte Taylor. He attends Franklin County High School where he plays for coach Brent Honeywell. As a junior, he went 4-5 with a 1.65 ERA for the Lions, tallying 85 strikeouts in 59.1 innings pitched. Also, he batted .400 with six home runs and 24 RBI. Taylor was named Most Valuable Player, All-Region, All-Area and was selected to play for Team Georgia. He went 8-4 in his first two seasons with the Lions. He helped the Diamond Devils 17 and under squad capture the World Wood Bat Association (WWBA) national title. Also, he carries a 4.0 grade point average and made a perfect score on his high school writing graduation test.

A 6-4, 228-pound right-hander from Metter, Pete is the son of Monty and Angie Nagel. He attends Metter High School where he plays for coach Corey Collins. Nagel led his squad with 122 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched as a junior. He is a two-time All-Region selection. He received the Tigers’ Most Valuable Player award in 2010. He was selected to play for Team Georgia, which won the Sunbelt Classic. As a sophomore, Nagel went 8-2 with a 1.22 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 57 innings pitched. Also, Nagel is a standout quarterback, earning All-Area and MVP honors.

GYMNASTICS

Georgia head gymnastics coach Jay Clark on Thursday announced the signing of two prospects to national letters of intent to attend UGA and compete in 2012 for the Gym Dogs. The duo includes Chelsea Davis, a member of the 2010 USA World Championship team, and Sarah Persinger, a former international elite gymnast.

Davis, a native of Austin, Texas, trains at Texas Dreams. She qualified to the international elite level and U.S. Championships in 2006 and finished fourth in the all-around in the 2007 U.S. Championships to qualify for her first USA National Team. Davis was named to the 2007 Jr. Pan America Games and qualified for her second U.S. Championships in 2008. Later that year, she was named to the U.S. Olympic Training Squad. In 2010, Davis finished fifth in the all-around at the U.S. Championships and was also named to the USA World Championship Team.

A native of Charlotte, N.C., Persinger trains at Southeastern Gymnastics. She won the vault and bars titles as a level 10 gymnast at Junior Olympic Nationals in 2006, then qualified to junior international elite status. Persinger was a U.S. National Qualifier in 2007 and 2008, and in 2009 won vault and bars at the Flip Fest Invitational and finished second in the all-around.

MEN’S GOLF

Twin brothers Sam and Sepp Straka have signed national letters of intent with Georgia, according to men’s golf coach Chris Haack.

In June, Sam won the United States Junior Amateur Qualifier at Pinetree Country Club in Kennesaw by four shots. He posted five victories on the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour, including the 2008 Tournament of Champions. Overall, he recorded 10 top-5 finishes on the tour and had a low round of 66.  Sam is No. 44 nationally in the Golfweek/Sagarin Junior Rankings.

Sepp notched one victory on the Southeastern Junior Golf Tour and posted 10 additional top-5 efforts. His low round, which he has accomplished twice, is a 67. He is No. 72 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Junior Rankings.

The Strakas attend Lowndes High School in Valdosta. In April, they helped the Vikings win the Region 1-AAAAA championship for the third straight season.