Bronx, N.Y. - Fordham head baseball coach Kevin Leighton announced the addition of seven student-athletes to play baseball at Fordham University, starting with the 2015 season.  The seven student-athletes are pitcher Jake Bernardo (Glenmont, N.Y./La Salle Institute), pitcher Ben Greenberg (Scarborough, Maine/Scarborough), pitcher Alex Hladik (Columbia, N.J./North Warren Regional), outfielder Ryan Jennings (Berkeley Heights, N.J./Gov. Livingston), pitcher David Manasek (Clarks Summit, Pa./Abington Heights), infielder/outfielder Tyler Urbach (Studio City, Calif./Harvard Westlake), and pitcher David Wright (Pelham, N.Y./Pelham Memorial).
 
"I am excited about the future of our program with the addition of these young men.  All are tremendous students and baseball players that we are confident will represent Fordham and our program very well on and off the field.  I want to thank my coaching staff for all of their hard work with these young men in the recruiting process," said Leighton.
 
Bernardo, a 6-3 pitcher from Glenmont, New York, is a three-year varsity starter at the La Salle Institute, serving as team captain.  A two-time Big Ten Conference All-Star, he received First Team All-Area honors for 2013 from the Troy Record, after guiding the team to the Big Ten championship.  He played summer ball for coach George Rogers and the South Troy Dodgers, where he recorded 30 strikeouts in 30 innings pitched and a 1.87 ERA.  Academically, Bernardo ranked in the top ten in his class and was a member of the National Honor Society.
 
Coach Leighton on Bernardo: "Jake is a solid pitching prospect for us who has the ability to help right away.  He just recently started pitching this year, but when we saw him you could see that he is very comfortable on the mound.  He has a mid-80's fastball with very good command and projects well.  We are excited about what he will bring to our program."
 
Greenberg, a 6-2 pitcher from Scarborough, Maine, is a multi-sport athlete at Scarborough High School, playing both baseball and football.  He was awarded the 2013 Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Maine, after posting a 6-0 record with a 0.54 ERA, 46 strikeouts, and five walks in 39 innings pitched.  He also earned the Maine Sunday Telegram High School Baseball Player of the Year award, the SMAA MVP award, and the Edson Hadlock Award for Most Valuable Pitcher.  An All-Conference and All-State selection, Greenberg played summer ball for coach Ryan Leahy at Legends Baseball.  In addition to his baseball exploits, he also excelled on the gridiron, receiving Scarborough Fall Male Athlete of the Year honors from The Forecaster, after racking up 1,021 passing yards, 844 rushing yards, and 23 total touchdowns. 
 
Away from athletics, Greenberg is a Student-Athlete Summit Representative and honor roll student, while being a volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House, an assistant for little league baseball and youth football clinics, and a donor/fundraiser of equipment and money for a school in Haiti.
 
Coach Leighton on Greenberg: "Ben is a big, strong, physical young man and we are very excited he will be joining us next year.  He has great mound presence to go along with tremendous athleticism and overall stuff on the mound.  His fastball touches 90 mph and he commands all of his pitches.  We love his competitiveness and toughness and feel that he has a lot of upside on the mound."

Hladik, a 5-10 pitcher from Columbia, New Jersey, is a varsity pitcher at North Warren Regional High School.  In 2013, he appeared in 11 games, making nine starts and tossed six complete games with one save.  He threw 55.1 innings, posting a 2.02 ERA and 55 strikeouts, and earned Second Team NJAC Freedom Division All-Conference honors, as well as Second Team All-New Jersey Herald. Academically, Hladik was named to the Principal's Honors List throughout high school.
 
Coach Leighton on Hladik: "Alex is a hard throwing right-hander with a very good out pitch in his slider.  His fastball sits in the upper 80's with a nasty slider in the high 70's.  He has a very fast arm and we are excited to see him in uniform next year for us."

Jennings, a 5-11 outfielder from Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, was a four-year varsity starter for both the baseball and football teams at Governor Livingston High School.  A 2012 Under Armour Preseason All-American, he backed up that nomination with a stellar 2013 campaign, hitting .456 with 30 runs scored, 30 RBI, and five home runs.  He earned First Team All-Union County and Second Team All-Group III honors and was named to the Garden State and Union-County Underclass All-Star teams.  Jennings also excelled in football, rushing for over 2,500 yards and 25 touchdowns in his career.
 
Coach Leighton on Jennings: "Ryan seems to be the guy that always has the dirtiest uniform on the team.  He plays the game the right way and has solid tools at the plate and in the outfield.  We are confident that he will be a good offensive player for us and are excited about his future here."
 
Manasek, a 6-1 pitcher from Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, has lettered three years for the baseball team at Abington Heights High School.  He is a two-time Abington Heights Pitcher of the Year, helping the team to the AAA District Championship and the State semifinals.  An All-Region and All-Star performer, he recorded nine wins in 12 starts in 2013, posting a 2.10 ERA and 106 strikeouts, while in 2012, he registered five wins in eight starts with a 0.56 ERA and 63 strikeouts.  Manasek also played summer ball for the Moosic Mets under Coach Mike Zwanch, where he had an ERA just above two over a span of two seasons and 103 innings of work.
 
Away from the diamond, Manasek is a member of Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) and the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA).
 
Coach Leighton on Manasek: "David is a sidearm right-handed pitcher, who has tremendous deception on the hill.  He can throw from many different angles which makes it difficult for the hitter.  His ball runs, cuts, sinks, slides, and does everything but go straight, and we feel that he will be a valuable addition to our pitching staff."

Urbach, a 6-1 infielder/outfielder from Studio City, California, is a varsity baseball player at Harvard Westlake High School, where he was a 2013 Underclass All-American High Honorable Mention selection after hitting .310 on the season.  He helped Harvard Westlake to two Mission League Championships and the 2013 National Championship by both Perfect Game & Baseball America.  A versatile player that started at five different positions in 2012, Urbach played summer ball for SGV Arsenal for Coach Mike Viera and was a part of the 2012 NY Yankees Area Code team.
 
Coach Leighton on Urbach: "Tyler comes to us from one of the best high school programs in the country.  He has the ability to play multiple positions and has a good skill set at the plate and defensively.  We look forward to seeing him compete next fall and are excited about what he brings to our team."
 
Wright, a 6-1 pitcher from Pelham, New York, is a varsity baseball player at Pelham Memorial High School, playing for Coach Leighton's brother, Brian.  A two-time Under Armour Preseason All-American in 2013 and 2014, he has put together a fine career at Pelham, posting an 11-5 career record with 1.92 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 131 innings pitched.  He set a school record in 2012 as a sophomore with a 0.62 ERA, while recording five wins.  Wright is a two-year captain of the squad, receiving All-League honors twice. 
 
For summer ball, Wright played for the Bayside Yankees for coaches Marc Cuesta, Bobby Cruz, and Connor Burke, where he was 5-2 with a 1.60 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 48 innings in 2013.  Academically, he is a member of the Pelham Memorial honor roll.
 
Coach Leighton on Wright: "David is an exciting pitching prospect for us next year.  He is a strike thrower with a lively two-seam fastball that is consistently mid- to upper-80's and has reached 90.  He also commands a slider and change-up consistently.  He is very competitive and athletic on the mound and we feel he will log important innings for our program."