Kennesaw State baseball made its early signing class official Friday, Nov. 13, as head coach Ryan Coe announced 12 high school signees. Perfect Game ranks the group No. 40 in the nation, the highest-rated signing class in Conference USA.
The class leans heavily on home-grown talent: eight signees are from Georgia, three from Tennessee and one from Florida. Douglasville outfielder Haydenn Downes, whose signing was announced Friday, rounds out the 12 who joined the 11 Owls who signed on early signing day.
The 12 signees
Pitchers: RHP Robby Chiaffredo (Atlanta, Ga., Holy Innocents'), RHP Maddox McCollum (Peachtree Corners, Ga., Wesleyan), RHP Mason Peek (Calhoun, Ga., Calhoun) and RHP/SS Jonah Winton (Chattanooga, Tenn., Silverdale Baptist).
Catchers: Gunner Fokken (Winston, Ga., Carrollton) and Parker Free (Oak Ridge, Tenn., Oak Ridge).
Infielders and outfielders: 1B/LHP Sam Wilkinson (Memphis, Tenn., Christian Brothers), SS Jaxson Vassallo (Bradenton, Fla., IMG Academy), SS Dylan White (Statesboro, Ga., Georgia Premier Academy), SS/OF Dylan Honore (Powder Springs, Ga., Hillgrove), OF Haydenn Downes (Douglasville, Ga., Carrollton) and OF Garrett Smith (Hull, Ga., Madison County).
Numbers that jump out
Mason Peek was named his region's Pitcher of the Year after a 1.53 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings as a junior. Dylan White hit .410 with a 1.204 OPS, Garrett Smith batted .371 with seven homers on his way to Athens-area Player of the Year, and Jonah Winton, ranked No. 179 nationally by Perfect Game, has been up to 95 mph on the mound. Downes batted .340 with 40 RBIs last spring. "Haydenn Downes has as high of a ceiling as you can hope for in a player," Coe said.
What's next
The Owls open Conference USA play at home March 25-27 against Delaware. Check the full 2026 Kennesaw State schedule, and rep the Black and Gold with our latest fan gear. #OwlUp
Source: Kennesaw State Athletics. Read the full release on ksuowls.com.