By Pete Pelegrin
Twitter: @PetePelegrin

The 2017 college baseball season is three months away, however, FIU notched a huge win Wednesday when the Panthers hauled in the nation's No. 1 ranked 2017 signing class according to Perfect Game USA.

FIU topped the college baseball recruiting world for 2017 besting perennial stalwart programs. Florida finished with a No. 2 ranking. Miami (No. 3), Vanderbilt (No. 4) and LSU (No. 5) rounded out the top five 2017 signing classes.

FIU head coach Mervyl Melendez was hired June 28 of this year. Melendez and his coaching staff, who had less than five months to recruit, signed eight top 100 players – the most in college baseball.

"I believe our staff did a great job identifying the needs of our program," said Melendez, who makes his FIU coaching debut against Kent State on opening night Feb. 17. "We knew coming in that we had a lot of seniors and we had a lot of spots that we needed to address. It was not an easy process to recruit knowing that a lot of the high-profile players had been committed for a while. We had challenges ahead of us but I can't say enough about the work that our staff has done."

FIU inked 22 players to its 2017 signing class. Melendez said areas such as catching, pitching, middle infield and center field were addressed. With the 22 new Panthers also comes versatility. Melendez added that 11 of the 22 signees can pitch and/or play a position.

Among the eight top 100 players headlining the class are right-handed pitcher Wilberto Rivera, the No. 14 player in the nation, from the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy in Puerto Rico, catcher MJ Melendez, the No. 19 player in the nation, from Westminster Christian, outfielder Oraj Anu (No. 54, Orlando), outfielder Heliot Ramos (No. 58, Alfonso Casta Martinez in Puerto Rico), left-handed pitcher Logan Allen (No. 59, Deltona University High), outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez (No. 61, Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy), right-handed pitcher Christian Santana (No. 84, Plantation American Heritage), and outfielder Andres Santana (No. 92, Doral Academy Charter).

With a plethora of high-caliber signees FIU has the challenge of possibly losing some of those players to the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft next June. Still, it's an enviable situation to be in for FIU, which has never had a Top 10 class in the final recruiting rankings.

"We know that having a number one recruiting class is going to bring challenges," Melendez said. "The challenge is are we going to be able to keep most of these guys? When we get the premier baseball players they will have an opportunity to sign professionally but I think the kids have gotten smarter now with the signing bonuses. Knowing that the more that they get, the more the teams are going to rely on them making it to the big leagues meaning if they don't have a lot of money invested the road for them to make it to the big leagues will be an uphill battle. So why not go to school and get your education, why not be three years into college baseball before you make that decision."

Melendez on the 2017 FIU baseball signees:

Logan Allen – LHP: Left-hander with 3 to 4 pitches, mix guy. Up to 94 mph. Always been able to pitch. Good mound presence and good head on his shoulders. Can also play first base and hit.

Oraj Anu - OF: He has some of the best raw power of this class. He may even have the best power/speed combination in the class. Huge offensive ceiling.

Seth Cannady – OF: He's going to be a middle of the order type of guy. He will probably end up playing one of the corner outfield spots or first base. He's very versatile. He is extremely competitive.

Steven Casey - RHP: He's one of those guys you plug into the middle of the game as a middle reliever and can do the job right away. He will give us a lot of innings next year and can be used in many different ways,

Altoon Coleman - RHP: As a sophomore was up to 93 mph and a feel for all three pitches. We are looking forward to getting him on campus and believe he will be a mid-90's guy with a great feel on how to pitch.

Justin Connell – 3B/OF: Third baseman/outfielder runs a 6.5, very athletic. Plays extremely hard, he will do whatever it takes to win. It's great when you get a guy that plays hard and with passion. He has the tools to match.

Joshua Crouch - OF: Big-time power that we expect to hit in the middle of the lineup. He is also versatile defensively.  He plays the game with a very confident demeanor.

Brandon Dorsey – 3B: Third baseman with great power. We believe he will solidify the lineup and be a big RBI contributor.

Andrew Fernandez – 1B/C: First baseman/catcher with a great pedigree. Knows the game of baseball, very versatile. He could see time all over the diamond.  

Jan Figueroa - RHP: I think he is a steal for us. Been steady over the last year and a half. He has not reached his ceiling yet. He can increase his velocity. His best baseball is ahead of him.

Elijah Gill - LHP: Knows how to pitch. In recruiting sometimes you have to get lucky and we did with him. He's now throwing 88-90 mph. I've seen him pitch since he was 14. He's a top of the rotation type of guy.

Everett Hurst - RHP: A great competitor. He throws everything with conviction. Everything that he does is 100 percent. He's a bulldog on the mound. He will give us big time innings.

MJ Melendez - C: He's very versatile. Everybody knows him as being a good catcher. Very athletic, kind of a Benito Santiago type of guy. The power has really come alive the last couple of years. Not many people know but he's also a very good middle infielder.

Jonathan Nieves - C: Love his bat. His bat will be one that right off the bat would bat anywhere from third to sixth in our lineup. Has power and hits the ball well to all fields. Good defensive catcher but the bat sets him apart.

Michael Perez- LHP: Love the pitches that he throws and the conviction with which he throws them. Another quality left-handed arm, up to 89 mph. He will be a power left-hander when it's all said and done because of the projection he has in his body (6-4, 230 pounds).

Heliot Ramos - OF: Under Armor All-American Game MVP. He's a centerfielder but he can also play the corner outfield spots. Has a very good hit tool and his power shows up in games.

Wilberto Rivera - RHP: Probably one of the hardest throwers out there. Up to 97 miles per hour. He could be a quality weekend starter or a shut down closer right away.

Gabriel Rodriguez – OF/LHP: Can do multiple things, also a left-handed pitcher that can throw 88-92 mph. A great hitter, defender. Right field type of guy but athletic enough play center field.  He also shows raw left-handed power.

Johnathan Rodriguez - OF: Very versatile, great instincts in the outfield and a very good hit tool. As a 16-year old in the Perfect Game All-American Game he was one of the youngest guys there and he was able to do extremely well. Great athlete.

Andres Santana - OF: A late addition to the class. He had a very good fall leading the WWBA World Championship in hitting and backing that up with one of the top performances in the Island Games (Put on by the New York Mets). Another guy that could see time in multiple spots on the diamond or in the lineup.

Christian Santana - RHP: He has consistently made strides over the last year, now up to 94 mph. He keeps getting better. Prototypical body of a pitcher, at 6'3, 190 pounds. He could make an immediate impact in the rotation. 

Will Saxton - LHP: He has very good pitchability and has great makeup. He also has big left-handed power potential in the bat. He will get stronger here and when it's all said and done he will be a big-time factor for us, both on the mound and in the lineup.