Wayne State University’s baseball program has added four freshmen pitchers to its roster for the upcoming season. Head coach Ryan Kelley, now in his 18th year leading the Warriors, announced the signings of right-handed pitcher Matt Mareno (Saline, Mich.), left-handed pitcher Joel Mator (Trenton, Mich.), right-handed pitcher Luke O’Keefe (Saint John, Ind.), and left-handed pitcher/first baseman Bryce Simpson (Clay, Mich.).
Mareno graduated from Saline High School in 2025 and was a three-year letterwinner under coach Al Zeiher. He threw a no-hitter as a senior against Ann Arbor Pioneer and earned All-Southeastern Conference Red Division honors. As a sophomore, he posted a 7-2 record with a 2.97 ERA and struck out 43 batters over nine starts. Mareno also played outfield and participated in football at Saline High School. He received Scholar-Athlete recognition and was on the Gold Honor Roll all four years.
Joel Mator comes from Trenton High School where he helped lead the Trojans to a 30-10 record as a senior and an appearance in the regional final. In 2025, he received Detroit Free Press Honorable Mention All-Metro Detroit accolades after finishing with a 0.52 ERA. The previous year, he earned Second Team Division 2 All-State honors from the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association (MHSBCA). Over his prep career, Mator accumulated 227 strikeouts in 147.2 innings.
Luke O’Keefe is joining Wayne State after graduating from Lake Central High School in Indiana where he was part of the team that won the Division 4A state title in 2024. O’Keefe had a career varsity ERA of 2.11 over four seasons and recorded two shutouts against Penn High School along with one versus Valparaiso during his senior year.
Bryce Simpson attended Algonac High School where he earned Division 3 All-State Second Team honors as a junior from MHSBCA and was named First Team All-District and First Team All-Region. In his junior season, Simpson posted an ERA of 0.93 across more than sixty innings while striking out eighty-seven batters.
“This quartet joins the previously announced four freshmen position players,” according to Wayne State University Athletics.
“Two additional newcomer stories will be forthcoming regarding transfers for the 2025-26 school year,” Wayne State University Athletics stated.
The new recruits are expected to contribute to both pitching depth and overall team performance as Wayne State prepares for its next campaign.
