Courtesy: ISU Athletics
Release: 11/25/2009"
Baseball in Illinois will only show details on players from Illinois.
Danny Pfrank
GoSycamores.com
"I'm extremely happy with our first recruiting class," said head coach Heller. "We will graduate eight seniors this year and could lose a couple more to the Major League Baseball draft. Throw in the 11 seniors and two juniors drafted this past spring and we needed to have a large and talented 2010-11 class.
"I believe that this group will set the tone for the future of ISU baseball. Three of our recruiting goals were to improve our overall athleticism, bring in some top of the line pitching and add some middle of the lineup hitters. I feel we achieved those goals. We signed five guys who run 6.6 or 6.8 in the 60. We were also able to sign five pitchers, with three being from the state on Indiana, as well as one of the best infielders in the state from right here in Terre Haute. We also signed several players who can really hit as well.
"Recruiting Coordinator Tyler Herbst and assistant coach Brian Smiley deserve all the credit. These two guys were loyal to the program and kept working hard when coach [Lindsay] Meggs left. They were able to develop a positive relationship with a lot of the players we signed before I was hired. Their loyalty really paid off for the program. In one of the biggest recruiting years in school history their loyalty saved the day. With me being hired a week before school started, it would have been catastrophic had Tyler and Brian not kept the ball rolling during the search. They deserve a big pat on the back.
"It's been a race to try and get caught up since I was hired and I feel we are getting close. Overall, I couldn't be happier with where we are at this point. We signed some very talented student-athletes this past week."
Below is a quick rundown of the 2010-11 recruiting class, with a quote from head coach Heller.
Example: Name - Position - Throws/Bats - Height, Weight
Lucas Hileman - OF - L/L - 6-1, 195
Anna, Ill. / Anna-Jonesboro HS / Baylor Univ. / John A. Logan JC
Posted a .535 batting average with six home runs, 32 RBI and 28 steals as a senior at Anna-Jonesboro under head coach Jake Alley. Played in 25 games during 2009 at Baylor, including 13 starts. Batted .395 in 43 plate appearances with 17 hits, two doubles and seven RBIs. Will play the 2010 season at John A. Logan before coming to Indiana State.
"Luke is an excellent left-handed hitter who will really stabilize our outfield next season," said head coach Heller. "Luke is a great player and we are happy he's going to be a Sycamore."
