By Joe Aguilar
Daily Herald Staff
Nick Hibbing should feel right at home at the University of Iowa.
While only a junior, the Lakes athlete has given a verbal commitment to play baseball for the Big Ten school once he graduates in 2011. His grandparents live nearby in Cedar Rapids and his parents attended Iowa State.
And then there's Iowa pitching coach Chris Maliszewski, who's a former pitcher for the Hawkeyes. When Hibbing, a 6-foot-5 right-handed pitcher, made an unofficial visit to Iowa City, Maliszewski gave him a tour of the campus. "He really made it feel like it was home for me," Hibbing said.
When Hibbing attended a camp at Iowa last summer, he apparently felt comfortable on the mound.
"I pitched there and I struck out 9 out of 10 batters," he said. "(Iowa) said they would offer me something later in the week." Iowa did, and the hard-throwing righty, who was throwing in the mid-80s for Lakes last spring, decided the Hawkeyes' scholarship offer was too good to pass up.
Hibbing and his baseball teammates should be good next spring. The Eagles' returners also figure to include 6-6 lefty pitcher D.J. Snelten, who's expected to sign with Minnesota today, pitcher/first baseman Travis Vanderwall, third baseball Paul Kukulka and catcher Wills Massie, who started at second base last season.
Few teams will be able to boast that it has a pair of future Big Ten pitchers. "Our staff's going to be real strong," Hibbing said.
Nick Hibbing attends Lakes Community High School in Lake Villa, Illinois.