Louisville Baseball Announces First Group of Early Signees - LOUISVILLE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE

Louisville Baseball Announces First Group of Early Signees - LOUISVILLE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE: "Louisville Baseball Announces First Group of Early Signees"

Baseball in Illinois will only list details on players from Illinois.

Nov. 20, 2009

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville baseball head coach Dan McDonnell announced the signing of shortstop Alex Chittenden (Indianapolis, Ind.), catcher Jake DePew (Granite City, Ill.) and right-handed pitchers Dace Kime (Defiance, Ohio) and Jeff Thompson (Greenville, Ind.) to National Letters-of-Intent during the 2010 early signing period.

The quartet is the first group of signees in the Cards' 2010 recruiting class with the remaining signees to be announced in the coming days. All of the signees in the Cards' 2010 recruiting class will report to campus next fall and be eligible to compete in the 2011 season.

Jake DePew

Position: Catcher
Hometown/HS: Granite City, Illinois./Granite City High School

DePew, a 6-1, 215-pound catcher, is a preseason All-American and All-State honoree at Granite City, where he is coached by his father Daren DePew. He attended the Perfect Game National Showcase and is the No. 4 rated prospect in Illinois. As a junior, he hit .558 with seven home runs, 21 doubles, 53 RBI and 46 runs scored. As a sophomore, he hit .405 with a pair of home runs, 12 doubles and 28 RBI, and that season followed a freshman campaign which featured a .337 average and 20 RBI. With his athletic build, good bat speed as a hitter and good arm strength behind the plate, he has also earned All-Metro and All-Conference honors. He plays summer baseball for the St. Louis Pirates. Along with his three years of baseball, he has also lettered in football and basketball at Granite City.