In response to one of our loyal readers, I talked to IU coach Tracy Smith about next year's recruiting class.
So far, IU has signed five to national letters of intent.
Alex Dickerson,1B/OF, L/L; 6'3'' 195-lbs.
Dickerson plays ball in So. Cal for the Poway Titans, who SID Matt Brady said is one of the best teams in that baseball rich area. He was offensive MVP of that team last year after hitting .354 with seven home runs, six doubles and 34 RBIs.
"I here all of the West Coast coaches saying he is one of the top hitters in Southern California if not the top hitter and is having a great spring so far," Smith said. "He is going to bring some immediate power and more left-handed hitting to our lineup. He is going to make an impact right away."
Drew Leininger, LHP, L/L; 6'2" 190-lbs.
Leininger is a teammate of Dickerson and comes from a staff which has seen five hurlers earn Division I scholarships in the last three years. He is a multisport athlete earning letters in basketball, football and baseball, the only athlete at Poway to do so.
"Drew was kind of a -- I don't want to say a secret -- but he is a multi-sport guy so he hasn't really dedicated his time but is now coming into his own," Smith said. "In his case, we feel he is just at the tip of the iceberg, and so we are anxious to see what he does when he dedicates himself to baseball."
Josh Lyon, C, L/L; 6'3" 215-lbs.
Lyon set a school record a Heritage Christian High school in Indianapolis last season with 14 home runs. He also had 13 doubles 45 RBIs and hit .530. He was named all-city first team, Indianapolis All-North first team and was an honorable mention for the all-state squad.
"Left-handed hitting is something we wanted to address in our class and Josh is a big physical kid," Smith said. "And with Phegley continuing to do what he is doing we will probably only have him one more year, so when you get a guy like that who can come in here and train under (Phegley), he is going to have the ability to come in and not only do it defensively, but have some offensive production."
Blake Monar, LHP, L/L; 6'2" 195-lbs.
Monar is a 2008 Preseason All-American from south Spencer High School in Rockport, Ind. As a junior, he collected a 9-0 record with 0.69 ERA. But the kid can hit too, and had a .522 average as he was named All-State. Monar was recently rated the third best prospect in Indiana by the Perfect Game Scouting Service.
"We feel we got the top pitcher in the state of Indiana, one of the top pitchers in the Midwest in Blake Monar," Smith said. "He is a legitimate shut-down, weekend guy, and we are very excited to have him."
Cody Webber, 2B, R/L; 6' 180-lbs.
Webber is another Calif. kid coming from Fountain Valley. With a .973 fielding percentage Webber was named his team's Defensive Player of the Year. Webber, along with Dickerson played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays scout team in the summer and fall of 2007.
"Somebody that we are really high on defensively," Smith said. "We feel that we have voids to fill defensively. Unfortunately Cody got hurt right around the time we signed him, and is rehabbing his throwing arm. He is DH'ing for his team now, and we expect him to back at a 100 percent when he gets here in the fall."
In summation Smith said, "They are all good kids, all highly sought after kids and we are excited because we feel we got some of the best kids in Indiana and also have opened some doors in California."
Thanks for your support Jimmy and anyone else who has been checking this blog out. If you guys have any questions either comment or email Zach or I and we'll take them to skip. Look for a wrap of this weekend's series with IPFW in the sports section tomorrow.
