Ben Abbott, a 6-3, 190-pound first baseman from Fulton, Ill., signed a national letter of intent for baseball at Illinois State.
Named Three Rivers Conference Player of the Year his junior season, Abbott was a first team all-conference player both his sophomore and junior year. He was a finalist in the IHSA Hitting Derby this past spring and was named to the All-Area Baseball Team in the Moline Gazette and Sterling Gazette.
Abbott led the Steamers to an 18-7 record last season, hitting .533 with 13 home runs and 48 RBIs. He also holds a .994 fielding percentage, committing just two errors in 322 chances. During his varsity campaign, Abbott has 20 home runs, 83 RBIs, 22 doubles, 61 runs scored and a career batting average of .463.
Also a member of the football and basketball team, Abbott is a three-year starter in football for a team that has won 33 games in that time span. Last season, Abbott also helped the basketball team to a school-record 26 wins, a conference championship, regional championship and sectional final berth.
Not only has Abbott excelled in athletics, but also in the classroom. He currently carries an overall GPA of 3.93 on a 4.0 scale.
Ben is just an outstanding kid from a great home who we look to impact our program immediately, Redbird head coach Jeff Stewart said. He is an excellent student as well as athlete and a perfect example of the kind of kids we want and need in this program.
He is a big strong kid and we are excited about him coming here, Stewart continued. Bens athleticism compares to few others and I really think he will be a big-time producer during his career at Illinois State.
