Pitcher David White and outfielder Kale Garrison both have signed National Letters of Intent for baseball at Illinois State University.
White, a senior at Clinton High School, is just 25 miles from Redbird Field and Illinois State head coach Jeff Stewart is glad the righthander is staying close to home.
Were fortunate that David is close to us and were close to him, said Stewart. This young man has the tools to be a No. 1 pitcher. Its just a matter of how quickly he matures. He has one of the best arms in the state.
White enters his senior season with a 13-3 varsity record over the past two seasons. He has 134 strikeouts in 90 innings over those two seasons, with just 45 walks. John Hickman, Whites high school coach, was an Illinois State assistant on Stewarts staff in the early 1990s.
Garrison is a sophomore at Central Arizona Junior College, the top team in NJCAA Region I. As a youngster, he was a summer league teammate of Illinois State shortstop Jeremy Accardo.
The native of Gilbert, Ariz., has impressed Stewart with his athletic ability and versatility. A left-handed batter and thrower, he also could help Illinois State on the mound, just like current Redbird senior Ryan Cantrell, who led the team in saves and was one of the Missouri Valleys top hitters last year.
His arm strength and speed are impressive, said Stewart of the 2000 Gilbert High School graduate. Hes a guy weve been tracking for a couple of years who also has some pop and some power in his bat. We compare him to Ryan Cantrell because he has that kind of potential.
The two join first baseman Ben Abbott to give Stewart three November signees.
Were still looking for some more of the right pieces to the puzzle, said Stewart, but these three give us a great head start in this recruiting class.
