Jake Blair from Naperville, Ill., and Neuqua Valley High School has signed a national letter of intent to continue his education and baseball career at Illinois State University.
Were really excited about Jake Blair, we feel that the addition of him to our recruiting class makes it a great one, head coach Jeff Stewart said. He brings a lot of tools to the program ... defensively he appears to be a guy who can step in and play every day at third base at a level that weve been looking for over the past couple of seasons.
A power-hitting third baseman with outstanding defensive ability, Blair should join freshman standout shortstop Jeremy Accardo as the starting duo on the left side of the Redbird infield in 2002. Equipped with a canon-like arm and a sure glove, Blair will shore up a defensive position which committed 31 of the Redbirds 86 errors last season.
In addition to his defensive prowess, Blair has proven he can swing the stick with authority as well. Through 34 games of his senior prep campaign, Blair is hitting .388 with 11 home runs, 40 runs batted in, eight doubles, three triples and 36 runs scored.
Jake is a tremendously talented left-handed hitter, hes got some power and he leads the western suburbs of Chicago in homers. He is the kind of guy with the ability to gain experience early and become a prolific college hitter.
Rated by several scouting services and the No. 2 high school hitter in the state of Illinois, Blair will likely find a home in the heart of the Redbird lineup as a freshman.
Blair joins a recruiting class which already includes Kyle Bloom, Scott Bialobreski, Howie Frank and Jeff Reyes.
