Illinois State baseball coach Jim Brownlee has received letters of intent from Luke Baughman and Matthew Bolt to continue their academic and athletic careers as Redbirds and add depth to the 2004 roster.
One of our goals as a coaching staff this year has been to improve on our numbers, because injuries have put us in some difficult situations, said Brownlee. Our recruiting class for next year has also given us a lot of athleticism, which will help give us options at different positions.
Baughman, a native of Bloomington, Ill., is currently a senior at Normal Community High School. In 20 games for the Ironmen this season, Baughman is batting .467 (28-for-60) with seven doubles, five home runs, 22 runs scored and 18 RBI. As a pitcher, Baughman has a 5-0 record with a 2.65 ERA in 34.1 innings. He also has 32 strikeouts this season.
Luke is a very good athlete that we hope can be a two-way guy for us, said Brownlee. Right now, we see his future with us as a pitcher, but he definitely has the opportunity to do both. Luke is a local kid that throws in the mid-80s right now and has a chance to improve his fastball by six to seven miles per hour.
Bolt, a native of Willow Springs, Ill., is currently a senior at Lyons Township High School. For the Lions in 2003, Bolt has a .468 batting average (22-for-47) with 20 runs scored, five doubles, seven home runs and 19 RBI. Bolt will likely play either in the outfield or at first base for the Redbirds.
Matt is a excellent hitter that comes from a quality program at Lyons Township, said Brownlee. He also throws the ball well, but needs to improve on his running. Matt should be able to make an immediate impact in our program.
Baughman and Bolt join the seven recruits that Brownlee and his coaching staff signed for Illinois State in November 2002.
