Nov. 13, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. -
Heading into his fifth season at the helm of the Illinois State baseball program and his 28th as a collegiate head coach, head coach Jim Brownlee recognizes the importance of planning for the future. As National Signing Day passed for high school athletes, Brownlee and his staff worked hard to put together a recruiting class to look up to, and they believe they have with the six new recruits signed last week.
Andrew "Butch" Biela (Barrington, Ill.), Ronnie Calvird (Farmington, Mo.), Kenny Long (Fox River Grove, Ill.), Corey Maines (Houston, Texas), Kyle Nelson (Verona, Wis.) and Kevin Tokarski (Downers Grove, Ill.) have all signed national letters of intent to continue their education and their baseball careers at ISU.
ISU assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Tim Brownlee is excited about bringing in a complete class of recruits this early in the process.
"Most of the time at this point you read the clichés in the papers about coaches continuing to fill needs with particular recruits, but I don't think that applies to us this year because we've achieved everything we needed for next year," said Brownlee. "We may add one more pitcher later, but if we didn't we would still be ready to go, which doesn't happen very often. That's nice because now we can move on to the 2008-09 class and focus on them earlier than expected."
With a strong mix of in-state talent and three out-of-state recruits, Jim Brownlee is pleased with the mixture of talent in ISU baseball's newest recruiting class.
"Our goal is to dominate the state of Illinois in recruiting and I think we've done that with this group," said Brownlee. "I think what's happening is the reputation of our university and our athletics department is preceding us. When we bring in one of the better players out of Houston and steal one of the better players from the state of Missouri away from Missouri and Missouri State, it speaks to where our program is going.
"I give all the credit in the world to coach (Tim) Brownlee and coach (Seth) Kenny for putting this class together. They work tirelessly on the road trying to bring these players in here and we owe our success to their hard work."
2007-08 Illinois State Baseball Recruits
Andrew "Butch" Biela ... Barrington, Ill. (Palatine) ... 5-11 ... 195 ... R/R ... OF
- Hit .426 with 10 home runs and 36 RBI as a junior
- 10 home runs set a new Palatine school record
- Led team to Mid-Suburban West title and was named an all-area selection
- 2006 Chicago Sun-Times All-Area Third Team selection
Brownlee on Biela: "I believe Butch is the best outfielder in the state of Illinois. He's a five tool guy that will give us something we've been lacking in the outfield for the past couple of years, and that's power. He hit 10 home runs as a junior and should hit more this year as a senior. He'll have a chance to do the same for us in the middle of the order."
Ronnie Calvird ... Farmington, Mo. (Park Hills Central) ... 5-11 ... 180 ... R/R ... IF
- .492 average with 13 RBI and 15 doubles as a junior
- First team all-conference, all-district and all-state selection in 2006
- Ranks No. 1 in his class of 132 students with a 4.7 GPA on a 4.0 scale
- 2006 Wendy's High School All-American Heisman nominee
- Also a three-year starter in football, earning all-conference honors three times
Brownlee on Calvird: "He the No. 1 student in his class and I think that says it all about Ronnie. He's a very good athlete and could be able to come in and play shortstop right away for us. He and Tokarski will give us some much needed depth on the infield next year and we look forward to them helping us out."
Kenny Long ... Fox River Grove, Ill. (Dundee-Crown) ... 6-1 ... 150 ... L/L ... LHP
- Went 10-2 with a 3.67 ERA and 63 strikeouts as a junior
- Fox Valley All-Conference selection in 2006
- 2006 Daily Herald All-Area selection
- Will join former teammate Ryan Court, who will be a freshman this season for ISU
Brownlee on Long: "When people ask me what I look for in a pitcher, I tell them I look for someone who misses bats and Kenny does that. He won 10 games as a junior and has a maturity on the mound that will transfer well to pitching in the Missouri Valley Conference. He's another lefty that is going to get a lot of people out in our program."
Corey Maines ... Houston, Texas (Langham Creek) ... 6-0 ... 185 ... R/R ... RHP/OF
- Was 7-1 with a 2.15 ERA on the mound as a junior
- Also hit .358 with five home runs and 23 RBI while stealing 24-of-25 bases
- Second team all-district pitching selection
Brownlee on Maines: "Corey kind of came on the scene late for us, but could turn out to be one of the best recruits we have ever brought in while we've been here. He's a two-way player and I think he's probably the best guy on paper that I've seen in my time here. Being from Texas, he knows how to play because they play year-round there and he's really done his homework about ISU and will be ready to play wherever we need him, whether on the mound or in the field."
Kyle Nelson ... Verona, Wis. (James Madison Memorial) ... 6-1 ... 175 ... R/R ... RHP
- 2.47 ERA with 83 strikeouts in 68 innings pitched in 2006
- Second team all-conference selection as a sophomore and junior
- Helped team to two-consecutive state appearances
- Played for Team Wisconsin during the summer and advanced to the Brewers Classic Game
Brownlee on Nelson: "Kyle is the type of pitcher that has thrived in our program in the past. He has a very good curveball that he's not afraid to throw at any time and his frame is going to enable him to get better. He's got a great chance to come in as a freshman and contribute immediately and has a tremendous upside for the future."
Kevin Tokarski ... Downers Grove, Ill. (Downers Grove North) ... 5-11 ... 170 ... R/R ... OF/IF
- Batted .476 with two home runs, five triples and 21 RBI as a junior
- Chicago Tribune All-State special mention infielder in 2006
- Played for the Elite Illinois Orioles in the summer
- Will join his brother, Mike, on the Redbird roster
Brownlee on Tokarski: "This will be the seventh brother act I have coached, but the first time where I will have both on the team at the same time. I've seen Kevin play more than any other of the recruits and what he brings athleticism, quickness and great range in the middle of the diamond. I like that he is a multi-purpose player in the infield and outfield and I am really looking forward to coaching both he and Mike on the field."
