April 29, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State baseball team added some local flavor to its 2008 recruiting class when Ryan Camp (Mapleton, Ill.) signed a national letter of intent to continue his education and baseball career at Illinois State. Camp, a senior at Limestone Community High School in Bartonville, Ill., will join the Redbird baseball program for the 2009 season.
Camp will have an immediate impact with the Redbird pitching corps, as the hard-throwing right-hander posted a 4-2 record and a 2.55 earned-run average (ERA) last season. Camp helped the Rockets to a 23-12 record last season not only with his arm but with his bat, as he batted .351 with seven doubles, four home runs and 26 RBI. The 6-foot-2, 198 pound pitcher is listed at No. 37 in Prep Baseball Report's top-125 seniors in the state.
"Ryan was kind of under the radar last summer because he hasn't been pitching for very long," said head coach Jim Brownlee. "This fall, his name started to surface at showcases because of his velocity. Once we saw him throw this spring, we knew that he has a chance to have a huge upside. He's got some arm strength, and I think his best years are ahead of him.
"He's a really good student and he's a good fit at Illinois State. His father is a graduate of ISU, and he's a local kid. I just think that he's got a chance to be a weekend guy for us down the road. It's a very good signing for us."
Camp was a huge part of his summer team's success, as his American Legion Post #979 (Bartonville) team finished with a 27-11 record. The team won the district and division tournament championships, and placed second in the Great Lakes Regional.
Camp's signing represents the fourth member of the 2008 recruiting class, joining Jake Thornton, Matt Mirabal and Landinn Eckhardt.
