NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State head coach Steve Holm and his coaching staff have announced that 11 new Redbirds have signed national letters of intent and will continue their athletic and academic careers at Illinois State University.
The 2020 class includes Jared Beck (Davenport, Iowa), Mason Burns (Bloomington, Ill.), Luke Cheng (Olney, Md.), Josh Dima (Belleville, Ill.), Jared Hart (Cedar Park, Texas), Tommy Heideman (Bloomington, Ill.), Gene Kolarik (Crown Point, Ind.), Daniel Laughery (Round Lake, Ill.), Savier Pinales (Milwaukee, Wis.), Jonathan Sabotnik (Crown Point, Ind.) and Tyler Woltman (Wheaton, Ill.).
"This class has a chance to be pretty special in our opinion," said Holm. "There is a good mix of high school and junior college players who can really impact us in a good way. I want to thank all our assistant coaches who put this class together, spending countless hours on the phone, traveling and beating the bushes. But most importantly, I'd like to thank our recruiting coordinator Wally Crancer for all he does."
Gene Kolarik | RHP | 6-7 | R/R | Crown Point HS | Crown Point, Ind.
Coach Holm: "Gene was our first commit in this class. Wally and I have known about him all the way back to our Purdue days. He is a very large, thick-bodied RHP with a ceiling to match. The sky is the limit for Gene."
Jonathan Sabotnik | OF | 6-1 | L/R | Crown Point HS | Crown Point, Ind.
Coach Holm: "Jonathan and Gene are high school teammates, so we have known about him for years as well. He has always hit but really made a jump athletically in the last year and a half, turning himself into a really good prospect. He has a chance to start as a freshman and impact our club from day one."
Tyler Woltman | C | 5-9 | R/R | Wheaton North HS | Wheaton, Ill.
Coach Holm: "Tyler is a very competitive and athletic catcher who caught our eye a couple summers ago. He has tremendous release behind the plate and we feel that his approach at the plate will allow him to adjust to college baseball very quickly."
Luke Cheng | SS | 5-11 | R/R | Sherwood HS | Olney, Md.
Coach Holm: "Luke comes to us from Maryland, easily the furthest away of any of our signees. We fell in love with his ability to play shortstop and command the middle of the diamond. His athleticism is off the charts, as well as his instincts."
Daniel Laughery | OF | 5-11 | Grant Community HS | Round Lake, Ill.
Coach Holm: "Dan is another in-state signee. He is a compact, strong kid who can really run, which is what initially peaked our interest. We love the passion he plays with and definitely has the ability to come in and play centerfield from day one."
Josh Dima | LHP/OF | 6-1 | Althoff Catholic HS | Belleville, Ill.
Coach Holm: "Josh is a centerfielder and left-handed pitcher who possesses both arm strength and athleticism, which is a rare find. He has been up to 91 on the mound with a big-time breaking ball. He turned down an opportunity at a SEC program to be a Redbird."
Mason Burns | RHP | 6-3 | Normal Community HS | Bloomington, Ill.
Coach Holm: "Mason is a local product who we feel has a chance to join the rotation early in his career. He is a big, strong RHP who has been up to 92 mph already and has shown great command of all of his pitches."
Tommy Heideman | 1B/OF | 6-1 | Normal Community HS | Bloomington, Ill.
Coach Holm: "Tommy is another local product who possesses left-handed power. His bat speed is off the charts, which should easily translate to college baseball. We see him as a first-baseman when he arrives at ISU."
Jared Hart | LHP | 6-0 | Wabash Valley College | Cedar Park, Texas
Coach Holm: "Jared comes to us from Wabash Valley College. He is a left-handed pitcher who we felt would join our rotation immediately upon arrival. He possesses an 87-90 mph fastball with a plus breaking ball. We expect big things from Jared."
Jared Beck | LHP | 7-0 | Heartland Community College | Davenport, Iowa
Coach Holm: "Jared is easily the tallest player in our class. He is a 7'0 left-handed pitcher who we feel has the potential to be similar to Brent Headrick. We loved his size and angle on the mound, as well as his athleticism."
Savier Pinales | SS | 5-9 | Wabash Valley College | Milwaukee, Wis.
Coach Holm: "Savi has a true passion for the game and showed us his ability to play shortstop. He is a tremendous runner who has the ability to stay in the middle of the diamond for years to come. We think his swing translates to Division I immediately, allowing him the opportunity to be an impact player."
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