NORMAL, Ill. – Third-year Illinois State head coach Steve Holm and the Redbird baseball program have announced their 2021 signing class. The class consists of eight new Redbirds who have signed national letters of intent and will continue their athletic and academic careers at Illinois State University.
The 2021 class includes JP Gauthier (De Pere, Wisc.), JT Sokolove (Hudsonville, Mich.), Josh Blount (De Pere, Wisc.), Ryan Weaver (Cary, Ill.), MacCallan Conklin (Normal, Ill.), Kayden Beauregard (Abbotsford, B.C.), Dayton Peters (Abbotsford, B.C.), and Keegan Gagliardo (Coal City, Ill.).
"First off, I would like to thank both Wally Crancer (our recruiting coordinator) and TJ Bennett for the countless hours they put into making this class a reality," said Holm. "This year was obviously not a normal recruiting cycle, thus these two guys put in countless hours watching video instead of being at a ballpark. We feel that we have put together a strong class that will continue to push Redbird baseball forward. We mainly stayed in the middle of the diamond with this recruiting class as each of these student athletes is either a pitcher, middle infielder, center fielder, or a catcher. We thank these young men and their families for trusting Redbird baseball as the place to call home for the next 4 years!"
JP Gauthier | INF | 6-2 | De Pere HS | De Pere, Wisc.
Coach Holm: "JP was the first player in the 2021 class to commit to us. He has a lean but strong body that projects to get even better with time. We feel he has the ability to stay on the left side of the infield due to his plus arm strength and athleticism."
JT Sokolove | INF | 5-11 | Hudsonville HS | Hudsonville, Mich.
Coach Holm: "JT is a plus defender who we feel will stay in the middle of the diamond. I actually showed up to a field to watch a player on the other team and left wanting JT to commit. He has great instincts on the field paired with an extremely high desire to win!"
Josh Blount | OF | 5-10 | West De Pere HS | De Pere, Wisc.
Coach Holm: "Josh is a center fielder who hits and throws left-handed. He is also an accomplished HS quarterback, who will bring great leadership qualities to our program. He is very physical for his age, which should help him to get on the field and contribute early in his career."
Ryan Weaver | LHP | 6-2 | Cary-Grove HS | Cary, Ill.
Coach Holm: "Ryan is an in-state, left-handed pitcher who we feel will be able to step in and help us from Day 1. He has shown plus pitch ability and has been up to 90 already."
MacCallan Conklin | RHP | 6-1 | R/R | University HS | Normal, Ill.
Coach Holm: "MacCallan is a local product that might have the highest ceiling of anyone in the class. He is extremely strong and athletic and has played quite a bit of center field in the last few years. On the mound he has been up to 92 mph and we feel he has so much more in the tank!"
Kayden Beauregard | C | 6-1 | Cloud County JC | Abbotsford, B.C.
Coach Holm: "Kayden is a guy that Wally and I have known about for over 3 years. We quietly followed his progress from Canada to his junior college here in the Midwest. We feel he has the ability to hit somewhere in the middle of our lineup, all while being a plus defender behind the plate."
Dayton Peters | OF | 5-11 | Mineral Area JC | Abbotsford, B.C.
Coach Holm: "Dayton is another player that we have targeted to hit in the middle of our lineup. He had gaudy numbers in the COVID-shortened season, and we look for him to step right in and be able to play any of the three spots in our outfield next year."
Keegan Gagliardo | LHP | 5-10 | Lincoln Trail JC | Coal City, Ill.
Coach Holm: "Keegan is another homegrown recruit. He is a left-handed pitcher who has shown the ability to really pitch and compete. He has thrown a ton of strikes and possesses a plus breaking ball. Keegan has continued to improve since we saw him his freshman year and we are excited he chose to be a Redbird!"
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