Individual Player Highlights

CHARLESTON, Ill. – With the goal of building on the NCAA Regional appearance in the spring and sustaining the program's high-level of competitiveness, Eastern Illinois baseball head coach Jim Schmitz has announced the signing of five Midwest standouts to National Letters of Intent.

 

Troy Barton (Libertyville/Libertyville), Ethan Burau (Winfield/West Chicago), Ryan Dineen (Valparaiso, Ind./Andrean), Brent McNeil (LaFayette, Ind./Jefferson/Lincoln Trail CC)  and Casey Rautenstrauch (Goreville/Goreville) have signed on to attend EIU and will don Panther uniforms beginning in the 2010 season.

 

Barton, McNeil and Rautenstrauch are both tall right-handed pitchers, Barton and Rautenstrauch checking in at 6-foot-5. Burau is a speedy outfielder with some power, while Dineen is a slick-fielding middle infielder.

 

Barton struck out 66 in 53 innings of work as a junior, earning First Team All-North Suburban Conference Honors. He no-hit Palatine High School over five innings in his first varsity start, and tossed a one-hit complete game against Lake Zurich.

 

Burau batted .521 with nine extra-base hits this summer after missing much of his junior high school season with a leg injury. He has run the 60-yard dash in 6.6 seconds.

 

Dineen batted .400 with 26 doubles and 26 stolen bases this summer, helping lead the Hammond Chiefs to the Babe Ruth World Series in Ohio. In the spring, he took home region Gold Glove honors at second base and was named Andrean High's postseason player of the year.

 

McNeil has hit the low 90s on the radar gun and is projected as a potential weekend starter. He struck out 52 in 48 innings while compiling a 4-2 record and 1.75 ERA as a freshman at Lincoln Trail. The 6-foot-2 righty is being counted on to lead the Statemen's rotation this spring.

 

Since the fall of 2007, Rautenstrauch has compiled a 12-2 record while recording 126 strikeouts for Goreville High. He helped lead GHS to an IHSA regional championship and berth in the sectional finals.

 

“Sean Lyons, our recruiting coordinator, did a great job last year (with the current freshmen/JUCO transfer class) of planning for the loss of the five position players that will be seniors this spring,” Schmitz said. “We did not want to go into next year with a total rebuilding project. With this class we really tried to address the middle infield and outfield.

 

“We really tried to address the middle infield with the loss of #[Jordan] Kreke and [Jordan] Tokarz# to graduation after this season. Ryan Dineen has the ability to come in and play right away. He is very polished defensively and has the arm strength to play the shortstop position. We decided to sign Ethan Burau because he is such a good athlete. It is not too often you find a big outfielder who can hit with pop and runs a 6.6 60 yard dash.

 

“On the mound, we felt we had to address the key loss of Brian Morrell and potentially Tyler Kehrer,” Schmitz continued. “Tyler has been getting a lot of attention and could be a high draft choice in June. We went back and forth deciding on a junior college pitcher or a high school arm. We feel very fortunate that we were able to sign both. Brent McNeil is one of the best JUCO arms in the state. He will fill the weekend void if TK leaves. Brent along with #Josh Mueller and Mike Recchia# will give us a very dominant Ohio Valley Conference weekend rotation. Troy Barton and Casey Rautenstrauch both have the potential to be key contributors next year. They both have great pitcher's bodies and the potential to be power arms in the OVC.”

 

 

2008 Honors: First Team All-North Suburban Conference, Pioneer Press Second Team All-Lakeshore area, Daily Herald Honorable Mention All-Area… rated the among the top prospects in the state by the Prep Baseball Report… selected to the Midwest Pro Scout Classic after pitching in the 2008 Chicago Fall Scout League… invited to three MLB Invitational tryouts… posted a 5-4 record with 66 strikeouts and a 1.45 ERA in 53 innings pitched as a junior at LHS… this summer recorded 52 strikeouts while issuing only 12 walks over 39 innings pitched… threw 21 innings in fall ball, compiling a 1.75 ERA… no-hit Palatine High School over five innings in his first varsity start, and tossed a one-hit complete game against Lake Zurich… has recorded 12- and 14-strikeouts appearances… led the LHS sophomore team with a .342 batting average in 2007… honor roll student and member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes… selected to the North Suburban Conference Athletic Leadership Conference… coach Schmitz says: “Troy had been on our radar for a long time. He has a great frame and will only get better. He is a strike thrower who has a chance to be a power pitcher in the OVC. He is also a great example of a student-athlete who is very involved in his community.”

 

 

After battling through and injury-plagued junior year at West Chicago High, batted .521 with nine extra-base hits, 29 RBIs, 27 runs scored and 12 stolen bases this summer while playing for the DuPage Academy Knights… batted .318 with 20 RBIs a year earlier… West Chicago coach Dan McCarthy says: “Ethan is an exceptional athlete with many tools. As a hitter, he can hit with power and average. He runs exceptionally well and should be our top base stealer. I believe his best baseball days are ahead of him. He has the desire and dedication to be the best player he can be… coach Schmitz says: “Ethan attend our summer camp and we were immediately impressed with both his speed and power.   It is not often you get a six-foot, 195 lbs. outfielder who runs a 6.6 60-yard dash. With the loss of [Brett] Nommensen and [Ryan] Lindquist, Ethan will be counted on to contribute his freshman year.”

 

 

Won region Gold Glove honors at second base in 2008… Northwest Indiana Times All-Area… Andrean's postseason player of the year… batted .400 with 26 doubles and 26 stolen bases this summer, helping lead the Hammond Chiefs to the Babe Ruth World Series in Ohio… batted .389 with 13 RBIs and 25 runs scored his junior year at Andrean… nephew of Matt Marzec, EIU's all-time home run king, who played for Schmitz from 1996-00… honor roll student… Andrean coach Dave Pishkur, an IHSAA Hall of Famer, says: “Ryan is an excellent athlete. He is a very outstanding defensive player, primarily at second base, but he has played shortstop and third base as well. He has played varsity baseball at Andrean since his freshman year and has improved every season. Ryan is a left-handed hitter who has been a contact hitter throughout his career, but has put on quite a bit of muscle since last year. He has really put the time in the weight room and worked on his total game to have a great senior campaign. We are looking for big things out of Ryan this year”… coach Schmitz says: “It's not often you come across a high school player with such great defensive actions, but Ryan is one of them. He has exceptional hands, and the arm and body to be one of the premier shortstops in the Midwest. Offensively, he is just beginning to hit with power. With the loss of [Jordan] Kreke and [Jordan] Tokarz we felt we needed to go after defense first and hitting second. Ryan has the tools to come in and solidify the infield his freshman year.”

 

 

As a freshman at Lincoln Trail, posted a 4-2 record and a save in 10 appearances… struck out 52 while issuing only 15 walks in 48 innings, compiling a 1.75 ERA… held opposing hitters to a .231 batting average against… played with current Panthers Chris Ulrey and Jake Samuels at LTC… also played infield last season, but is projected as starting pitcher… coach Schmitz says: Brent is the guy we felt had the ability to be the OVC weekend guy we needed. We were most impressed with his ability to command the strike zone. He can throw three pitches for strikes and pitch to both sides of the plate. Along with [Josh] Mueller and [Mike] Recchia, I think we will continue to have one of the best pitching staffs in the OVC. We all know how important pitching is and we have gone out and answered our biggest need with Brent.”

 

Bats/Throws: Right

Posted a 5-1 record and compiled a 2.68 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 53 1/3 innings, helping lead GHS to an IHSA regional championship and berth in the sectional finals… in the fall of 2007, went 4-0 with a 0.36 ERA and 30 strikeouts… went 3-1 with 40 strikeouts and 3.04 ERA this fall… also plays varsity basketball… honor roll student… Goreville coach Shawn Tripp says: “Hard work has really paid off for Casey. He has tremendous upside and we feel that Eastern Illinois will be a good place for him to grow and mature as a player and an individual”… coach Schmitz says: “Casey is just beginning to realize his full potential. He has a great pitcher's body and is very athletic. I think once he concentrates solely on baseball, he will really start to develop into a pro prospect. He reminds me of Matt Gage (a former Panther and 1999 draft pick of the Oakland A's), who also played both sports in high school.”