CHARLESTON, Ill. – Striving to build on two Ohio Valley Conference championships the last two years, head coach Jim Schmitz has announced Eastern Illinois baseball's seven-player recruiting class set to join the program for the 2011 season. Click here for individual signee highlights & photos.

Signing National Letters of Intent to attend EIU includes: Luke Bushur (Teutopolis/Teutopolis), Ryan Hartman (Mount Zion/Mount Zion), Matt Kaiser (Roselle/Lake Park), T.J. McManus (Glenview/Glenbrook South/Parkland College), Jacob Reese (Rochester/Chatham-Glenwood), Christian Slazinik (St. Louis/St. John Vianney), Darin Worman (Dietrich/Parkland College).

June 2010 Update: Ryan Hartman signed with the Chicago Cubs after he was selected in the 16th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

 

Bushur (RHP), Hartman (RHP), Slazinik (LHP) and Worman (LHP) are all pitchers. Kaiser and McManus are power-hitting first basemen. Reese is a catcher that also hits for power.

 

Bushur has earned All-National Trail Conference honors in the fall each of the last two years after compiling an ERA below 1.00. He won 11 games total during the fall and spring of his junior year.

 

Hartman struck out 56 batters and gave up only 14 hits in 26 1/3 innings in the spring of 2009. This fall he compiled a 0.44 ERA while pitching for the Illinois No Fear.

 

Kaiser batted .300 with 19 RBIs as an Honorable Mention All-Upstate Eight Conference selection in the spring. He was also an all-conference honoree as a defensive lineman for the Lake Park football team this fall.

 

McManus attended Ohio State as a freshman before transferring to Parkland this summer. He was a two-time Central Suburban League Player of the Year as an upperclassman at Glenbrook South after batting .400 with 45-plus RBIs both seasons.

 

Reese led the Central State Eight Conference with 47 RBIs in the spring, helping lead his Chatham-Glenwood team to a runner-up finish in the IHSA 3A state playoffs. He has been named an Under Armour Preseason All-American for the upcoming spring season.

 

Slazinik was the most valuable pitcher on the varsity team at St. John Vianney as a freshman in 2007. He had his sophomore season cut short by an injury but was able to return in the spring of 2009, posting a 3-1 record and striking out 18 in 17 innings pitched.

 

Worman helped Parkland win the NJCAA DII World Series championship in the spring, finishing his first year of JUCO ball with a 5-1 record in 17 games. He dominated his senior year at Deitrich, going 7-0 with 75 strikeouts in 51 innings pitched.

 

“The 2010 recruiting class is full of exciting players who fill our needs and impact our program,” Schmitz said. “The combination of high school and junior college players enables us to keep the winning tradition for both the short and long term. We made sure we signed many quality arms because we feel we will lose both Josh Mueller and Mike Recchia to the Major League Baseball draft (in June). We also filled the run production void with the losses of (current seniors) Richie Derbak, Alex Gee and Jake Samuels by adding a high school and junior college first baseman.

 

“I think this recruiting class of freshman pitchers stacks up to the 2007 class of Mueller, Recchia and Mike Hoekstra. I know that will be difficult to follow. Luke Bushur and Christian Slazinik have great command, and the composure to pitch right away. Ryan Hartman is in the class of Tyler Kehrer and Mueller. I think Ryan is the steal in the state and I can't wait to see how he progresses in four years.

 

“I want to point out the tremendous job (assistant coach) Skylar Meade did picking up the slack left by Sean Lyons leaving (for Bradley). Skylar was able to land the junior college players to keep us competitive again next year (2011).”

 

Luke Bushur – 6-foot, 180 lbs. pitcher from Teutopolis (Teutopolis HS); Bats/Throws: Right
Two-time All-National Trail Conference honoree in the fall… high honor roll student… National Honor Society…
Season pitching stats

Fall 2009: 4-2, 2 Saves, 0.72 ERA, 73 Ks in 48 1/3 IP for 20-2 team

Spring 2009: 5-2, Save, 3.79 ERA, 67 Ks in 44 1/3 IP for 22-7 team

Fall 2008: 6-0, 0.64 ERA, 55 Ks in 33 IP for 23-0 team

Spring 2008: 3-1, Save, 1.77 ERA, 43 Ks in 31 2/3 IP
Teutopolis head coach Justin Fleener says: “Luke has been one of our go to guys since his sophomore year. He has good velocity with nasty breaking stuff. I think he will be a great addition to the EIU pitching staff”… coach Schmitz says: “Luke has attended our camps the last few years and we really were impressed with his command. His velocity has continued to increase to where he is touching 88 and his breaking ball is very sharp. He is a strike thrower who has improved each year. If he continues to progress as he did last year, he will be counted on early in his EIU career.”

 

Ryan Hartman – 6-foot-3, 170 lbs. pitcher from Mount Zion (Mount Zion HS); Bats/Throws: Right
Went 3-0 with 3.99 ERA in the spring of 2009… struck out 56 and surrendered only 14 hits in 26 1/3 innings pitched… also played summer ball for the Decatur Commodores, fall ball for the Illinois No Fear and basketball at MZHS… No Fear head coach Scott Tague says: Ryan displayed control and discipline throughout each game, especially on the mound. He knows what kind of work ethic it is going to take to play at the next level. Not only did I rely on Ryan for pitching, I relied on him to be a leader in the dugout”… coach Schmitz says: “I liked Ryan the first time I saw him at our camps. He is tall and lanky and has an explosive fastball. I kept bringing his name up in our recruiting meetings until Sean (Lyons) finally went to see him pitch. We knew then he would be a steal for our program. He has a chance to be another Tyler Kehrer, with his 90-92 fastball… Hartman on EIU: “Eastern is the No. 1 school in the state for the education major I want to pursue. The athletic programs have great staffs that are great at developing the athletes. It has been my dream to play college baseball and maybe even pro ball, if I'm lucky. Eastern can help me reach my goals.”

 

Matt Kaiser – 6-foot-1, 230 lbs. first baseman from Roselle (Lake Park HS); Bats/Throws: Right
Batted .300 with four home runs, 19 RBIs and 17 runs scored as an Honorable Mention All-Upstate Eight Conference performer in the spring of 2009… was an all-conference defensive lineman for the Lake Park football team this fall… honor roll student… Lake Park head coach Dan Colucci says: “Matt has a great work ethic and desire to win. He has explosive power and is a team leader. Matt will fit right in with the players and coaches at EIU”… coach Schmitz says: “Matt really impressed us at the big Chicago Showcase. He followed that up by coming to our camp where he really impressed us with his bat. He is physically ready to play for us next year. We just have to see if he makes the hitting adjustment of driving the ball the other way. He has great bat speed and a good awareness of the strike zone.”

 

T.J. McManus – 6-foot-1, 215 lbs. first baseman from Glenview (Glenbrook South HS/Parkland College); Bats: Left, Throws: Right
Two-time Chicago Suburban League Player of the Year as an upperclassman at Glenbrook South… also an all-state selection as a senior… batted .400 with eight home runs, 13 doubles and 49 RBIs in 2008… batted .470 with four home runs, 14 doubles and 45 RBIs in 2007… played for Ohio State in the spring, seeing action off the bench in nine games and going 5-for-16… batted .475 with four home runs and 19 RBIs this fall for Parkland… Parkland head coach Matt Kennedy says: “T.J. is a big, physical kid that can really swing it. He will supply much-needed power to the middle of a lineup. T.J. also provides solid defense and is a great addition to the team”… coach Schmitz says: “T.J. gives us the run-producing bat we need for next year. We are losing three major bats, two left-handed, and see a real drop off in production with the returning players. I think he is also a steal since no one really knew about him since he transferred from OSU. Skylar Meade kept pounding the recruiting pavement and came upon T.J.”… McManus on EIU: “I chose Eastern because I feel it is a good program and I feel like I can start right away. I also want to win a conference title and go to an NCAA Regional.”

 

Jacob Reese – 5-foot-10, 185 lbs. catcher from Rochester (Chatham-Glenwood HS); Bats/Throws: Right
Led the Central State Eight Conference with 47 RBIs as a junior while batting .371… with five home runs and 15 doubles, 20 of his 46 hits went for extra bases… batted .458 in the IHSA playoffs as Glenwood lost in the championship game of the 3A state finals… Prep Baseball Report top prospect… was named the Top Prospect and Mattingly Baseball Top Hitter at a Baseball Factory tryout event in Sauget, Ill., this fall… Under Armour Preseason All-American for 2010… two-time all-academic performer at Glenwood… Glenwood head coach Pat Moomey says: “Jacob has been a starter for two years. He was a .337 hitter as a sophomore on our conference and regional championship team. He is a smart, hard-working baseball player and should fit in great at EIU”… coach Schmitz says: “Jacob really impressed me at the state playoffs last spring. He is not a big catcher, but both offensively and defensively has all the tools to make an immediate impact at EIU. His best tools are his bat and his arm. He really can swing it for a smaller-size catcher and has a plus arm. It is also a plus that he comes from a great high school program that competes at such a high level.”

 

Christian Slazinik – 6-foot, 185 lbs. pitcher from St. Louis (St. John Vianney HS); Bats: Switch, Throws: Left
Was selected as the most valuable pitcher on the 2007 St. John Vianney varsity team after compiling a 2.14 ERA and giving up only 21 hits in 36 innings pitched… went 3-2 with three saves and 36 strikeouts that season… had his sophomore year cut short by an arm injury and eventually Tommy John surgery… returned in the spring of 2009, going 3-1 with a 3.29 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched… St. John Vianney head coach Steve Bieser says: “Christian is a fine young athlete whose best years are ahead of him”… coach Schmitz says: “Christian pitched a no-hitter on our field in the summer of 2007. It was easy to see he would become a good high school pitcher. He had surgery in March of 2008 so many people did not get to see him pitch. Sean Lyons did an outstanding job of keeping Christian on our radar and being the first school to re-recruit him once he was back on the mound. I think many of the bigger-name schools did not want to take a chance, but we think he is going to be something special. He is very polished and ready to pitch at our level. His arm is just getting to the point where it is fully healthy.”

 

Darin Worman – 6-foot-4, 180 lbs. pitcher from Dietrich (Dietrich HS/Parkland College); Bats: Right, Throws: Left
Helped Parkland win the 2009 NJCAA Division II World Series, finishing his first year of JUCO ball with a 5-1 record and 3.74 ERA… struck out 34 and walked only 14 in 45 2/3 innings pitched over 17 games… was dominate as a senior at Dietrich, going 7-0 with a 0.00 ERA, 75 strikeouts and only eight walks in 51 innings pitched… earned All-Midland Trail Conference and all-area honors as a high school senior… Parkland pitching coach DJ Throneburg says: “Darin is a hard-working kid who provided us with a left-handed arm that had the ability to bounce back very quickly. This year, we look for Darin to be a top-end guy for us. His work ethic and leadership has really taken off and we expect him to have a very successful year”… coach Schmitz says: “Darin gives us the experienced JUCO arm who is ready to plug the holes left by the possibility of losing Josh Mueller and Mike Recchia (to the MLB Draft). We knew we would not find a quality arm in the spring. Darin is another strike thrower who had unbelievable statistics at Parkland. He has pitched in big games at Parkland during the DII Junior College World Series run”… Worman on EIU: “I chose Eastern because I think it's the right fit for me. I want to go somewhere and win and become a better athlete.”