NIU adds two more players to baseball roster

NIU baseball has added two more signees for the 2008 season.
Indians draftee Troy White and three-sport standout Tom Barry join a recruiting class ranked as the best in the MAC and Illinois by Perfect Game Crosschecker.

White was drafted in the 48th round by the Cleveland Indians last June. The Chicago Whitney Young product was an all-state selection and co-MVP of the Chicago public league. The third baseman/outfielder hit .533 with seven home runs and 47 RBI’s in 2008.

Pitcher Tom Barry played football, basketball, and baseball at Providence high school in New Lenox. Barry went 1-1 with a 4.44 his senior season and pitched a no-hitter this summer while playing for the Illinois Sparks.

“First of all, (recruiting coordinator) Steve Joslyn did an outstanding job with our incoming class,” NIU head coach Ed Mathey said. “There are some pretty good baseball players in there. We anticipate these guys coming in and giving our returning players a run for their money.”


Third member of 2008 baseball team hits the big leagues

Former NIU pitcher Matt Jernstad has signed to play professional baseball with the Joliet Jackhammers. The Jackhammers are members of the independent Northern League and are managed by former major league infielder Wally Backman.

Backman is best known for his days with the New York Mets from 1980-1988, and was a member of New York’s World Series championship team in 1986. The team’s pitching coach is former major leaguer Floyd Youmans.

Jernstad finished his collegiate career fifth on NIU’s all-time starts list with 39, seventh in strikeouts (163), and 10th in innings pitched (228.1).

“He’s entering into the world where he needs to go in ready to learn,” Mathey said. “There is a big difference when you’re playing 162 games a year.”

Jernstad is the 20th player to sign a professional contract in Mathey’s six seasons as head coach. Jernstad is the third member of the 2008 squad to sign a professional contract, joining shortstop Bobby Stevens and pitcher Trevor Feeney, who were selected in the MLB draft in June.


Defensive end on watch list for prestigious award

NIU defensive end Larry English is one of 36 players on the pre-season watch list for the 2008 Ted Hendricks award.

The award is named after hall of fame linebacker Ted Hendricks, who won four Super Bowls with the Baltimore Colts and Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders. Hendricks was a three-time All-American defensive end while at the University of Miami (FL). The award is given out annually to the nation’s top defensive end.

English led the MAC with 10.5 sacks in 2007 and was named the conference MVP. The Aurora native needs just 7.5 more sacks to become NIU’s all-time leader in the category.


'08-'09 wresting season ranked 29th in country

Intermatwrestle.com has ranked 2008-2009 NIU recruiting class as the 29th best in the country.

The nine newcomers include four-time Wisconsin state champion Bobby Wunnicke, brother of current NIU wrestler T.J. Wunnicke. The class features four Illinois products in Lucas Roth (Homer Glen), Steve Zimmerman (Chicago), Isreal Montemayor (Barrington), and Jordan Walsh (McHenry).

Other out-of-state products include Chris Smith (Maine), Derrick Yant (Ohio), and Zak Saevre (Wisconsin).

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