Lincoln Land Community College sophomore outfielder Austin Muench got his first look at his future team when the Loggers faced the University of Illinois Springfield in a fall game.
“Their program is going up and they’re starting to win a lot more,” Muench said. “We played them in the fall and they were good. I liked the way they played.”
Muench signed a letter of intent to play for the Prairie Stars in 2016.
UIS has unveiled a nine-player recruiting class that includes Muench. He had a .295 batting average with 29 RBIs, 11 steals and four triples for LLCC last season.
“He throws really well from the outfield. He has baseball speed,” UIS coach Chris Ramirez said.
“You can see that with his triples and stolen bases. He is also a strong hitter. He’s going to provide good versatility from the offensive side.”
Another local signee is Chatham Glenwood High School pitcher Matt Sekardi. In 28 1/3 innings, he had a 1.73 earned run average, striking out 19 batters. He posted a 3-4 record. He is one of four pitching recruits and seven incoming freshmen.
Wilmot (Wisconsin) High School pitcher Austin Brewer recorded a 1.90 ERA and 9-1 last season. The Stars nabbed a pair of left-handed pitchers in Palos Heights Shepard High School’s Adam Gregory and Plainfield North High School’s Kyle Strepek. Strepek went 9-1 with a 1.64 ERA, 85 strikeouts and 15 walks last spring. He was also named to the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 4A all-state first team. Gregory had a 0.47 ERA and 10-1 record.
UIS has added a power hitter in Jason Galeano, a sophomore first baseman at Iowa Central Community College from Brooklyn, New York. He drove in 38 runs, hit 13 doubles and seven home runs en route to a .362 batting average.
“He is a true hitter,” Ramirez said. “He hits for good average. I always like to have some guys like him that can have a physical presence in the middle of our lineup.”
UIS has added two catchers. Ashland (Wisconsin) High School’s John Sechen is the top-ranked catching prospect by Wisconsin Prep Baseball Report. He hit .462 last season.
First baseman/catcher Ryan Deering hit .259 and had 15 RBIs for Christian Brothers College High School in suburban St. Louis.
Second baseman McCauley Cox plays for Janesville (Wisconsin) Craig High School and is ranked 34th by the Wisconsin Prep Baseball Report.
This story appeared online in The State Journal-Register on November 13, 2014.
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