Oct. 4, 2004
IOWA CITY – The University of Iowa baseball team’s 2004 recruiting class has been ranked as the top class in the Big Ten Conference and 45th in the country by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (www.baseballnews.com).
LSU had the No. 1 class in the nation, while Arizona State, Texas, Oklahoma State and Tulane rounded out the top five. Other Big Ten schools ranked were Minnesota (No. 51), Michigan (No. 52), Ohio State (No. 63) and Illinois (No. 65).
The 2004 Hawkeye recruiting class included Daniel Bales, Brian Bermester, T.J. Cataldo, David Conroy, Ryan Considine, Ben Geelan, Kody McManis, Dusty Napoleon, Luke O’Loughlin, Nate Price, Dan Starken, Travis Sweet and Josh Wheatly.
“We are very excited that our first recruiting class has garnered national attention,” Iowa head coach Jack Dahm said. “We couldn’t have brought in such a quality class of student athletes without the hard work of assistant coaches Ryan Brownlee and Nick Zumsande and our players.
“This class is a very athletic group that has already had a positive impact on the program this fall. The talent level has risen considerably since a year ago and has created a much more competitive fall. I would much rather rank a recruiting class after they have graduated by looking at how many championships they have won and the legacy they have left behind, but I do have a good feeling about this class.”