Dec. 16, 2005
IOWA CITY – University of Iowa Baseball Coach Jack Dahm has announced the signing of five new recruits. Brock Alberts, Tyson Blaser, Kyle Heim, Michael Jacobs and George Rasiarmos all signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Iowa.
“We are very excited about our 2006 signees,” Dahm said. “We believe that these five recruits will all be outstanding student athletes that make an instant impact on our program. This class, along with our previous two classes, should help us not only compete for the Big Ten Championship, but trips to the NCAA Tournament and beyond. Ryan Brownlee (recruiting coordinator) and Nick Zumsande did an outstanding job of putting this class together. They did a great job of recognizing our needs and filling them with some outstanding student-athletes. Another big key was the job our current student-athletes continue to do when we get the recruits on campus.”
Alberts, a 6-0 righthanded pitcher from Swisher, IA, will transfer from Southeastern Community College. He also spent a year at Mount Mercy College, and will be a junior at Iowa. As a prep athlete, Alberts was a two-time all-metro selection and an all-conference pick in baseball and football. Last year at Mount Mercy, he had a 5-0 record on the hill.
Rasiarmos, a 6-0 lefty from Addison Trail, IL, will transfer from Wabash Valley Community College. He has a fastball clocked in the upper-80s and an above average change-up. Rasiarmos posted a 5-2 record with a 2.49 ERA at Wabash Valley last season.
Heim, a 6-4 southpaw from St. Joseph, MO, is another two-sport athlete with a mid-80s fastball. He has a 13-4 record with a 2.64 ERA in two years of varsity action. Last season, Heim was 7-1 with 65 strikeouts and 26 walks.
Jacobs, a 6-0 southpaw from Lenexa, KS, posted a 1.66 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched as a prep sophomore. He missed his junior year after breaking his leg during basketball season. He has a fastball clocked in the mid-80s with an above average curveball.
“Our goal was to bring in a smaller class with an emphasis on pitchers that could make an instant impact on our program,” Dahm said. “George Rasiarmos and Brock Alberts gained some valuable experience at the junior college level, which should help them in their transition to Division I baseball. We also wanted to add some lefthanded arms to our pitching staff, and we did that with Kyle, Michael and George. All are very athletic and have the intangibles it takes to pitch for us right away.”
Blaser, a 6-3 catcher/outfielder from Taylor Ridge, IL, was an all-state selection in both baseball and football, while earning all-conference and all-area laurels in baseball, football and basketball. He was a finalist for the Quad City Times Athlete of the Year as a junior.
“In Tyson Blaser, we found a versatile athlete that can catch or play in the outfield, while developing into a middle of the order hitter,” Dahm said. “He is a big, strong athlete who has a passion for the game of baseball and a great competitive nature.”