Nov. 27, 2006
IOWA CITY – University of Iowa Baseball Coach Jack Dahm has announced the signing of five new recruits. Nic Jensen, Zach Kenyon, Phil Keppler, Kevin Lee and Tony Manville all signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Iowa.
“We are very excited about our recruiting class for the 2007-08 season,” Dahm said. “All five of these players are outstanding student-athletes that will help us in our pursuit of a Big Ten Championship and the NCAA Regionals.”
Jensen, a 6-2 lefthanded pitcher from Appleton, WI, has the makeup to be either a starter or late-inning reliever. He was a second team all-conference pick as a junior (3-3, 2.42 ERA and 37 Ks), and has what Assistant Coach Ryan Brownlee calls a `bulldog mentality’. Jensen is also a good student who is in the top 30-percent of his class. His older brother Eric was a tight end on the Iowa football team from 2000-03.
Kenyon is a 6-5 righthanded pitcher from Davenport, IA, who projects as a top-end of the rotation starter. He was a first team all-conference and all-district, along with a second-team all-state selection as a junior. Kenyon throws in the upper-80s with good movement, and led his Davenport Central team to the state finals.
Keppler, a 6-4 outfielder from Manchester, IA, was a first team all-conference, all-district and all-state selection last season. During his junior year, Keppler hit .462 with seven home runs, 48 RBIs and struck out just five times. He also went 9-0 on the mound.
Lee is a 6-4 catcher from Oak Lawn, IL, that Coach Brownlee thinks will be one of the biggest sleepers in the class of 2007. As a junior, Lee hit .395 and threw out 80-percent of runners attempting to steal.
Manville, a 6-3 righthanded pitcher from New Lenox, IL, was an all-conference and all-area pick as a junior who projects to be a top-end of the rotation pitcher. He was also named the Caesar Carillo “King of the Hill” pitching MVP, recording a 5-2 record with a 1.60 ERA and four saves. He has a 20-5 career record. Manville is also an excellent student who carries a 3.90 GPA.
“Our recruiting coordinator Ryan Brownlee and assistant coach Nick Zumsande did an outstanding job putting this class together,” Dahm said. “They are both tireless recruiters that spend all summer on the road. Another important factor in our success was the efforts of the support staff and our current players. When we bring in a recruit, everybody involved with the program – from the players to our academic coordinator to our strength coach – does a great job of sharing our vision for Iowa Baseball.”