Dec. 5, 2008
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IOWA CITY — Iowa Head Baseball Coach Jack Dahm has announced that Matt Dermody, Ricky Sandquist, and Dan Sheppard have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Iowa.
“I am very excited with this group of early signees,” Head Coach Jack Dahm said. “This is a smaller class by design because of our large class that we had last year. All three of the recruits are outstanding student-athletes that had opportunities to go to some of the best baseball programs in the country, but decided they wanted to be a Hawkeye.”
Dermody, a Norwalk, IA, native attends Norwalk High School. He was recruited as a left-handed pitcher. Last season, Dermody finished with a 7-3 record, 0.78 ERA and recorded 135 strikeouts with only 15 walks in 63 innings pitched. He was named first team all conference and all-state selection. Dermody is the third-ranked pitcher in Iowa and 486th-ranked player in the country by Perfect Game Crosschecker.
Dermody on why he chose Iowa: “I chose Iowa because I feel the coaching staff and the program will help me reach my goals and help me get to the next level in baseball,” he said. “Also, I have been a Hawkeye all my life, and it just felt like the way to go. I’m looking forward to helping Iowa Baseball reach its ultimate goal… Omaha!”
Sandquist is from Fort Dodge, IA, and attends Fort Dodge High School. He will be used as a right-handed pitcher. His junior campaign he finished with a 7-3 record, 1.90 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 74 innings. Sandquist is a two-time INA All-State selection, as well as a Des Moines Register All-State, first team all-conference and all-district selection. He is rated 665th in country, the fourth-best pitcher in state of Iowa by Perfect Game Crosschecker. His father, Rick, is a legendary coach in the state of Iowa–he is currently a pitching coach at Fort Dodge and head coach at Iowa Central in softball.
Sandquist on why he chose Iowa: “I chose Iowa because I really hit it off with the coaching staff and felt like it was a great fit for me,” he said. “I also chose Iowa because I am an Iowa boy and want to help the Hawkeyes reach their goal of making it to Omaha.”
Sheppard a Downers Grove, IL, native attends Downers Grove North High School. He is an athletic catcher who can also play outfield. He won the Kernels Classic home run derby in Cedar Rapids last season. Sheppard is the top-ranked catcher in the state of Illinois by Perfect Game Cross Checker and Prep Baseball Report. He is also the sixth-ranked player in the state of Illinois by Prep Baseball Report and the 417th-ranked player in the country by PG Crosschecker. As a junior, Sheppard hit .406 in conference play and led the team in: games played, at bats (119), runs scored (41), triples, stolen bases and home runs (8). He is on the honor roll and is part of the National Honor Society. He was the recipient for the Good Citizen Award at his high school and was an all-conference and all-academic honoree. Sheppard played in the Area Code Games for the Chicago White Sox and also played in the Kaiser Game, which is selected by the Illinois coaches for the best players in the state of Illinois.
Sheppard on why he chose Iowa: “Iowa was the right fit for me,” he said. “It has an excellent coaching staff and I am excited to begin my career as a Hawkeye.”
“Coach Brownlee, Coach Maliszewski, our support staff and our players did a great job throughout the recruiting process,” Dahm said. “I can’t say enough about the job Coach Brownlee continues to do as our recruiting coordinator. He is a relentless worker and I believe he is one of the best recruiters in the country.”
