Hawkeyes Announce Nationally-Ranked Signing Class

Nov. 17, 2011

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — Iowa head baseball coach Jack Dahm has announced that Ryan Borucki, Blake Hickman, Trevor Kenyon, Josh Martsching, Calvin Mathews, Devin Pickett and Nick Roscetti have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Iowa next fall.

“We are very excited to add these seven student-athletes to our program,” said Dahm. “This is a very talented group that will represent the University of Iowa the right way, not only on the field, but also off the field.

“I cannot say enough about the job Ryan Brownlee and Chris Maliszewski did assembly this recruiting class. They spent a lot of time on the road and their relentless work ethic allowed us to sign this special class. I also want to thank our players and our support staff for all of their time they spent with these recruits.”

The seven-member recruiting class is ranked 45th nationally and third in the Big Ten by Perfect Game.

“Several nationally ranked players signed with the Hawkeyes during the early signing period,” said Jerry Ford, President of Perfect Game. “This is the best recruiting class in many years at Iowa. If the MLB Draft doesn’t end up signing some of these recruits, Iowa could become a power program in the conference over the next few years.

“These days we see Iowa coaches all over the country following the top players. It’s one thing to identify those players, it’s quite another to actually sign them, but Iowa has gone out and signed a great class of extremely talented players. Things are really looking up for the Hawkeyes!”

Ryan Borucki (6-4, 185, LHP)
Borucki, a native of Mundelein, Ill., is ranked as the 283rd-best player nationally, and 28th nationally by position. The LHP is ranked as the 10th best player in the state of Illinois. Borucki, who attends Mundelein High School, finished 7-1 as a junior with a 1.20 ERA and 57 strikeouts en route to all-conference, all-Lake County and all-academic honors. He helped lead his team to a 4A sectional championship in 2010 and a regional championship in 2011. An honor roll student and all-academic team member, he is also a shooting forward for his high school’s basketball team.

“I have known Ryan’s dad for a long time and I had the opportunity to watch Ryan pitch this summer in some really big showcases,” said Dahm. “He really impressed me. Ryan had a break out summer. He tried out for the area code teams, he made it and threw great. He throws up to 90 mph. The thing that impresses me is his competiveness and his composure on the mound. For a lefty, he also has tremendous feel for his change-up which will allow him to make an instant impact. We’re excited about Ryan.”

Blake Hickman (6-5, 210, C)
Hickman, who hails from Chicago, is ranked 212th nationally, and 21st nationally by position. The Simeon High School standout, regarded by professional scouts as one of the top catching prospects in the Midwest, is ranked as the fifth best player in the state of Illinois. Hickman, who signed his letter of intent at a Chicago White Sox signing day ceremony, is a four-time White Sox Double Duty Classic Selection (2008-2011). He is a two-time White Sox Midwest Area Code Team selection (2010, 2011), a two-time White Sox and USA Baseball Breakthrough Series selection (2009, 2010) and a two-time USA Baseball Tournament of Stars selection (2010, 2011). The 6-foot-5, 210-pound catcher was a Perfect Game National Showcase Selection and a Royals Midwest Showcase Selection in 2011. Additionally, he was an IHSAA 4A all-state selection and a member of the CPS City runner-up team in 2011. “Blake is a big time prospect that has had the opportunity to travel across the country the past few summers and play in some major events,” said Dahm. “He looks like a big-leaguer. He’s 6-5, 210 pounds and he’s got a plus arm, so he is a prototypical catcher that we feel can make a big impact in our program. One of the things we’ve learned is that we’ve recently lacked some power in our program, and we think that Blake can turn into an outstanding offensive player along with being a great catcher.”

Trevor Kenyon (6-0, 200, C)
Kenyon, a native of Davenport, Iowa, is the brother of former Hawkeye pitcher Zach Kenyon. In high school, Trevor (6-0, 200) was a three-time first team all-conference honoree, a three-time first team all-district honoree, a two-time first team all-state honoree and was named a first team preseason All-American as a senior. He batted .441 as a sophomore, .560 as a junior and .515 as a senior. He tallied 35 home runs and 108 RBI. As a senior, he helped lead Davenport Central High School to a conference title. Kenyon is currently in his second season at Black Hawk College. He tallied five home runs and 42 RBI while hitting .321 during his first season. The catcher was named first team all-conference for a Black Hawk team that won its conference and was ranked third nationally.

“Trevor is another catcher,” said Dahm. “We’ve tried since high school to get Trevor here. He’s at Black Hawk Community College right now. We recruited Trevor out of high school as a designated hitter, and we think he can be a middle of the order guy that can hit for a lot of extra bases and hit for power. The biggest difference is that he has really developed into a very good defensive catcher. We had the opportunity to watch him this past fall when we played Black Hawk, and he has made huge strides defensively. His coach at Black Hawk has done a great job with him.”

Josh Martsching (6-2, 185, SS, RHP)
Martsching, who hails from Bloomfield, Iowa, is a three-time all-conference, three-time all-district and two-time all-state honoree for Davis County High School. Martsching, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound shortstop and pitcher, holds the record for single-season doubles and hits, and career doubles, hit, runs and batting average at Davis County. He batted .387 as a freshman while finishing 8-0 with a 1.20 ERA and 88 strikeouts on the mound. As a sophomore, Martsching hit .480 with five home runs and 37 RBI while finishing with an 8-1 record on the bump. He notched a 1.61 ERA with 104 strikeouts. Martsching hit .423 with 11 home runs and 41 RBI as a junior while posting a 9-2 record on the mound. He tallied a 1.12 ERA with 101 strikeouts. He has led his team to three-straight conference titles, including a third place finish at state in 2010 and a state championship in 2011. Martsching is a four-year football letterwinner, earning third team all-state honors in 2010. He has earned three letters in basketball and was named all-conference in 2010. An honor roll student each semester during high school, Martsching has earned the Excellence in Academic Achievement Award from 2009 to 2011.

“Josh is one of the best high school players in the state of Iowa,” said Dahm. “We’ve been very fortunate here to get some talented two-way players and Josh fits that mold. We recruited him first as a position player as an infielder and left-handed hitter, but he also throws in the upper 80’s off the mound. So, he will be a legitimate two-way guy for us. He just continues to get better and better. I was extremely impressed with how he handled himself at shortstop this past summer. For a bigger guy, he moves really well and has the chance to be outstanding for us.”

Calvin Mathews (6-4, 200, RHP)
Mathews, a native of Bloomfield, Iowa, is ranked 202 nationally and 82nd nationally by position. He is ranked as the second best player in the state of Iowa. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound RHP is a teammate of Martsching at Davis County High School. Mathews was named first team all-conference and first team all-district as a freshman after batting .381 with one home run and 30 RBI and compiling a 9-1 record on the mound with a 0.94 ERA and 10 strikeouts. As a sophomore, Mathews earned first team all-conference, first team all-district and first team all-state honors after batting .463 with seven home runs and 43 RBI. He finished with a 15-1 record with a 0.66 ERA and tallied 176 strikeouts. Mathews earned first team all-conference, first team all-district and first team all-state honors again as a junior after batting .467 with 13 home runs and 39 RBI. He compiled a 12-1 record with a 0.51 ERA and notched 158 strikeouts. Mathews was named the MVP of the Iowa State 2A Baseball Tournament. At Davis County, Mathews holds the record for lowest career ERA, career games won and conference games won, and most games won and home runs hit in a single season. The IHSAA Distinguished Academic Achievement award recipient has led his team to three-straight conference titles, including a third place state finish in 2010 and a state championship in 2011. Mathews is also a two-year football letterwinner and a three-year basketball letterman.

“Calvin is a big, strong right-handed pitcher that had opportunities just like some of these other guys to go anywhere he wanted in the country, and we’re very excited to land him here,” said Dahm. “What separates Calvin from a lot of kids is that he is a power pitcher that has great feel for pitching, but he is also a strike thrower. This past summer I believe he only walked three guys. He’s a big strong kid that is extremely competitive, and again, we feel like he is another guy that can make an instant impact in our program.”

Devin Pickett (6-1, 185, IF)
Pickett, a native of Flossmoor, Ill., is a two-time Chicago White Sox Double Duty Classic Selection (2010, 2011). The Marian Catholic High School standout was a Perfect Game National Showcase Selection and a Royals Midwest Showcase Selection in 2011. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound infielder was a third team All-American by Perfect Game as a junior. Last season as a junior, he led his team to a third place finish at the state championship, its best in school history. Pickett, who signed his letter of intent at a White Sox signing day ceremony, notched a .480 slugging percentage, 20 runs, 18 RBI, 13 extra-base hits and was 10-for-11 in stolen bases as a junior.

“Devin is a very talented infielder that we recruited as a third baseman,” said Dahm. “We think he is going to be a kid that is going to hit for power and be a very good defensive corner guy. As we continued to watch him this summer, he showed that he can also be a guy that can definitely play in the middle of the infield for us if need be. He is a versatile player that’s going to add some very strong offensive punch to our team.”

Nick Roscetti (6-3, 175, IF)
Roscetti, a 6-foot-3, 175-pound infielder who hails from Sherman, Ill., is a two-time all-conference and two-time all-area honoree. He led his Williamsville High School team to a conference championship as a junior after tallying a .465 batting average, 25 RBI, 14 stolen bases, and a .574 on base percentage. He also pitched 54 innings, compiling a 6-3 record, 68 strikeouts and a 1.81 ERA. Roscetti, listed as a Perfect Game Top Prospect, batted .474 with 35 RBI, 13 stolen bases and a .552 on base percentage as a sophomore. He is also a standout basketball and football player, earning all-conference honors in both. Roscetti led his team to a conference championship, undefeated season, and state quarterfinals appearance this year as the team’s starting quarterback. Roscetti’s accomplishments this season earned him Class 2A first team all-state quarterback accolades by the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association. He is a four-year honor roll member, an Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Academic All-State team member and a National Honor Society member.

“Nick is a tremendous athlete,” said Dahm. “He is actually someone that Coach Brownlee saw late in the summer. Nick is a tall, lean player that as he continues to get stronger, has a chance to play outstanding baseball. He is kind of a diamond in the rough for us. A lot of these other guys were recruited by a ton of other programs, but Nick is the one that got interest late in the summer and we’re fortunate enough to get him to commit to us.

“All of these guys have the chance to come in and be impact guys for us and they really fulfill the needs of our program,” said Dahm.