Salukis Add Catcher To 2001 Baseball Recruiting Class
07/06/2001 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
July 6, 2001
Carbondale, Ill. - Southern Illinois University Carbondale head baseball coach Dan Callahan has added junior college catcher Toby Barnett from the College of Southern Idaho to his 2001 recruiting class.
"We're looking forward to having Toby on the squad. He will add experience and depth to the catching position for us," said Callahan. "Barnett is a quality defensive catcher and also an offensive threat. He's someone who we feel will bring a lot of excitement to the program."
Barnett, a 41st round draft pick by the Montreal Expos in 2000, batted .304 last season for the Eagles. Southern Idaho finished 36-23 overall and 23-13 (fourth) in the all-wooden bat Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC) in 2001. He started for two years and will have two seasons of eligibility for the Salukis, where the Southern Idaho staff expects Barnett to have an immediate impact.
"Toby was a tremendous leader for us for two years and he's one of those kids that the team looks up to, he's so mature," said Boomer Walker, Southern Idaho assistant coach. "He's a big strong kid who really knows how to play the game and is very knowledgeable. He will really help SIU's team."
The Kallaroo, Perth native of Western Austrailia started 32 of the 36 games he played in before suffering a hand injury that will be healed by fall practice. He had 34 hits, 28 RBI's, 32 runs scored, 11 walks, seven doubles and one home run. Barnett hit .455 against left handed pitching, .500 with the bases loaded, .354 with runners on base and in scoring position and .650 with a runner on third with less than two outs to drive in a run.
On defense Barnett had 132 put outs, 17 assists and just one error in 150 attempts for a .993 fielding percentage. He also threw out seven of 18 baserunners attempting to steal.
Barnett is the twelfth player to sign with SIU and was supposed to be the final piece of the best recruiting class since 1995 which includes nine pitchers, but Callahan may not be finished due to a recent surprise.
Chicago Tribune First Team All-State outfielder Adam Milauskas from St. Charles, Illinois, considered the best player in the 2001 recruiting class, changed his mind and signed a free agent contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.
"Adam was someone who we felt was going to come in and compete for playing time as a freshman. This is obviously a big loss but at the same time we wish him the best in pro ball," added Callahan.
The Salukis finished 19-36 overall and 10-21 in Missouri Valley Conference play in 2001.
SIU 2001 SPRING SIGNEES:
Name Pos. B-T Ht. Wt. Hometown (High School/College)
Toby Barnett C R/R 6'3 215 Perth, Austrailia (College of Southern Idaho)
Patrick Finigan SS/RHP R/R 6'0 165 Springfield, Ill. (Lanphier H.S.)
Jesse Hall LHP 6'3 175 Harrisburg, Ill. (Harrisburg H.S.)
Carl Heuer 1B R/R 6'6 225 Belleville, Ill. (Belleville Township H.S. West)
Colt Neumann LHP 6'3 200 Minooka, Ill. (Minooka Community H.S.)
Bryan Rueger LHP 6'4 180 Mount Vernon, Ind. (Mount Vernon Sr. H. S.)
Jim Vogel RHP 6'3 200 St. Charles, Ill. (St. Charles East H.S.)
Andrew Weber RHP 6'1 185 Oak Forest, Ill. (Oak Forest H.S.)
Ryan Welch RHP 6'5 185 Brentwood, Tenn. (Brentwood H.S.)
SIU 2000 FALL SIGNEES:
Eric Haberer LHP 6'1 190 Bloomington, Ill. (Bloomington H.S.)
Marshall Tucker RHP 6'1 200 St. Louis, Mo. (East Central (Mo.) C.C.)
