Baseball Inks Four During Early Signing Period
11/18/2003 | 12:00:00 | Baseball
Nov. 18, 2003
By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Saluki baseball coach Dan Callahan announced today that Dean Cademartori, Matt DeLong, Ryan Hypke and Dylan Ward have signed national letters of intent to play baseball at Southern Illinois University in 2005.
"As has been the case the past few years, we feel we have put together another very solid recruiting class," said Callahan. "Although we're still a ways from finishing the 2004-05 group, I feel this crop of student-athletes rivals any we've assembled for awhile."
A native of Norridge, Ill., Cademartori (5-11, 185) brings a strong throwing arm, great speed and most importantly, an excellent bat to the Saluki club. According to Lakeside Cardinals' summer league coach Bill Palmer, Cademartori's power at the plate is second to none.
"There has only been one other player I've coached who hits the way Dean can, and that's a young man who is playing professionally in the Los Angeles Dodgers' organization," said Palmer. "When Dean hits, the ball comes off the bat in a completely different manner--it looks different and sounds different. He possesses all the strengths Coach Callahan is looking for."
Cademartori hit .548 with 22 runs, six doubles, five triples, six home runs and 34 RBI in 20 games for the Cardinals last summer. He was also selected to the National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF) All-World Series Team.
SIU assistant coach Ken Henderson first saw Cademartori at a high school showcase a week after the IHSA State Tournament.
"From what we've seen, Dean has all the tools to be a big impact player at this level," said Henderson. "He brings a great combination of speed and power, and should be able to contribute immediately."
At Niles-Notre Dame High School, Cademartori completed a successful junior campaign which saw him hit .423 with 44 runs, four doubles, four triples, 12 home runs and 52 RBI. A second-team all-state and first-team all-East Suburban Catholic Conference outfielder, he put up solid numbers on the mound as well. Posting a 9-1 record with seven complete games and three shutouts, Cademartori struck out 72 batters in 61 innings. Additionally, he set the school record for home runs and RBI, and was named Chicago Tribune Player of the Week on two occasions.
"Dean is a kid who I've had the pleasure of having both on the field and in the classroom," said prep coach Bob Kostuch. "He's a great leader who's one of the best talents in Illinois."
Also an outfielder, DeLong (5-9, 150) comes to the Maroon and White from Jackson, Wis. A first-team all-Northshore Conference, all-district and first-team all-state pick at Westbend West High School, he hit .421 with 32 runs, six doubles, three triples and three home runs a year ago. DeLong carries a 4.0 grade point average and ranks first out of 324 students in his class. He will also receive academic aid at SIU.
"Matt is one of the top outfielders in the state," said Westbend West coach Bill Albrecht. "He is a baseball junkie who gets on base any way he can, and his power continues to develop. He's extremely intelligent and handles coaching well."
Hypke (5-9, 145, SS/2B) hails from Glenarm, Ill., and joins the Dawgs from Chatham Glenwood High School. A three-year starting shortstop, he helped lead the Titans to back-to-back Central State Eight Conference titles and a fourth-place finish at the IHSA Class AA State Tournament. As a junior, he hit .429 with 52 runs, 13 doubles, two triples, nine home runs and 37 RBI. He was also named Chicago Tribune and Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association first-team all-state. In addition, he ranks among Chatham Glenwood's career top-10 in eight offensive categories, including at-bats (4th, 344), stolen bases (4th, 40), runs scored (5th, 123), hits (5th, 125), home runs (5th, 17), walks (6th, 68), RBI (9th, 88) and batting average (10th, .363).
"Ryan started every year for us and has improved each season," said Chatham-Glenwood coach Pat Moomey. "He works very hard and is a great baseball player."
Rounding out SIU's early signees is probably one of the most multi-talented preps in the state. A right-handed pitcher/infielder, Ward stands at 6-3, 210, and is from Fairbury, Ill. He led the Hawks to a 37-4 record and a final four appearance at the IHSA Class A State Tournament, while hitting .462 with 49 runs, 55 hits, 18 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs and 40 RBI as a junior.
"Dylan is one of the most talented kids I've ever coached," praised PCHS skipper Tim McGuire. "He is so athletic and has the physical and emotional ability to play the game at the top level. He lives for the big moment and his size is advantageous to anything he does. He lets his athleticism complement his fundamentals and has an excellent knowledge of the game."
On the mound, Ward appears to be just as impressive. Collecting a near-perfect 12-1 record with four saves, he boasted a 1.44 ERA and held a 101/25 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 78 innings.
Although he is accustomed to playing shortstop, Callahan looks to use Ward at third, as well as on the hill.
"We've seen Dylan in action and although he's a very solid high school shortstop, we feel third base is probably a better fit," explained Callahan. "Also, because of the departure of Nathan Boldt and the return of P.J. Finigan and Nathan Emrick, third base may be a more logical position for Dylan. And, because he's such a force on the mound, we're very confident he'll be a successful two-way guy, following in the footsteps of former Saluki great, Luke Nelson, as well as P.J. Finigan."
In addition to his numbers, Ward was named the Bloomington Pantagraph's Athlete of the Year, first-team all-state, first-team all-Cornbelt Conference as both a shortstop and pitcher and first-team Champaign News Gazette all-area. He also received the 2002-03 Distinguished Athlete Award given by the Prairie Central High School athletic director.
And if his baseball honors don't say enough, Ward was named first-team all-state as the quarterback of PC's football team which is currently in the playoffs. He garnered second-team all-conference laurels in basketball as well.
"Although we've seen some more than the others, we truly feel that each of these young men has the ability to contribute immediately," concluded Callahan. "From speaking with their high school and summer league coaches, and even some teachers and counselors, everything we've heard has been positive."
Callahan also credited those who helped out during the recruiting process.
"We all know that recruiting is a team effort, and with that in mind, I'd like to commend everyone, including our coaching staff, student-athletes, academic support staff, financial aid office, and the SIU Admissions staff for their contributions. I'm proud of this incoming class, and I'm also proud of all the efforts and cooperation we received from the entire SIU family."
In addition to Cademartori, DeLong, Hypke and Ward, Callahan and his staff look to sign one more pitcher and at least one hitter, preferably a first baseman. Also, Callahan is still confident the Salukis could get a commitment from another front-line player in the next few days.
