Northern Illinois baseball inks eight preps, plus Kishwaukee's Toner

Kishwaukee slugger Brian Toner (20) is among nine newcomers Northern Illinois baseball coach Ed Mathey has signed to National Letters of Intent to play for the Huskies in the 2004-05 school year. Chronicle file photo HOLLY LUNDH

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DeKALB - Northern Illinois University head baseball coach Ed Mathey announced the signing of nine baseball prospects - eight from Illinois and one Minnesota native - to National Letters of Intent on Monday to play baseball for the Huskies beginning with the 2005 season. NIU head coach Ed Mathey gained a trio of right-handed pitchers and a pair of lefties in addition to adding three outfielders and a switch-hitting catcher. The right-handers include Dave Nykiel, from Tinley Park Andrew High School; Brent Scarpetta, from Rockton-Honengah High School; and Trevor Feeney, from Joliet Catholic High School. The southpaws are Matt Jernstad from Oswego High School and Mike Eggert from Lake Elmo, Minn., and Mahtomedi High School. The outfield acquisitions include Pat Minogue, from Crystal Lake Central High School; Kishwaukee College standout Brian Toner, originally from Alsip and Palos Heights' Shepard High School; plus Brian Smith, from Chicago Ridge and Oak Lawn's Richards High School, who also has experience on the mound as a right-hander. Switch-hitting Kyle Cherney, from Crystal Lake's Prairie Ridge High School primarily played catcher, but also saw time in the outfield. "I think our recruiting coordinator Tim McDonough did an outstanding job with this class," Mathey said. "Tim has a great eye for talent and this class will have the opportunity to prove that. We identified our needs as a team and Tim was able to go out and fulfill them. Northern Illinois is making noise as a place where kids are wanting to go. For some of these kids to choose Northern Illinois over the other schools recruiting them bodes highly for what we are trying to accomplish here." Considered by some scouts to be among the Chicagoland area's top pitchers, Andrew's Nykiel is ranked among the top eight prospects in the state according to the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association. The 6-foot-4, 180-pounder boasts a fastball, change-up and curve among his pitching repertoire. "Dave comes from one of the best high school programs in the state," Mathey said. " We anticipate Dave coming in and competing immediately. We will be losing some senior pitchers after this season, so getting quality young pitching was a focal point of this recruiting class. Dave is definitely a quality young pitcher." Perhaps the most college-ready pitcher among the group according to Mathey is Rockton-Hononegah's Scarpetta. He compiled a 6-4 ledger - including a 5-2 regional semifinal win over rival Freeport High School - in leading R-HHS to a 22-12 record a year ago. The 6-foot-3, 175-pounder has an excellent command of four pitches with an upper-80 miles-per-hour fastball, curveball, change-up and a slider, according to Mathey. "I believe three to four years of college baseball will put Brett in good standing with professional scouts," Mathey said. "He is already throwing 86-88 MPH on the gun with a plus slider and change-up. Because he has feel for his pitches and an easy delivery, the sky is really the limit for Brett." A native of Channahon, Feeney sported a 3.47 ERA as a junior with a 4-3 mark and was second on the team in innings pitched at 39 2/3. The 5-foot-11, 170-pounder was also second in the Joliet Catholic rotation for strikeouts with 39 while walking only 23 batters. "Trevor is a product of the camp we had during the fall," Mathey said. "We weren't all that familiar with him, but he came in and really lit it up. He's a great athlete and if he were playing for us right now, he would have one of the best sliders on the team." A cousin of former Northern Illinois baseball great Fritz Peterson, Oswego's Jernstad earned all-area and all-conference acclaim as both a sophomore and junior. Last season he was the OHS Most Valauble Pitcher with a 2.41 ERA as a lefty with a mid-80 mph fastball, change-up and sinker-ball. An all-around athlete, the 6-3, 180-pound Jernstad helped lead the Panthers to the Class 7A football championship as a linebacker. "Matt is a guy that misses bats with his pitches," Mathey said. "He's already physically mature and he is an outstanding athlete and competitor. He loves to compete and win, which is what we like in players. His maturity will allow him to come in and pitch right away for us." The other lefty is the lone out-of-state recruit. Eggert boasts fastball in the 83-86 mph range and the 6-2, 175-pounder also brings a solid change-up to the mound. As a junior, he started five games for Mahtomedi and compiled a 3.25 ERA with a 3-1 record. At the plate, he hit .421 with five doubles and two triples. "Mike is a youth hockey player, which means he has good lower-body strength and the potential to throw much harder," Mathey noted. "He's an all-conference athlete in three sports, baseball, hockey and football and can bring a lot of versatility to us on the mound." An all-state outfielder for Richards, Smith hit an impressive .500 at the plate as a left-handed batter while seeing additional time as a right-handed pitcher. He tallied 51 hits in 102 plate appearances and drove in 39 runs thanks to six homers and 12 doubles. On the mound, Smith made 11 starts and tossed nine complete games while striking out 72 batters and walking only 24. He sported a team-best ERA of 1.56 while setting school records for single-season victories (10) and conference wins (five). The 6-3, 170-pounder - who is a former prep teammate of current NIU shortstop Tim Kamin - garnered all-conference as well as all-area notice from the Daily Southtown. "We think Brian is the best two-way player in Chicago," Mathey insisted. "He comes from a baseball family and has a high IQ for the sport. He has the potential to hit in the middle of our lineup and be a fixture on this team for the coming years." Crystal Lake Central's Minogue brings some extra speed to the basepaths for Northern Illinois. He hit .372 as a junior with 14 doubles, two homers and 20 RBIs en route to earning first-team all-area notice from the Northwest Herald. The 5-11, 170-pound outfielder also played in the Northwest Suburban Junior Showcase. "As he gets stronger, Pat will become a good college hitter," Mathey said. "We see him becoming our leadoff hitter of the future. He has tremendous instincts in the outfield with a very playable arm." Kishwaukee's Toner gives the Huskies an immediate power threat after the 6-1, 215-pound outfielder scored 52 runs with 35 RBIs while batting .360 for coach Mike Davenport's Kougars. Toner also had 15 stolen bases for Kish. Previously, he was a three-time all-conference selection at Shepard High when he hit .354 as a senior with five homers and seven doubles. As a junior, he earned special mention all-state when he hit .450 with eight homer runs and 10 doubles. At Shepard, Toner also excelled in football as a three-year letterwinning linebacker who received special mention all-state notice as a senior. He was also a two-time all-conference and all-area pick. "We feel that Brian is the best junior college hitter in the state," Mathey said. "He has major league power potential and will be an immediate help for us next season. He's a good base runner for his size and brings an extremely strong arm. In addition to his success on the baseball diamond, Toner was a standout on the gridiron, earning honorable mention all-state honors as a linebacker." Adding depth behind the plate as a switch-hitter who saw time at catcher and second base for Prairie Ridge, Cherney hit .471 as a junior. The 5-9, 170-pounder swatted five homers and 41 RBIs in the process of earning First-Team All-Area honors from the Northwest Herald. "Kyle is a baseball rat," Mathey said. "He's a student of the game and a tremendously hard worker, which will only help his progression. He's a switch hitter with power on both sides and we project him to contribute in the middle of our lineup. Defensively he will help us because of his versatility and strong arm behind the plate."