Baseball

Baseball Adds Four Newcomers
        Southern Illinois University Edwardsville baseball has announced the signing of four players for the 2005 campaign.
        Cameron Cheek (Atlanta), Patrick Keller (Newton), Cody Litteken (St. Jacob), and Jake Smith (East Peoria) have all signed to attend the university and play baseball for the Cougars. Cheek and Smith, both transfers from Illinois Central College, will have two years eligibility. Keller and Litteken both enter the program with four years of eligibility.
        While at Illinois Central, Cheek was the 2004 Player of the Year in the Collegiate Conference of Central Illinois (CCCI). He hit .393 and posted a 5-5 record with a 4.30 earned run average on the mound. He prepped at Olympia (Ill.) High School where he helped the team to a state championship in 2002.
        “We expect Cameron to be in the rotation and battle for a spot in the lineup,” SIUE assistant coach Tony Stoecklin said. “His numbers does not indicate how good his stuff is on the mound.”
        Keller is a left-handed pitcher out of Newton (Ill.) High School. Even though he has been injured most of this season, Stoecklin expects Keller to be able to contribute to the pitching staff.
        “Patrick throws hard and has pitched well prior to his injury,” Stoecklin said. “We will see where he fits in when he gets here.”
        Litteken enters the program out of Triad High School in Troy. A 6-foot-5 lefty, he figures to be a nice addition to the Cougars’ pitching staff. At Triad, he is currently 5-3 with a 2.92 ERA. He has struck out 80 batters and walked only 17.
        “If he comes in and gets stronger, he could be a really good pitcher for us,” Stoecklin said. “He has the stuff to be a starter in this conference.”
        Smith was a second-team All-CCCI catcher for Illinois Central College in 2004. He hit .301 from the plate which included 20 extra base hits, but Stoecklin indicated one of his biggest attributes is his throwing arm. The East Peoria High School product threw out 40 percent of base stealers this season.
        “We expect Jake to come in and play right away,” Stoecklin said. “He could have one of the best arms in the conference next year at catcher.”
       
                -siue cougars-