The University of Illinois Springfield baseball program announced today that it has signed nine high school recruits for the 2022-23 school year. The new players are Joey Cecola, Ivan Dahlberg, Anthony Fumagalli, Zach LaBrec, Angelo Luna, Nolan McMasters, Lucas Montesantos, Mike O'Conor, and Lucas Pajeau.
 
"We are very excited about this year's high school recruiting class," said head coach Ryan Copeland. "Our staff has spent countless nights on the road during the past 18 months evaluating players, while also developing a strong relationship with each signee throughout the recruiting process. 
 
"As is the case every year, we try to identify a balance of position players whose abilities fit our offensive philosophy, pitchers that are ready to compete for innings as freshmen, as well as high ceiling arms with the potential to develop into weekend starters at some point during their career at UIS."
 
Eight of the nine signees are from the state of Illinois, with the ninth coming from just across the river in Missouri. The group includes four pitchers, three infielders, two outfielders, and one catcher (one player plays two position). Five players are ranked in the top-76 of their respective state baseball rankings.
 
"Several of our signees are students with high academic standards and impressive classroom achievements," said Copeland. "I believe this class will do a great job representing the University of Illinois Springfield in the classroom, community, and on the field.
 
"Identifying and recruiting talented players is important, but having the resources and information available to help those players develop once they get to campus is something we are incredibly intentional about. I truly believe we do that as well as any program in college baseball."
 
"The strength of a program shouldn't be concentrated in only its best players, but in creating unassailable depth from top to bottom. Our recruiting philosophy allows us the ability to build a roster each year that does that."
 
Copeland credits his assistant coaches with the success of the program signing a talented class of players this year.
 
"I can't say enough about my assistant coaches and their ability to bring high level players to campus each year," said Copeland. "Joe Kelch has proven to be a relentless recruiter and truly understands the commitment it takes to attract high-caliber players to campus. The addition of Anthony Silkwood to our coaching staff has had a tremendous impact on our pitching staff and Silk's background, as well as his ability to relate to players, is a great asset in recruiting.  Connor Pauly has done an excellent job assisting with our efforts, allowing our staff the ability to lock down the entire Midwest on any given weekend."
 
Joey Cecola
High School - Oswego High School
Hometown - Oswego, Ill.
Position - LHP
Travel Team - Rhino Baseball
Prep Baseball Report Ranking (Ill.) – 288th Overall, 28^th LHP
Copeland's Comments- Joey came to one of our showcase camps after Coach Pauly saw him throw in a tournament for Rhino Baseball. He has an extremely projectable frame with a quick, clean arm. He throws a lot of strikes and we love the way he competes. Joey has a low arm slot that will be a tough look for left-handed hitters in our league, especially as his breaking ball continues to get better. As he adds strength, I believe he will make a significant velocity jump, and has the chance to pitch in our weekend rotation during his time here."
 
Ivan Dahlberg
High School - Minooka High School
Hometown - Minooka, IL
Position - C
Travel Team - Illinois Dynasty
Prep Baseball Report Ranking (Ill.) – 163rd Overall, 21^st C
Copeland's Comments- Ivan was our first commit in the class and comes highly recommended to us by Jeff Petrovic at Minooka High School.  He is a powerful, left-handed hitter who has hit in the middle of their order since he was a sophomore. Ivan has some versatility on the defensive side which will allow us to keep his bat in the lineup as much as possible. He is a polished hitter with a great feel for the strike zone, and his ability to hit the ball in the air will bode well in our park.
 
Anthony Fumagalli
High School - Timberland High School
Hometown - Wentzville, Mo.
Position - INF
Travel Team - Premier Baseball
Prep Baseball Report Ranking (Mo.) – 63rd^th Overall, 12^th INF
Copeland's Comments- We saw Anthony play during a tournament at our field two summers ago. He makes consistent, hard contact and shows the ability to hit for some power. He has good bat speed to go along with the type of swing plane we like. I think Anthony has the chance to be an impact bat for us with further offensive development. We've had success recruiting the St. Louis area during the past few years, and expect Anthony to add himself to a long list of impact players we've had in our program from Missouri.
 
Zack LaBrec
High School - Cary-Grove High School
Hometown - Fox River Grove, Ill.
Position - RHP
Travel Team - Top Tier American
Prep Baseball Report Ranking (Ill.) – 185th Overall, 56^th RHP
Copeland's Comments- We were intrigued by Zach's ability to create spin on his breaking ball when we saw him this summer. He came to camp afterwards and he threw very well in front of our staff. His slider consistently spins around 3,000 RPM, coupled with a fastball that sits in the upper 80s. He has electric stuff and with improved command, he has the chance to be a weapon out of our bullpen as a freshman. Zach plays travel ball for Top Tier Americans, one of the best programs in the entire country.
 
Angelo Luna
High School - St. Laurence High School
Hometown - Chicago, Ill.
Position - OF
Travel Team - Top Tier American
Prep Baseball Report Ranking (Ill.) – 55th Overall, 10^th OF
Copeland's Comments- Angelo is one of the premier outfielders in the Illinois class and competes as well as any high school player we have seen. He does a lot of things well, but his ability to make consistent, hard contact is what stood out to us the most. He will be able to stay in centerfield for us, as he is a 6.70 runner and already has a 90 mph outfield arm. Angelo comes from a great high school program in St. Laurence and plays travel ball for Top Tier American alongside another one of our signees, Zach LaBrec. No matter who we talked to about Angelo throughout the recruiting process, they all had similar things to say. He's a winner, competes at a very high level, and should a familiar face in the middle of our lineup.
 
Nolan McMasters
High School - Glenwood High School
Hometown - Chatham, Ill.
Position - INF/RHP
Travel Team - Decatur Commodores
Prep Baseball Report Ranking (Ill.) – 109th Overall, 23^rd INF
Copeland's Comments- Nolan is a local kid from Glenwood High School, a very strong program that produces talented players every year. He has a high baseball IQ, great feel for the barrel, and the ability to drive the ball to the pull side. Nolan will be able to stay on the left side of the infield when he arrives on campus next fall. He has the chance to be a legitimate two-way player for us, with a fastball that sits 87-90, and the ability to throw a lot of strikes. Keeping talent in Springfield is important to us, and we're excited about Nolan's future in our program.
 
Lucas Montesantos
Hinsdale Central High School
Hometown - Hinsdale, Ill.
Position - RHP
Travel Team: Rake City
Prep Baseball Report Ranking (Ill.) – 37^th Overall, 10^th RHP
Copeland's Comments- Monty is the definition of a competitor. We saw Lucas pitch several times throughout the summer and he kept getting better each time out. He commands three pitches for strikes with advanced feel for his changeup. His fastball sits comfortably at 85-88 mph right now, but we see him making another jump with added strength. He was the conference pitcher of the year as a junior at Hinsdale Central, and plays travel ball for Rake City, an organization loaded with high end talent. Lucas has all the makings of a weekend starter when he gets to campus next year."
 
Mike O'Conor
High School - Niles Notre Dame College Prep
Hometown - Des Plaines, Ill.
Position - INF
Travel Team - Illinois Indians
Prep Baseball Report Ranking (Ill.) – 76th Overall, 16^th INF
Copeland's Comments- We followed Mike around all summer and every time we saw him play, he proved to be one of the most advanced hitters in the Illinois class. Mike has impressive bat speed and barrel awareness, hits the ball in the air with great carry, and had no trouble hitting high level pitching. He plays travel ball for the Illinois Indians, a program we have recruited heavily throughout my time at UIS. We are very excited about his potential as a middle of the order bat.
 
Lucas Pajeau
High School - Lockport High School
Hometown - Homer Glen, Ill.
Position - OF
Travel Team: Rhino Baseball
Prep Baseball Report Ranking (Ill.) – 58th Overall, 11^th OF
Copeland's Comments- Lucas has several high end tools that made him very attractive to us. He is an above average runner, has plus bat speed, as well as a very strong arm. He is a quick twitch athlete that profiles as a corner outfielder for us. Lucas has as much potential as any high school position player we've ever recruited. He's a great student, and incredibly hard worker. He will have the opportunity to hit in the middle of our order early on in his career.