The University of Illinois Springfield baseball program announced today that it has signed eight high school recruits for the 2023-24 school year. The new players are Ty Brachbill, Noah Caceres, Cooper Cohn, Cade Duffin, Charlie Jackson, Kayden Jennings, Easton Steck and Johnny Wendling. 

"Identifying and recruiting talented players is extremely important," said Head Coach Ryan Copeland, "but having the resources and information available to help those players develop once they get to campus is something we are incredibly intentional about."

"All but one of this year's signees is from the state of Illinois which has proven to be one of the most talented, highly recruited states in the entire country. I can't say enough about our coaching staff and their ability to bring high level players to Springfield each year. We spend as much time on the recruiting trail as any program in the Midwest, and I am confident there is a strong correlation between the time and effort my assistants spend on the road and the success we have had in the class room and on the field."

As mentioned by Copeland, seven of the eight signees are from Illinois. The group includes one pitcher, three catchers, one outfielder, and three infielders. 

Ty Brachbill
High School – Shelbyville
Hometown – Shelbyville, IL
Position - RHP
Travel Team – Central State Spikes
"Ty wasn't on our radar until he came to one of our showcase camps in July, where he sat in the upper 80's with his fastball and filled up the strike zone. He has a very projectable frame, high end arm speed, and is extremely athletic. We expect Ty to compete for innings as a freshman, especially if he continues to make a velocity jump. I wouldn't be surprised if Ty develops into a legitimate draft prospect in the next few years."


Noah Caceres
High School – Reavis
Hometown – Burbank, IL
Position – C/INF
Travel Team – Cangelosi Sparks North
Prep Baseball Report Ranking (IL) – 108th Overall, 14th Position
"Noah caught our attention early in the summer while playing for the Cangelosi Sparks program. Every time we have seen him play, he shows advanced bat to ball ability, demonstrates a high baseball IQ, and plays extremely hard. He is a hard-nosed player, evident by his success as a high school quarterback. Noah will have the opportunity to catch, as well as play the infield when he arrives on campus next fall."


Cooper Cohn
High School - McHenry
Hometown – McHenry, IL
Position - C
Travel Team: GRB Rays
Prep Baseball Report Ranking (IL) – 78th Overall, 8th Position
"We are very excited about Cooper joining our program. In my time at UIS, we have always been very strong behind the plate. Players like John Sechen, Bobby Barnard, and Brandon Bannon have paved the way for Cooper to lead our pitching staff moving forward. Cooper has one of the best throwing arms in the entire class and can really receive. With added strength, he has all the makings of a lockdown catcher."


Cade Duffin
High School – Oswego
Hometown - Oswego, IL
Position - INF
Travel Team: Rhino Baseball
Prep Baseball Report Ranking (IL) – 101st Overall, 3rd Position
"We have been following Cade's development for over three years now. He has the potential to become a fixture in the middle of our lineup for years to come. Cade is extremely physical and has present bat speed, which will allow him to compete against high level pitching at the end of the year. We put an emphasis on recruiting dangerous hitters, and we think Cade fits that description."


Charlie Jackson
High School – Waukesha West
Hometown – Waukesha, WI
Position - OF
Travel Team – Phenom Wisconsin
Prep Baseball Report Ranking (WI) – 49th Overall, 8th Position
"Charlie is a strong, left-handed bat with a ton of pull side power potential. We initially saw Charlie play in a Perfect Game tournament in Iowa and really liked what we saw. He has a strong presence in the box, and with further development, will have a chance to really help us in the middle of the lineup. Charlie broke his hand early in the summer and missed most of the travel season, so we feel like we got a bit of a steal when he committed to UIS."


Kayden Jennings
High School - Edwardsville
Hometown - Edwardsville, IL
Position - INF
Travel Team – Gators Baseball Academy
Prep Baseball Report Ranking (IL) – 136th Overall, 21st Position
"Kayden is one of the more 'ready' high school players we have recruited. He had a very good junior year at Edwardsville High School, leading them to a state championship. Kayden is a throwback type player that does everything right. We think he can play the left side of the infield at a high level, as well as develop into a top of the order type bat. He comes highly recommended to by his high school coach, Tim Funkhouser, as well as Seth Von Behren with Gators Baseball Academy."


Easton Steck
High School - Galesburg
Hometown – Galesburg, IL
Position - INF
Travel Team – Wow Factor Central
Prep Baseball Report Ranking (IL) – 185th Overall, 30th Position
"Easton is an extremely talented athlete. He moves very well, and has some surprising pop in his bat. He has been on our radar for quite some time and we decided to move forward with Easton after he came to one of our showcases in August and we were able to interact with him throughout the camp. He has present bat speed, as well as positional versatility. When he puts it all together, he will have a chance to be a very dynamic player for us.


Johnny Wendling
High School – St. Laurence
Hometown – Tinley Park, IL
Position – C/3B
Travel Team – Top Tier Americans
Prep Baseball Report Ranking (IL) – 99th Overall, 12th Position
"We couldn't be more excited about Johnny's future at UIS. He is a strong, physical kid who has positional versatility. He has really improved as a catcher in the past 12 months, and we think he can play third base at this level as well. We first saw Johnny two years ago at a tournament at The Rock near Milwaukee, and really liked what we saw. Recruiting players from winning programs is one of our top priorities, and Johnny comes from two of the best in St. Laurence High School and Top Tier.

The University of Illinois Springfield baseball team had a historic 2022 season in which they advanced to the NCAA Division II National Championships for the first time. The Prairie Stars won the Great Lakes Valley Conference, NCAA Regional, and NCAA Super Regional Championships. They won 48 games to have one of their best win percentages in program history, .814.