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Northern Illinois Baseball Signs MLB Draftee and Three-Sport Standout
July 24, 2008
Complete Recruiting Class Profiles DeKALB, Ill. - Northern Illinois added a pair of signees to its 2008 baseball recruiting class, bringing in Major League Baseball draftee Troy White (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) and a three-sport standout Tom Barry (Orland Park, Ill./Providence Catholic) to a class that was already listed at the top of the MAC and the state by Perfect Game Crosschecker in the spring. White, Barry and the rest of the signees will join the team for the 2009 campaign. White was selected in the 48th round by the Cleveland Indians in June's Major League Baseball Draft after earning all-state and all-area selections as co-MVP of the Chicago Public League. The third baseman/outfielder hit .533 and slugged .925 with 64 hits, seven home runs, 47 RBI and 42 runs while helping Whitney Young to a 29-5 record and city and regional titles. Barry, a lefthanded pitcher, recently threw a no-hitter during summer play for the Illinois Sparks after his completing his prep career. During the high school season, Barry went 1-1 with one save and a 4.44 ERA and led the Chicago Catholic League with a .977 fielding percentage while also seeing time at first base. Barry was Providence Catholic's starting quarterback and earned all-area honors after averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists per game in basketball as a senior. "Troy and Tom are great additions to our program and a credit to the work done by recruiting coordinator Steve Joslyn," said head coach Ed Mathey. "We feel that both players will have key roles in our program and coupled with our nationally-ranked class of previous signees, will bode well for the future of NIU baseball." The duo joins nine players already signed by the Huskies, a class that was ranked 63rd nationally by Perfect Game, best among MAC and Illinois schools, last spring. NIU's 2008-09 newcomers include five all-state selections, eight all-area honorees, three MLB Draft choices and the Cherokee Ledger Georgia Player of the Year Chris Wakefield.
Tom Barry, LHP High School: Threw a no-hitter for the Illinois Sparks during the 2008 summer season ... Recorded the highest fielding percentage (.977) in the Chicago Catholic League and went 1-1 with one save and a 4.44 ERA while spending time on the mound and at first base as a senior ... Went 1-0 and hit .304 with 11 RBI as a junior ... Posted a 5-2 record and 3.84 ERA as a sophomore before being moved up to the varsity team ... Went 6-2 with a 4.24 ERA as a freshman ... Three-sport standout was starting quarterback for football team ... Completed a school-record 91-yard touchdown pass ... Threw for 1,800 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior ... Averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists per game in basketball to earn honorable mention all-area ... Captained the baseball, football and basketball teams and was named team's most improved player in both football and basketball ... Three-year honor roll member. High School Coach: Mark Smith. Personal: Born May 31, 1990 in Kissimmee, Fla. ... Parents are Tom and Mary Barry ... Father played baseball and his mother played basketball at Division II St. Leo University in Florida ... Intends to major in business at NIU. Coach Mathey on Barry: "Tom is an athletic 6-3 lefthander and was a three-sport player at Providence Catholic where he was the starting quarterback and also played basketball. We feel that his best pitching is still ahead of him as he begins to focus on baseball. His fastball hovers in the 84-87 range and he shows command of a breaking pitch, so we are excited where his ceiling will be as he gets into our pitching program. Tom's parents were both Division II athletes at St. Leo University in Florida." --
Troy White, 3B/OF Drafted in the 48th round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft by the Cleveland Indians. High School: All-state, all-area and conference MVP ... Named to the Chicago Sun-Times Top 100 area players list and was ranked as the state's No. 58 senior prospect by Prep Baseball Report ... Earned all-state and all-area selections from the IHSBCA, second team all-area honors from the Chicago Sun-Times, and honorable mention all-area from the Chicago Tribune ... Named Chicago Public League co-MVP and Westminster Sunshine Classic MVP as a senior ... Hit .533 and slugged .925 with 64 hits, 14 doubles, seven home runs, 47 RBI and 42 runs scored while striking out just nine times during his senior season ... Helped team to 29-5 record and city and regional championships as a senior ... Team captain and earned squad's offensive threat award during final prep campaign ... Played in the Public vs. Catholic League All-Star game following senior year ... Honorable mention all-conference selection after batting .326 with 30 hits, 28 runs and 20 RBI as a junior ... Helped his team capture city, regional and sectional championships and a No. 8 final state ranking in 2007 ... Three-time varsity baseball letterwinner ... Made honor roll all eight semesters and earned principal scholar honor. High School Coach: Chris Cassidy. Personal: Born August 2, 1990 ... Parents are Royal and Carolyn White ... Intends to major in business administration at NIU ... Admires Derek Jeter and David Eckstein. Coach Mathey on White:: "Troy is an athletic third base/outfield type of player. He has a short compact swing that bodes well for college. As a 48th round pick of the Indians, there is definitely potential for improvement as he starts to mature as a player. He was a main contributor to the Whitney Young baseball team, one of the top programs in Chicago, and is a great student. All indications are that Troy has a good feel for the game of baseball, which should help him transition to college." -- -NIU- |
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