CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Eight high school baseball players signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday to play at the University of Illinois. 

"I'm excited about our group," said head coach Dan Hartleb. "I'm very excited about their athleticism, the type of people they are, and the type of student they are. They are well rounded. We try to bring in athletes that want to grow and have high ceilings.

"The thing that stands out to me besides their athleticism is their strength at a young age, strength is so important when you come into the athletic world, making that jump from high school to college. This group is strong, from a physical standpoint, we've got good size. We look for winners, and we look for people who have played for winning programs, they thrive on winning."

C/3B Gavin Bennett 
5-10 / 180 / L/R
Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville 
• No. 82 recruit in Illinois by Prep Baseball Report 
• No. 10 catcher in Illinois by Prep Baseball Report 
• Played for head coach Matt Thompson at Libertyville 
• High school teammates with Illini Riley Gowens and Andrew Kim 
• National Honor Society 
• Four-year member of the Honor Roll 
• Involved in community service through Feed My Starving Children, volunteering at Lambs Farm, Soup kitchen, food pantry and a local homeless shelter
• Son of Gary and Ruby Bennett 
• Father, Gary Bennett, played in Major League Baseball from 1995-2008 for eight teams 
• Brother, Garrison Bennett, plays baseball at Missouri 
• Uncle, Ryan Bennett, played professional baseball 
• One brother, Garrison, and one sister, Julia
• Chose Illinois because, "it has everything anybody could ever want in a school. The academics, sports, and overall college experience and atmosphere are all great."
• Committed to Illinois in March 2020 

OF Jared Comia 
6-2 / 205 / L/L
Saint John, Ind. / Hanover Central 
• No. 18 recruit in Indiana by Prep Baseball Report 
• No. 4 outfielder in Indiana by Prep Baseball Report 
• Played for head coach Ryan Bridges at Hanover Central 
• .350 with 30 stolen bases in high school
• 2018 all-area second team 
• 2018 all-conference first team 
• 2017 team rookie of the year 
• Led Hanover Central to a 2017 conference title
• Played summer ball for the Cangelosi Sparks 
• Son of Dennis and stacie Comia 
• Two sisters, Malia and Gabi
• Cousin of fellow Illini Branden Comia 
• Chose Illinois because, "Illinois is a great school for you to develop a relationship with everybody. It felt like home once you stepped foot on campus. It also has a great education."

UTL Holt Geltmaker 
6-2 / 190 / R/R
Chillicothe, Ill. /Illinois Valley Central 
• No. 43 recruit in Illinois by Prep Baseball Report 
• No. 7 shortstop in Illinois by Prep Baseball Report 
• Played for head coach Josh Hofer at IVC
• .425, nine doubles, two HRs, and 24 RBIs as a sophomore
• Rawlings and Perfect Game Underclassmen Preseason All-American Team
• 2019 McDonald's All-Area Baseball Team
• Illini Prairie Baseball All-Conference
• National Honor Society 
• Spanish Honor Society 
• Also played basketball at IVC and was an all-state player and one of the school's all-time leading scorers 
• Son of Tom and Brooke Geltmaker 
• Father, Tom Geltmaker, played football at Quincy University 
• One younger sister, Sage 
• Chose Illinois because, "Illinois is an outstanding school that will provide me with many opportunities. Coach Hartleb, Coach Christ, and the rest of the coaching staff make great connections with their players and do everything they can to help them succeed."
• Plans to major in interdisciplinary health sciences 
• Grew up watching family friends with the Parr family, which has deep ties to Illini baseball 
• Committed to Illinois in July 2019 

C Camden Janik
5-10 / 195 / R/R
Wauconda, Ill./Wauconda 
• No. 14 recruit in Illinois by Prep Baseball Report 
• No. 2 catcher in Illinois by Prep Baseball Report 
• Played for head coach Clay Kovac at Wauconda
• 2019 all-conference
• 2019 all-area 
• 2019 Wauconda Team MVP
• 2018 and 2019 Team Defensive MVP
• 2019 Team Offensive MVP
• Slashed .417/.510/.666 as a sophomore 
• National Honor Society 
• Honor Roll all semesters of high school
• Also played football in high school 
• Played summer ball for the Chicago Scouts Association 
• Son of Ron and Cherie Janik
• Father, Ron Janik, played baseball at Lewis University from 1990-95
• One older brother, Ty, and one younger sister, Calli 
• Chose Illinois because, "I loved the culture the coaches created at Illinois. It is a program passionate about each other and to winning. When I was able to visit the campus, I knew Champaign-Urbana was where I wanted to play."• Committed to Illinois in October 2019

INF Ryan Moerman
5-11 / 190 / R/R
Lockport, Ill./Lockport Township
• No. 13 recruit in Illinois by Prep Baseball Report 
• No. 3 shortstop in Illinois by Prep Baseball Report 
• Played for head coach Andy Satunas at Lockport Township
• Three-year letterwinner 
• Played summer ball for the Cangelosi Sparks 
• Son of Scott and Katy Moerman 
• Two younger brothers, Jake and Nick 
• Chose Illinois because, "I loved the coaching staff, it just felt like a great fit, and it was close to home."
• Plans to major in business 
• Committed to Illinois in November 2018

RHP Gavin Schmitt 
6-3 / 185 / R/R
Bolingbrook, Ill./Plainfield East
• No. 33 recruit in Illinois by Prep Baseball Report 
• No. 18 pitcher in Illinois by Prep Baseball Report 
• Played for head coach Adam O'Reel at Plainfield East 
• Chose Illinois because, "it felt like the best fit to me when I was on campus and how much Illinois cares about player development."

RHP Izaak Siefken 
6-0 / 185 / R/R
Broomfield, Colo./Holy Family 
• No. 12 recruit in Colorado by Prep Baseball Report 
• No. 9 pitcher in Colorado by Prep Baseball Report 
• Played for head coach Jon Ray at Holy Family 
• Two-year letterwinner 
• 3.09 ERA in high school 
• Honor Society 
• Son of Sid and Brenda Siefken 
• One brother, Weston, and one sister, Jacquelynn 
• Brother plays baseball at the Colorado School of Mines 
• Chose Illinois because, "Illinois fit perfectly in what I was looking for in a school a good engineering school and a high level baseball program, when considering schools in the recruitment process Illinois was a step above the rest of the schools I was considering in all aspects. After going to visit Champaign, I knew I found a home."
• Plans to major in mechanical engineering 
• Committed to Illinois in July 2020

RHP Calvin Shepherd
6-2 / 180 / R/R
Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North 
• No. 16 recruit in Indiana by Prep Baseball Report 
• No. 5 pitcher in Indiana by Prep Baseball Report 
• Played for head coach Richard Winzenread at Lawrence North 
• 2019 all-conference 
• Son of Ian Shepherd and Trisha Lawless 
• Father, Ian Shepherd, attended the University of Illinois and was a member of the Marching Illini 
• Two younger sisters, Clara and Daisy 
• Chose Illinois because, "I just felt that it was the perfect fit for me. I was born in Champaign and I've been an Illini fan my whole life, so having the opportunity to be an Illini myself was just something I couldn't pass up."
• Plans to major in sports management 
• Committed to Illinois in June 2020