Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Announces Winter Baseball Signings
1/8/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Jan. 8, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern University head baseball coach Paul Stevens has announced the signing of six players to national letters of intent. They will begin play with the Wildcats in the spring of 2004, as four of the six signees are in-state talent.
The local group includes righty George Kontos (Lincolnwood, Ill./Niles West), who led Niles West to a 21-10 record last season. Caleb Fields (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick), another right-handed pitcher, garnered Chicago All-Catholic league honors three times, and Geoff Dietz (Lake Zurich, Ill./Lake Zurich) is an all-area and all-conference catcher. Kontos, Fields and Dietz are three of the top six student-athletes recognized as the IHSBCA's (Illinois High School Baseball Coaches' Association) '2003 Cream of The Crop'.
The 'Cats' fourth and final Illinois signee is Ryan Myers (Lake Villa, Ill./Carmel), a two-time first-team East Suburban Catholic all-conference selection. Myers, a right-handed pitcher, also played for the state champion Libertyville American Legion team last summer.
Infielder Mike Kalina (Munster, Ind./ Munster), who was selected as a 2003 Indiana Mr. Baseball candidate, and Bobby Ferla (Waldwick, N.J./St. Joseph Regional) are the two out of state recruits joining the Wildcats next fall. Kalina batted .419 and had 44 hits as a junior, leading his team to a 25-9 record and the 4A state title. Ferla, a right-handed pitcher, posted a 7-0 record with a 2.21 ERA and 61 strikeouts as a junior. He also batted .390 and hit four home runs.
THE CLASS OF 2007
Geoff Dietz (6-0 * 190 * R/R * Lake Zurich, Ill./Lake Zurich)
High School: Pioneer Press Great Northwest selection ... Daily Herald all-area ... Fox Valley all-conference ... team captain and most valuable player ... 2002 Midwest all- tournament selection ... 2003 IHSBCA Cream of the Crop selectee ... Hit .384 junior year with four home runs and 22 RBI ... Notched .466 on base percentage ... Stole 11 bases ... Selected to 2002 Northwest Suburban all-tournament team ... Participated in 2001 Junior Olympic West tournament in Tucson, Ariz. ... Played on 2001 Post 964 American Legion team ... Achieved high honor roll ... Earned Principal Award.
Bobby Ferla (5-11 * 190 * R/R * Waldwick, N.J./St. Joseph Regional)
High School: First-team all-conference ... Third-team all-state (parochial division) ... Second-team all-Bergen County ... Member of No. 11-ranked team (USA Today) junior year ... Batted .390 as junior with 12 doubles and four home runs ... Had 7-0 record on the mound and posted 2.21 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 42 innings ... Clocked at 90 mph ... Pitched team to Bergen County tournament title ... Quarterback of state football champion high school team (Parochial Group III) ... National Honor Society ... Honor roll.
Caleb Fields (6-3 * 175 * R/R * Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick)
High School: Three-time all-Catholic league ... Two-time all-area ... 2003 IHSBCA Cream of the Crop selectee ... Batted above .500 last summer ... Pitched 49 innings as junior and struck out 65 batters ... Posted .900+ fielding percentage ... Pitched no-hitter against Ridgewood High School and followed that with one-hitter ... Participated in Area-Code games and Swingtown Showcase ... National Honor Society ... Honor roll ... LINK Unlimited Scholarship program for black students ... National Achievement Scholarship semifinalist.
Michael Kalina (6-1 * 175 * R/R * Munster, Indiana/Munster)
High School: Selected as 2003 Indiana Mr. Baseball Candidate ... 2002 Times all-area team ... 2002 Post-Tribune all-area ... Received 2002 Munster High School Golden Bat and Golden Glove Awards ... 2002 preseason all-state honorable mention ... Hit .419 in 2002 ... 2002 team leader in hitting, stolen bases, fielding percentage and runs scored ... Led team to 25-9 record en route to state championship ... 2001 team advanced to state final four ... Member of five state championship teams (high school AAU and Babe Ruth teams) ... Holds high school record for consecutive-game hitting streak and shares single-season record for triples ... Earned Outstanding Student award ... National High School Scholar Athlete ... National Honor Society ... Principals Award winner for academic excellence.
George Kontos (6-2 * 185 * R/R * Lincolnwood, Ill./Niles West)
High School: All-conference ... 2003 IHSBCA Cream of the Crop selectee ... Team most valuable player ... Batted .367 with 19 RBI and a .506 slugging percentage ... Posted 1.84 ERA and 82 strikeouts on mound ... Led team to 21-10 record ... Participated in North Suburban Junior All-Star Game ... Competed in Tournament of Stars in Joplin, Mo. ... Made Area Code team for Midwest states ... Honor roll.
Ryan Myers (6-4 * 200 * R/R * Lake Villa, Ill./Carmel)
High School: Member of state champion Libertyville American Legion team ... Two-time first-team East Suburban Catholic Conference (ESCC) all-conference ... Daily Herald first-team all-area ... School record holder for fewest hits allowed per seven innings pitched ... Pitched two-hitter against Conant in IHSA playoffs ... Batted .408 with team-high eight homers and 40 RBI as junior ... Participated in Junior Olympic tournament in Tucson, Ariz. ... National Honor Society ... Illinois State Scholar ... Who's Who Among American High School Students.
