Twelve high school seniors commit to Upper Iowa University and the Peacock baseball program for Fall 2022. The dozen future Peacocks all hail from the Midwest with three coming from Iowa, five from Minnesota, and one from Illinois, Wisconsin, Colorado and Texas. On the field, several will play multiple positions. There are four with pitching aspirations, seven that play on the infield, three that can play outfield and one catcher.
 
"I would like to thank my assistants, Jake Ratz and Mitch Lawson, for all their help in assembling this class. They have done a fantastic job of evaluating talent and our needs moving forward. We feel like we have identified the right type of students and athletes," said Head Coach Jeremy Ische. "This class is made up of winners with a high level of competitiveness that will have an immediate impact on our campus and in our program beginning day one of their freshman year! We have some serious talent in this class and I am thrilled to have these young men join UIU Baseball!"
 
The Peacocks will open their 2022 spring schedule in Kansas City, Mo. with a four-game series against Rockhurst University on Feb. 26-27.
 
2022-23 Early Signing Period Peacock Baseball Recruits

Gabe Bombardier	1B/3B	6-3	205	Farmington, Minn.	Farmington HS
Devin Garbison	C	6-0	200	Pueblo, Colo.	Pueblo West HS
Mike Gentile	MINF/OF	5-11	175	Chicago, Ill.	St. Laurence HS
Jared Hoodjer	INF	6-2	170	Janesville, Iowa	Janesville HS
Kyle Hrncir	SS/RHP	6-5	215	Farmington, Minn.	Farmington HS
Thane Meiners	INF/RHP	5-11	180	Caledonia, Minn.	Caledonia HS
Drew Micek	OF	5-10	175	Bettendorf, Iowa	Pleasant Valley HS
Jake Moran	OF	6-0	175	Southlake, Texas	Carroll Senior HS
Gabe Olson	RHP/3B	6-3	200	Hopkins, Minn.	Hopkins HS
Caleb Raisty	MINF	6-2	180	Cedar Falls, Iowa	Cedar Falls HS
JJ Vargas	SS/RHP	5-10	190	Hartland, Wis.	Arrowhead HS
Brock Zimmer	3B/1B	6-2	210	Hopkins, Minn.	Hopkins HS

 
Gabe Bombardier    1B/3B            6-3            205           Farmington, Minn.          Farmington HS
Parents: Rachelle Schmitt and Conrad Bombardier
 
Coach Ische: "Gabe is a young man we are excited about. He is a strong and physical right-handed hitter with some serious punch. His bat is his best tool and he has some bounce to him defensively. He was a big part of Farmington High School's State Championship last spring and we really think the future is bright for Gabe here at UIU!"
 
Devin Garbiso           C                     6-0            200           Pueblo, Colo.                     Pueblo West HS
Parent: Jason Garbiso
 
Coach Ische: "Devin has a knack for finding the barrel and can hit for power and average. He is a great teammate and is not afraid of the work it takes to be successful. He can catch and play corner outfield with his bat being his best tool. Devin has a high ceiling, and we believe he will continue to get better here as his days go on!"
 
Mike Gentile             MINF/OF     5-11         175           Chicago, Ill.                         St. Laurence HS
Parents: Mike and Gina Gentile
 
Coach Ische: "Mike is a very versatile player having the ability to play every spot on the infield and in the outfield. He has a knack for creating chaos on the bases and has very high IQ. He is a talented two-sport athlete who also dominates in the classroom academically. He was our first verbal commitment in the 2022 class. We are very excited to have Mike join us. His impact will be immediate!"
 
Jared Hoodjer           INF                 6-2            170           Janesville, Iowa                Janesville HS
Parents: Laura and Jason Hoodjer
 
Coach Ische: "Jared is a local product from Janesville, Iowa, where UIU alum Jack Thode grew up. Jared has the ability to hit for a high average hitting .508 as a junior with 10 doubles and 3 home runs. Once Jared gets into our program and spends more time focusing on baseball, he could really provide some punch offensively. He is a respectful, hard-working young man who will only continue to get better here!"
 
Kyle Hrncir          SS/RHP 6-5          215         Farmington, Minn.          Farmington HS
Parents: Bryan and Naomi Hrncir
 
Coach Ische: "Kyle is a two-way baseball player and will also be a member of the UIU men's basketball team. He and his team won the Minnesota State Championship last spring and he was a big part of that. Kyle is very athletic and does a lot of things very well on the field. He runs, possesses a ton of bat speed and arm strength and is a winner! Prep Baseball Report has him ranked 30^th overall in the 2022 class. Kyle is a tremendous young man and we are fired up to have him join us!"
 
Thane Meiners         INF/RHP      5-11         180           Caledonia, Minn.             Caledonia HS
Parents: Todd and Angie Meiners
 
Coach Ische: "Thane is a swiss army knife; he can do a lot of things relatively well. He can play multiple positions, pitch and is a multi-sport athlete in high school. He comes from a great family and his skill set is strong. He has great leadership skills and is not afraid of putting in the time and effort to continue to get better. Thane has his best days ahead of him. He fits what we are looking for in a recruit and ballplayer."
 
Drew Micek               OF                  5-10         175           Bettendorf, Iowa             Pleasant Valley HS
Parents: Chad and Emily Micek
 
Coach Ische: "Drew is a tremendous young man who profiles as a center fielder in our program. He is a ball hawk in the outfield and he comes from a very successful high school program in Pleasant Valley, who won the 4A Iowa State Championship last summer. Drew is another solid student who we are excited to add immediately to our outfield depth! He plays hard and plays the game the right way and is a playmaker!"
 
Jake Moran                OF                  6-0            175           Southlake, Texas              Carroll Senior HS
Parents: Jean and Mike Moran
 
Coach Ische: "Jake is a worker who will fit in nicely with our current roster. His work ethic and toughness will pair nicely within our program and he can create on the bases with his foot speed. He is a solid athlete from Texas who will give his best effort each day on the field and in the classroom! Jake's best days are ahead of him!"
 
Gabe Olson                RHP/3B        6-3            200           Hopkins, Minn.                 Hopkins HS
Parents: Jayson Olson
 
Coach Ische: "Gabe is a very solid baseball player. He fills the zone on the mound and has a couple above average breaking pitches that he can land in the zone to keep hitters off balance. He is a strike thrower and competes at a high level. At the plate, he has some bat speed and will get an opportunity to hit and play defense. His competitiveness really shines through on the mound. We are excited to see Gabe in Peacock Blue!"
 
Caleb Raisty               MINF             6-2            180           Cedar Falls, Iowa              Cedar Falls HS
Parents: Jason and Dawn Raisty
 
Coach Ische: "Caleb is a versatile athlete having the ability to play several positions. He is a high-character, hardworking leader and a great teammate, and he makes others around him better. He will be a 4-year starter at a solid Cedar Falls, Iowa program. Once Caleb begins to do baseball year-round, I think he will really explode as he currently has been competing at a high level in football, hockey and baseball. He was a 2^nd team all-conference performer last summer and played in the Iowa State Tournament as a sophomore."
 
JJ Vargas                      SS/RHP         5-10         190           Hartland, Wis.                  Arrowhead HS
Parents: Sarah and Rich Vargas
 
Coach Ische: "JJ is an extremely talented two-way player, who we see competing on the infield and on the mound day one of his freshman year. He does a lot of things very well and every time we saw him, we walked away more impressed than the time before. He runs his fastball in the upper 80's and consistently barrels baseballs. He comes from a very strong and traditional Arrowhead program in Wisconsin and plays travel ball with Top Tier, another high-end travel organization. We look for JJ to be another immediate impact guy on both sides of the baseball. Prep Baseball Report has him ranked 34^th in the great state of Wisconsin!"
 
Brock Zimmer           3B/1B            6-2            210           Hopkins, Minn.                 Hopkins HS
Parents: Brian and Jill Zimmer
 
Coach Ische: "Brock is a big, strong, physical young man with power potential. He is ranked 61^st in a very talented Minnesota 2022 class by Prep Baseball Report, and 5^th overall at his position. We look for Brock to be a middle of the lineup threat as his days at UIU progress! As he continues to get stronger and grow into his frame, he will have a great future at UIU!"