July 9, 2007

Chicago, Ill.- UIC head baseball coach Mike Dee and his coaching staff announced on Monday that seven student-athletes will join the Flames this fall to begin their collegiate careers in the 2008 season.

Those student-athletes are:

Tony Altavilla (INF - Lakeville, Minn./College of Southern Idaho)

Kevin Coddington (C - West Linn, Ore./Chemeketa College)

Jason Ganek (INF - Mount Prospect, Ill./Hersey H.S.)

Brandon Harwell (INF - Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey H.S./Vernon College)

Mike Kool (RHP - Davenport, Iowa/Black Hawk College)

Steven McGuiggan (OF - Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley H.S.)

Derrick Miramontes (RHP - Durham, Calif./Butte College)

"To add the quality of athlete we did this late in the year was a lucky break for us," said Dee. "These players should impact us right away and increase the competitiveness within our program. They're good people and a great fit for the program."

Altavilla, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound Minnesota native, is a left-handed hitting infielder who joins the Flames after starring at the College of Southern Idaho under coach Boomer Walker.

"Tony can really hit and he really runs," said UIC assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Sean McDermott. "He's going to add a lot of leadership and brings great work ethic.

"Tony is going to help our team offensively with getting on base and stealing bases and being a dirtbag-type kid," McDermott said. "We're really excited to have him in our program."

Coddington is a 6-foot-5, 205-pound catcher who earned All-NWAACC First Team honors last season after hitting .358, posting a .462 on-base percentage and bringing a keen defensive reputation to coach Tucker Brack's Chemeketa Community College squad in Salem, Oregon.

"Kevin is a huge presence behind the plate," said McDermott. "He's a great defensive catcher with a power arm. He's going to help us control the running game.

"Offensively Kevin has the chance to be a very solid player for us," continued McDermott. "He's not going to strike out a lot, he's going to put the ball in play and he's got a chance to be a very functional offensive player for us."

Ganek, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs about 185 pounds, played shortstop for John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights under head coach Bob Huber and assistant coach Tim Lazzaratto, who also coached former UIC star southpaw and current Baltimore Orioles farmhand David Haehnel at Wheeling High School.

"Jason is a big body and a great athlete," said McDermott. "He has a chance to hit with great power at the college level and is going to give us great depth in both the infield and the outfield."

Harwell is another Hersey High School product who comes to UIC by way of Vernon College in Vernon, Texas, where he hit .357 last season. Harwell is a 5-foot-10, 175-pound infielder who was coached by Kevin Lallmann at Vernon.

"Brandon is going to bring attitude, leadership and a toughness to our program," said McDermott. "We look for Brandon to come in and help us in the infield and help mold our younger players. He wants to win, and he's a winner. He loves to work.

Kool is a 6-foot, 185-pound right-hander from Black Hawk College in Moline. There he pitched for coach Arnie Chavera.

"Mike is a very good athlete," said UIC assistant coach Mike Nall. "He throws three pitches, fastball, slider and changeup, all for strikes. He's really a hard worker who wants to learn and get better. We feel Mike can make an impact right away."

McGuiggan is a 5-foot-11, 185-pound centerfielder who played for coach Al Iversen at Apple Valley High School in Apple Valley, Minnesota. He hit .400 during Apple Valley's state title run as a junior, earning All-Lake Conference, all-section and all-state honorable mention before hitting .424 and earning all-state, all-metro, all-conference and team MVP honors as a senior.

He was also an acclaimed offensive football player in the Apple Valley backfield, earning all-conference, all-metro and all-state honors as a senior for the sixth-ranked prep team in Minnesota.

"Steve can really run," said McDermott. "He's a great athlete, an all-state running back in football.

"Steve's a tremendous athlete, a really good student and has the ability to be a tremendous leader in our program," McDermott continued. "We look for him to be an early contributor."

Miramontes brings outstanding credentials to the UIC pitching staff after a stellar two-year career with Butte College in Oroville, California. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound right-hander is a two-time Golden Valley Conference First Teamer and the 2006 GVC Pitcher of the Year who draws comparisons to 2007 Horizon League Pitcher of the Year Zach Peterson.

A hurler under Butte College head coach Anthony Ferro, Miramontes is currently pitching for the Humboldt Crabs summer league club. As of July 8th Miramontes is 5-1 with a 1.83 ERA and 51 strikeouts to just seven walks in 39.1 innings for the Crabs.

"Derrick is a very good athlete on the mound," said Nall. "He can throw three pitches for strikes from multiple angles. He's a tremendous competitor, a bulldog on the mound.

"We look for Derrick to make an impact on us right away, not just with his ability on the mound but with his ability to be a leader in the program and on the pitching staff."

McDermott believes that with the latest group of additions joining a sterling crop of signees announced last fall, the Flames are in great shape on and off the field.

"This is one of our most talented classes athletically," said McDermott. "We brought in a lot of really good athletes and guys that are going to be really good people, students and leaders in our program."

These seven student-athletes join prep signees Michael Bjerke (RHP - Brooklyn Center, Minn./Champlin Park H.S.), Rafael Garcia (SS - Chicago, Ill./Clemente H.S.), Devin Melecio (OF - Chicago, Ill./Clemente H.S.) and Eric Wyman (LHP - West Chicago, Ill./West Chicago H.S.) as part of the Flames' 2008 corps of newcomers.