Illinois head baseball coach Dan Hartleb announced on Wednesday afternoon a signing class of eight players, and in the face of the pandemic, plans to add a few more during this signing period.

“We’re really pleased with the eight individuals that we signed today, and we believe that we met some of the needs that we had going into this upcoming season,” Hartleb said.

Among the eight players are five from the state of Illinois, two from Indiana and one from Colorado. Hartleb mentioned the importance to recruit in-state players, as well as the quality of individual coming in.

“It’s always important to get the better players from your home state, but also necessary to spread your wings and find players from other parts of the country, and I feel that we have done that on both counts,” Hartleb said.

With a renewed optimism of hope for a season, there remains the fact of the current situation and with a reduction in the number of rounds in the MLB draft, that could pose an issue down the road.

“We still are unsure of what our season will look like, even if we do have a season,” Hartleb said. There also poses an issue with the MLB draft, which is going from 40 rounds down to 20, so that means there won’t be as many players drafted. That creates a logjam in programs, especially now that the NCAA has granted each graduating senior another year of eligibility, so some of those players may decide to come back.”

Of the eight players that signed their letter of intent, two are catchers, a position that Hartleb says is a hard position to field.

“We’re fortunate to have a couple of good catching prospects, one of which can also play third base for us,” he said. “Catching is a position that requires a specific skill set and not everyone can do it effectively, but we feel the guys we have can do the job for us.

One name on the list will look familiar, Jared Comia, whose cousin, Brandon, is already on the team.

“That family has some good bloodlines, and Brandon has done some good things for us. When I saw Jared on video for the first time, I knew that he could help us. I hope they are the first of many Comia family members in the program for years to come,” Hartleb said.

Hartleb credits his coaching staff for their assistance of getting this class composed, from watching them on video to getting word-of-mouth confirmation of their character.

“Adam (Christ) and Mark (Allen) have been instrumental in getting in touch with these guys and making sure that they were seen,” Hartleb said. “With the inability to have these guys come on campus, we have relied on videos of them playing. Most of their games were streamed online, but to see the true character of a person, you want a chance to talk to them in person. We want winners in the program, and the way they treat their families, friends, etc. goes a long way in how they will fit in our program.”

Hartleb still plans on adding a few more players to this class, and the signing period, which goes through next week, might yield some more additions.

Then, it is all about sorting out the roster and seeing who stays, who moves on, and what spots remain.

C/3B Gavin Bennett 5-10 / 180 / L/RLibertyville, 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/LSaint 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/RChillicothe, 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 Janik5-10 / 195 / R/RWauconda, 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 Moerman5-11 / 190 / R/RLockport, 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/RBolingbrook, 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/RBroomfield, 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 Shepherd6-2 / 180 / R/RIndianapolis, 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