Players from all over Illinois came to Eastern on Tuesday to promote themselves to college scouts at the 2006 Baseball Summer Showcase.

The players began their day by checking in at the coach’s station and picking up their uniforms. The players then had a pro style combine and baseball skills testing.

“We went through a pro tryout to test their arms, they ran the 60-yard dash and they hit in the cages, but we think they need to play a game and that’s the key part, to see them live in a game,” Eastern head coach and director of the showcase Jim Schmitz said.

The players also went through a recruiting seminar and an instructional, which is an NCAA requirement. Coaches are not allowed to just bring people in and try them out; the NCAA says some instruction must be involved.

The coaches spent one session for about half an hour covering some fundamentals. The players go to their designated area where the coaches try to cover one area of fundamentals that is not covered in high school.

Although he did not name any specific names, Schmitz said that he has his eyes on a couple of kids to try to recruit to Eastern that he said he previously did not know about, as he felt those players stood out during the showcase.

In the afternoon, the players divided into four teams and scrimmaged against each other. Each game consisted of nine innings, but instead of the typical three outs and switch, each team got five batters per inning. After the five players had batted, the teams would switch regardless of number of outs or players on base. The batters also could not be walked, if the pitcher threw four balls the count would reset.

The players came to the showcase with one thought on their minds, to impress the college scouts.

“I came out here to get some recognition from some of the schools around here, but I mainly came just to play ball,” third baseman Mike Maziarz said. “I love to play ball, it’s my favorite thing to do in the world.”

Some of the players came to not only impress scouts, but to see how well they measured up to the competition.

“I came to see where I was and the level I’m at and see if I can get something for college,” catcher and centerfield Bryan Friedrich said. “I think the other team did pretty good, they impressed me a little bit.”

With so many players showing up to play and get recognized by scouts, the players were forced to alternate fielding so everyone could get the chance to showcase their talents.

“We each play about three or four innings on defense, but everyone gets the chance to hit,” infielder Shane Brandt said.

The showcase featured some of the best players from Illinois, all of which will graduate between 2007 and 2010. The showcase also is a great fundraiser; it is a one-day event that raises about $4,000. It allows Eastern to promote its program, raise some money and meet a few kids to recruit that may not have been a priority before the showcase.