West Central Reporter

Western Illinois University’s baseball program has announced the signing of five new student-athletes for its 2026 recruiting class. The announcement was made on National Signing Day, with the Leathernecks adding four pitchers and a catcher, all of whom bring experience from competitive junior college programs.

Head coach Davis expressed optimism about the incoming group. "We are very excited to welcome this group to Macomb on National Signing Day. The interest in our program continues to grow, and to be able to address some needs early on in the recruiting process validates that. These young men are not only good baseball players, but the type of people that we need in our program to continue to grow here at Western. I also want to give a huge shoutout to Coach Merrigan, our Recruiting Coordinator, and our entire Coaching Staff for the countless hours they have put into this class."

Recruiting coordinator Coach Merrigan also commented on the new additions: "We feel very excited about the class joining us in the early signing period. These outstanding student-athletes will carry our great culture on and off the field. Each one of these Student-Athletes will make an immediate impact on our team for the 2026 fall, and the coaching staff feels our program has addressed some immediate needs for next year. With the signing of these student athletes in the early period, it has really capped off a terrific fall, and we look to carry this momentum into the spring season."

The new recruits include:

- Kollin Asbury (RHP), who played at Kankakee Community College after attending Armstrong Township High School in Potomac, Illinois. He earned several honors including VVC All-County First Team and participated in multiple sports during high school.

Coach Davis said: "We are very excited that Kollin will be joining our program. Kollin had an outstanding freshman campaign at Kankakee, notching 7 wins, 68 IP, 71 K's, and a 3.28 ERA. Kollin will be expected to be a huge piece of the rotation and to make an immediate impact on our program."

- Seth Harris (LHP), who comes from Frontier Community College by way of McCracken County High School in Paducah, Kentucky.

Coach Davis stated: "Seth is a left-hand specialist who can pitch every day and will compete at a very high level. He comes from a very competitive high school program before Frontier CC, where he posted 17 APP, 24 IP, 27 K's, and 3.65 ERA as a Freshman. Seth will help our staff in many ways."

- Danny Rollins (Catcher), arriving from Southeastern Community College after time at Murray State.

Coach Davis commented: "Danny is a very good defensive catcher who spent two years at a program that went to Omaha, and this season at one of the best D2 JCs in the country. His toughness and competitiveness is what we were attracted to and look forward to Danny bringing those attributes to our program."

- Chris Iannuzzi (RHP), also from Southeastern Community College.

Coach Davis remarked: "Chris will help out the pitching staff in a variety of ways, and once again, comes to us from a very competitive JC Program. Chris is another guy who can throw a lot after posting 31 APP, 41 IP, 40 K's, and just 9 BB's in his freshman season at Southeastern CC. Premium strike thrower that will add value Day 1."

- Keaton Favre (RHP), joins from Lewis and Clark Community College after playing high school baseball at Highland High School.

Coach Davis said: "Keaton is a huge arm that has very low mileage, had a good fall, and has better days ahead of him. With an FB up to 92, and possibly more, we are very excited about the future with Keaton, the impact he can have on our program and beyond."

Each player cited factors such as coaching staff quality or academic opportunities as reasons for choosing Western Illinois University.

For ongoing updates about Leatherneck Baseball or further information about recruits or upcoming seasons visit GoLeathernecks.com or follow their official social media channels.