University of Evansville baseball coach Wes Carroll added a pair of pitchers to his 2011 roster on Friday, as Carroll announced the signings of 6’8 right-handed pitcher James Kohler (Ames, Iowa/Ames) and 6’1 left-hander Cole Isom (Hopkinsville, Ky./Christian County) to National Letters of Intent.
“Both James and Cole have the potential to be important members of our pitching staff over the next four years,” said Carroll. “Both men have tremendous upside and both have live arms which should only get stronger as they develop in our program. Both men also come from solid backgrounds, and both James and Cole should help our program both on and off of the diamond over the next four years.”
Kohler excelled both athletically and academically as a three-sport standout at Ames High School in Iowa. On the diamond, Kohler earned second team all-conference honors in baseball last summer, as he not only pitched, but also hit .275 with seven home runs offensively at first base. This summer, Kohler has already launched a pair of home runs offensively, while opening the season with five perfect innings on the mound, before throwing seven shutout innings in his second outing, while striking out 12. Kohler also started at center for an Ames basketball team which won 53 games in a row as back-to-back undefeated state champions in the state of Iowa, while also earning all-state honors in football as an offensive lineman, as he is considered one of the nation’s top offensive line prospects at 6’8, 240 pounds. He also carries a perfect 4.0 grade point average in the classroom.
“James is someone who has the potential to make a huge impact on our pitching staff over the next four years if he continues to develop,” said Carroll. “The sky is really the limit with him, as he has never truly focused just on baseball before. Now, with him putting all of his time and effort into baseball, I could really see him taking off and emerging as a power pitcher for our staff over the next four years.”
Isom, meanwhile, shines on the mound and the outfield at Christian County High School in nearby Hopkinsville, Kentucky. On the mound, Isom finished his senior year with a 5-4 record and 2.75 ERA, striking out 106 men in 71.1 innings of work. Offensively, Isom hit .382 with 12 doubles, two home runs and 14 RBI, while going 32-for-40 in the stolen base department as the Colonels’ centerfielder. As a junior, Isom earned all-district and all-region honors, while being named to the Kentucky Junior All-State team and the Kentucky East/West Junior All-Star Game. He was recently ranked sixth in iHigh’s Top 100 high school baseball players in the state of Kentucky.
“Cole has the potential to be a very good addition to our pitching staff over the next four years,” said Carroll. “He has shown a good breaking ball and change-up to go along with a low- to mid-80s fastball.”
Kohler and Isom are the first players to sign with UE during the spring signing period. They join fall signees Ryan Billo (Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg), Tim Bodine (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township), Kevin Kaczmarski (Cary, Ill./Prairie Ridge), Jacob Mahon (Plain City, Ohio/Jonathan Alder), David Patton (Wolcottville, Ind./East Noble), Peter Spear (Itasca, Ill./Lake Park), Brett Wiley (Huntington, Ind./Huntington North) and Matt Wilkinson (Evansville, Ind./North) as the newest members of the UE baseball program.
