Arizona is a relatively short flight from Chicago, and within days pitchers and catchers will report, giving the city's baseball fans a chance to escape the deep freeze. The White Sox recently moved their spring training facility away from Tucson to Glendale, but the college town is still a draw for transplants.
Bill Bedenbaugh has carved out a nice little niche for himself as the Arizona offensive line/running game coordinator. The Wildcats assistant is from St. Charles and later played at Iowa Wesleyan for Mike Leach, the passing-game savant, lover of pirates and his future boss at Texas Tech.
Part of Bedenbaugh's recruiting territory is Illinois, where he knows several coaches from his playing days. Bedenbaugh helped lure Nick Booth, the former Naperville North running back, out of the College of DuPage. This recruiting cycle Bedenbaugh landed North offensive lineman Jake Baratz. The assistant has also tried to convince Naperville Central wide receiver Riley O'Toole to accept a spot in Tucson as a preferred walk-on.
Over the phone on Wednesday, Bedenbaugh offered this nugget: Outside of Arizona and California, Illinois sends the most students to the university. That's general-population figures, but a specific selling point to recruits is New Year's Day.
"I grew up in that area. And you grow up watching the Big Ten vs. the Pac-10 in the Rose Bowl. Those people in the Midwest are more familiar with the Pac-10 than most parts of the country," Bedenbaugh said. "You grow up watching that and that being the bowl game. You get a feel for the other Pac-10 teams."
Leave a comment