Feature: Iowa Hawkeye Justin Toole

USA - Justin Toole has had the same dream since the first day he picked up a baseball as a youngster in Council Bluffs, Iowa. That dream is to be a major league baseball player. His vision could become reality with another big campaign in 2008 for the University of Iowa baseball team.

Toole was a sports icon at Lewis Central High School. It was there where he blew away competition on local diamonds with not only his bat, but with his stellar defense and pitching. Toole racked up plenty of awards during high school — he was named 2005 BCA/Louisville Slugger Iowa Player of the Year and the 2005 Bob Feller Class 4A Pitcher of the Year. He was also a three-time first-team all-state, and two-time all-state Super Team member. He was a four-time member of the all-conference, all-district, all-city and all-western teams.

In high school, Toole carried a career .420 batting average with 102 RBI and 103 stolen bases. He also amassed a 35-5 career pitching record with a 0.88 ERA, 432 strikeouts and 15 shutouts. Not bad for a player who was recruited as a middle infielder.

Toole was a multi-sport athlete at Lewis Central. He played wide receiver, cornerback and kicker in football and point guard in basketball. He was named all-conference and all-city in both sports. Toole was also an all-city selection as a goalkeeper in soccer.

“My dad was my high school baseball coach,” Toole said. “I loved playing everything else in high school, but that was more fun than any of the other sports. Growing up around the game with my dad being a coach, he was always there to help me out, whether it was playing soft toss or catch in the backyard. In the back of my mind I always knew I would be a baseball player.”

“We recruited him as an infielder that we felt could also help us on the mound,” UI head coach Jack Dahm said. “He has a tremendous curveball, so we knew he could come in and help us on the mound. We always saw him more as an infielder. He has evolved into one of the best infielders in the Big Ten and one of the best in the Midwest. He has worked so hard. The thing we really like about him is that we knew he would continue to grow, get stronger and he has a tremendous work ethic. Also, the fact that he is the son of a baseball coach and the fact he is a relentless worker and has a passion for the game.”

“I definitely want to win a Big Ten championship. I think we have the guys on the team to do that. We have the talent to do well and make it to regionals. It’s one of those things where once you get there, anything can happen. We just try to go out and play every day, do well and everything will fall into place,” added Toole.

Toole has played a versatile roll for the Hawkeyes, filling in at shortstop, second base and pitcher. As a freshman he saw valuable playing time as a pitcher, coming on in relief to hurl 22 innings. He had the third-best ERA on the team (2.86) with a 1-2 record and 17 strikeouts. Toole came out of his shell as a sophomore and made hitting look like a breeze with a .367 batting average in 147 at-bats. That included 11 doubles, two triples — his first and only homerun of his career — and 34 RBI. He had a save against Fresno State, but his arm would be limited to 2.1 innings of work during the year.

“His development as an infielder is why he doesn’t pitch anymore,” Dahm said. “He just kept getting better and better. We needed him out at second base as a sophomore — we needed him out there all the time. We felt like we would be a weaker ball club if we took Justin off second base and put him on the mound. He did come in and get a big save early in the season and we let him pitch one more time a little later on. He just developed into such a good everyday player for us that we didn’t want to take him off the field. Also, the wear and tear of being a pitcher is tough for an infielder. I think he is a natural second baseman from the fact as far as his arm strength goes to allow him to play at the next level.”

Part II - Justin Toole Feature Article