Baseball | 12/6/2016 4:16:00 PM

STATESBORO, GA. – Georgia Southern Head Baseball Coach Rodney Hennon has announced the signing of 15 student-athletes to National Letters of Intent (NLI) in the 2016 early signing period. Five members of the class are ranked among the nation's Top 500 players by Perfect Game, with 12 coming from the Peach State.
 
"We are very excited about our early signing class," said Coach Hennon. "These young men will be outstanding additions to our program as we fill the needs of our roster for the 2018 season. I believe there is a very good mix of quality left-handed and right-handed pitching in this group. Position wise, the class features a talented group with a good blend of power and athleticism. We are grateful that all of these young men have chosen Georgia Southern and our staff looks forward to helping each of them develop on and off the field in the coming years. Coach Green and Coach Beck worked extremely hard in putting this class together and they are to be commended for their efforts."

Christian Avant
RHP/C | 6-0 | 170 | R/R
Tift County H.S. | Tifton, Ga.

A product of Tift County High School, Christian Avant has signed with the Eagles following three seasons under coach Kyle Kirk. A right-handed pitcher, Avant earned the Most Outstanding Pitcher award as a junior.

Cole Brannen
OF | 6-1 | 188 | L/R
The Westfield School | Elko, Ga.

Joining the Eagles from Elko, Ga., Cole Brannen has had a standout career through four seasons with The Westfield School under coach Rob Fitzpatrick. He was named the top prospect at the 2014 Under Armour Pre-Season Rookie All-America Event. Selected to the 2016 Perfect Game All-American Classic in 2016 and was named a 2016 Perfect Game Preseason Underclassmen All-American. Also plays for Chain Baseball under coach Andy Burress. Brannen currently ranks No. 3 in Georgia and No. 11 nationally on Perfect Game's 2017 player rankings.

Griffin Davis
RHP | 6-2 | 201 | R/R
Statesboro H.S. | Statesboro, Ga.

Statesboro native Griffin Davis has signed to play for his hometown team, joining the Eagles after earning all-region honors in 2016. A product of Statesboro High School, Davis played for coach Jim Simmons where he posted an 8-3 record and a 1.50 ERA as a junior. He plays his club ball for Team Elite, tossing a pair of combined no-hitters.

Zach Fordham
LHP | 6-4 | 190 | R/L
Buford H.S. | Buford, Ga.

Joining the Eagles from Buford, Ga., Zach Fordham played his prep ball at Buford High School under coach Tony Wolfe. In 2016 he was named a Perfect Game Preseason Underclassmen All-America Honorable Mention. He was also named to seven all-tournament teams during the 2016 season while playing for East Cobb Colt .45's 16U team.

Johns Hamilton
OF/INF | 6-3 | 190 | R/R
Greater Atlanta Christian | Duluth, Ga.

A product of Greater Atlanta Christian, Johns Hamilton joins the Eagles after playing four seasons for the Spartans under coach Robbie Wilson. He played his club ball for Georgia Jackets National, earning an honorable mention nod to the 2016 Perfect Game Preseason Underclassmen All-America team. Hamilton was selected to the All-Tournament Team of the 2016 Perfect Game East Cobb Invitational.

Hayden Harris
LHP/OF | 6-0 | 175 | L/L
Grovetown H.S. | Augusta, Ga.

Hayden Harris is an all-region outfielder (2015) and pitcher (2016) for Grovetown High School in Augusta. Harris, the first Division I signee in school history, played under coach Nick Wanderless for the Warriors. On the club side, Harris plays for A-Team 2017 where he earned All-Tournament Team honors at the 2016 Labor Day at LakePoint Tournament. 

Austin Hohm
RHP | 5-7 | 157 | R/R
Brookwood H.S. | Snellville, Ga.

Austin Hohm signs with the Eagles after a standout career at Brookwood High School under coach Titus Martin. He was named the 2016 Region 8-6A Pitcher of the Year and is a 2017 Preseason All-State honoree. As a junior, Hohm pitched in 30 games with a 1.40 ERA and 53 strikeouts. On the club side, Hohm plays for Team Elite Prime under coach Brad Bouras.

David Johnson
RHP | 6-2 | 170 | R-R
Homeschooled | Tucker, Ga.

A native of Tucker, Ga., David Johnson is set to join the Eagles after playing with the Ninth Inning Royals club team. Named a Top-500 National Player by Perfect Game, Johnson has been named to the Perfect Game Preseason Underclassmen All-America teams as an honorable mention in 2015 and 2016.

Seth Johnston
LHP | 6-3 | 185 | L/L
South Gwinnett H.S. | Snellville, Ga.

Seth Johnston is set to join the Eagles from Snellville's South Gwinnett High School, where he played for coach Steve Teschner. In 2015, Johnston was an honorable mention all-county pick at pitcher for the Comets. A standout football player, Johnston was also named Region 8-6A Quarterback and Offensive Player of the Year in 2016. In club ball, he plays for Team Elite under coach Romas Hicks.

Zach Perdue
MIF/OF | 5-9 | 155 | R/R
Langston Hughes H.S. | Atlanta, Ga.

A product of Langston Hughes High School in Fairburn, Ga., Zach Perdue has signed with the Eagles after playing under coach Charles Foster. Perdue was named all-region and all-state after hitting .455 as a junior while tallying 14 extra base hits. On the club side, Perdue plays for East Cobb Athletics.

Noah Searcy
OF | 6-1 | 210 | R/L
Atlantic Coast H.S. | Jacksonville, Fla.

A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Noah Searcy comes to Georgia Southern after playing at Atlantic Coast High School for coach Joel Davis. A teammate of fellow 2016 signee Jason Swan, Searcy was a second-team all-state selection for the Stingrays. As a junior, Searcy hit .429 with four home runs. Searcy also played club ball for FTB Mizuno under coach Trevor Berryhill.

Cody Shook
OF/C | 6-3 | 205 | R/R
Newsome H.S. | Lithia, Fla.

Cody Shook joins the Eagles after a standout career at Newsome High School under coach Dick Rohrberg where he is set to graduate with honors. He plays his club ball with Ostinger's Select Team, earning all-tournament team honors three times over his career.

Jason Swan
SS | 6-1 | 175 | R/R
Atlantic Coast H.S. | Jacksonville, Fla.

Jacksonville's Jason Swan has signed with the Eagles after a prep career at Atlantic Coast High School alongside fellow 2016 signee Noah Searcy. A two-time all-conference selection, Swan hit .476 with 34 runs scored as a junior. At Atlantic Coast, Swan played under coach Joel Davis. He also plays for FTB Tucci where he won the 2016 World Wood Bat U17 National Championship. Swan was a 2016 Perfect Game Preseason Underclassmen All-American Second-Team selection. He currently sits as the No. 39 ranked player in Florida and the No. 153 player nationally according to Perfect Game.

Austin Thompson
MIF | 5-9 | 180 | R/R
South Effingham County H.S. | Rincon, Ga.

A product of South Effingham County High School, Austin Thompson is set to join the Eagles after a standout career for the Mustangs under coach Johnny DeRing. The 2016 sub-region Player of the Year and First-Team All-State selection, Thompson hit .356 in the regular season and .576 in the playoffs with 10 RBIs. An outstanding student, Thompson is set to graduate with honors. Thompson also plays for Chain Baseball in Warner Robins with coach Andy Burress, earning a Top-500 national ranking from Perfect Game. He was also a 2016 Perfect Game Preseason Underclassmen All-America Third-Team selection.

Nolan Tressler
OF | 5-10 | 180 | L/L
Woodstock H.S. | Canton, Ga.

A native of Canton, Ga., Nolan Tressler joins the Eagles after his prep career at Woodstock High School with coach Jeff Brown. A second-team all-region selection in 2016, Tressler was named Offensive Player of the Year at Woodstock H.S. Tressler plays his club ball with East Cobb Astros and .45s where he has 18 All-Tournament Team selections. He is also ranked among the Top 500 national players by Perfect Game in addition to two Perfect Game Preseason Underclassmen All-America Team selections.

The 2017 Georgia Southern baseball season starts on Feb. 17 as the Eagles open a three-game series against Middle Tennessee. The following weekend sees Georgia's biennial trip to Statesboro for another three-game series. The 2017 campaign wraps-up with the Sun Belt Baseball Championships in Statesboro on Jack Stallings Field and J.I. Clements Stadium.

Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Fans can purchase tickets to Georgia Southern Athletics events by visiting GSEagles.com/Tickets.