Dec. 9, 2009

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The Samford Baseball coaching staff recently released the names of the 10 players added to the program in the 2010 Signing Class in the early period. Today we continue the series of profiles on each of the players with a detailed article released on them with their full backgrounds leading to their arrival at Samford. Today's baseball signee in the spotlight is Brandon Powell.

Brandon Powell (6-1, 185, OF, Second Baptist High School, Houston, Texas) is an outstanding outfielder and hitter from Second Baptist High School in Houston. Powell completed his junior season by hitting .360 with 25 runs batted in. His efforts helped lead him to All-District and High School All-Star honors as well as leading the team to a State Championship last year. Saving his best play for when it mattered most for the second season in a row, he hit .600 with 10 runs batted in during the playoff run. As a result he was selected to the All-State Tournament Team.

"We had an opportunity to see Brandon and spend time with him at one of our camps," Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. "Brandon is an outstanding player and athlete that has performed at a high level at the most pressure time in his career. He gives us another top player on a team that has experienced success."

Powell had a strong sophomore season as well hitting .375 with two home runs and 30 runs batted in. He was named All-District and selected for Team Texas in the Sunbelt Classic in Oklahoma. During the playoffs, he hit .523 to help lead the team to the Final Four. Following his junior season he played for the Columbia Angels in the Texas Premier Baseball league and hit .480 with three home runs and 35 runs batted in.

Powell also excels in the classroom as a member of both the National Honor Society and the Science National Honor Society.

"Brandon is a great fit for us on and off the field," Dunn said. "He is an outstanding student and comes from a great family. We wanted to add another high school outfielder who had the ability to help right away, as well as providing us with stability in the future."

Samford is returning all three starting outfielders from last year's team, and each of them is a senior this season so Powell will have an opportunity to battle for outfield time as a freshman next season.