Tuesday, December 16, 2003

Valparaiso University head baseball coach Paul Twenge announced the signing of five players to national letters of intent. The signees include lefthanded pitcher Aaron Rank of Waterford (Wis.) Union HS; outfielder Korey Pulluaim of John Glenn HS in Walkerton, Ind.; righthanded pitcher Derek Smith of Kokomo (Ind.) HS; righthanded pitcher Michael Stankiewicz of Maine West HS in Des Plaines, Ill.; and lefthanded pitcher Patrick Kenney Bracco of Fenwick HS in Oak Park, Ill.

Rank, 6'6", 205-pounds, earned First Team All-Lakeshore Conference honors in 2003 as a junior and was named second team all-conference as a sophomore.

Pulluaim was a member of John Glenn's state final four team and earned All-Northern State Conference honors as a junior. Smith, a 6'3", 215-pounder, has earned two letters at Kokomo.

Stankiewicz, 6'3", 190-pounds, was selected to the 2003 Central Suburban North Conference All-Star Team. In 2003, he tied Maine West's single-season save record (5). Kenney Bracco, 6'2", 185-pounds, helped Fenwick capture Chicago Catholic League championships the last three years. He has compiled a 7-2 record over the last two seasons.

All of the signees will enroll in the Fall of 2004.