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.