COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Benedict College head baseball coach Selwyn Young has announced the signing of 19 baseball players for the 2016-17 season. Young is bringing in four transfer players and signed 15 freshmen to National Letters of Intent.

"I went for young players that can really hit," Young said. "I'm excited about the pitching depth. There's a lot of talent there and it is going to make for some competitive battles in the preseason. And they're really good students. Many of them come in with high GPAs."

The new players are:

Omar Colon

Bryan DeAza

Brandon Halbert

Alexis Laureano

Alex Madueke

Hector Mosquea

Josh Shaw

Anthony Simmons

Sammy Suarez

• Keati Buchanan, a 5-foot-8 freshman right-handed pitcher and third baseman from Johnston, S.C., where he was an All-Region selection for Strom Thurmond High School.
• Omar Colon, a transfer infielder and designated hitter from Davenport, Fla.
• Bryan DeAza, a 6-foot-2 right-handed freshman infielder from Bronx, N.Y.
• Christopher Floyd, a 5-foot-8 freshman catcher and outfielder from Los Angeles, Calif., where he played at Dorsey High School.
• Michael Garner, a freshman outfielder from Los Angeles, Calif.
• Brandon Halbert, a 6-foot-3 right-handed pitcher transferring from Milwaukee Area Technical College. He is a native of Chicago, Ill., where he played at King College Prep.
• Jacob Lagos, a 5-foot-6 left-handed freshman pitcher from Chandler High School in Chandler, Ariz.
• Dantrell Lucas, a freshman infielder from Chicago, Ill.
• Alexis Laureano, a 5-foot-7 right-handed pitcher transferring from Riverland Community College in Austin, Minn. He is a native of Puerto Rico.
• Alexander Madueke, a 6-foot-2 freshman shortstop and third baseman from Los Angeles, Calif., where he was the student body president at Dorsey High School. As a junior, he hit .628 with 25 stolen bases.
• Zahreed McClinton, a 5-foot-9 right-handed pitcher and outfielder from Columbia, S.C., where he played at Ridge View High School.
• Hector Mosquea, a 5-foot-10 shortstop transferring from Monroe Junior College and is a native of Bronx, N.Y., where he played at Archbishop Stepinac High School.
• Brian Nevils, a 6-foot-1 left-handed freshman pitcher from Chicago, Ill.
• Miguel Rodriguez, a 6-foot right-handed freshman outfielder from El Centro, Calif., where he played at Southwest High School.
• Joshua Shaw, a 6-foot freshman infielder and outfielder from Chicago, Ill., where he played at Morgan Park High School.
• Anthony Simmons, a 6-foot-2 outfielder and first baseman transfer from Dakota College at Bottineau in North Dakota, where he hit .316 last season. He is a native of Atlanta, Ga.
• Sammy Suarez, a 6-foot-3 catcher transferring from Delaware Tech Community College, and is from Columbiana, Ala., where he played at Shelby County High School.
• William Townsend, a left-handed pitcher, first baseman and outfielder from Evanston, Ill., where he played at Olive-Harvey Middle College High School.
• Darian Williams, a 6-foot-1 outfielder transferring from Community College of Baltimore County Dundalk. He hit .273 last season.