Aug. 24, 2006

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Below are write-ups on all six of Samford's 2006 signees.

Steven Ballard (6-0, 190, SS, Bayside Academy High School, Daphne, Ala.) is a left-handed hitting shortstop with an outstanding glove defensively and the ability to hit for a high average. Ballard is finishing his impressive high school career at Bayside Academy where he initially played for current Samford recruiting coordinator Tony David as a starting freshman. An extremely good athlete, Ballard has also spent the last couple of falls as the starting quarterback as well.

"Steven has had a great high school career and has also been to our camps," Samford head coach Casey Dunn said. "We feel we have a good feel for what he can do, plus playing for Coach David gives us an even better idea about his ability and make up. He is a good athlete and swings from the left side. We are excited about having him join our program."

Ballard helped lead his team to the semifinals of the state playoffs. His outstanding senior season that included an average of over .500 and eight home runs concluded with an All-State honor as well as the Mobile Register's Deadly Diamond Baseball team.

As a junior he hit .511 with 24 stolen bases, 46 RBI and 53 runs scored. He received several honors during and just after the season including Rotary Club Athlete of the Month for Baldwin County, Bayside Academy's Most Outstanding Offensive Player, Alabama Sports Writer's Association All-State Team and an honorable mention on the Mobile Register Deadly Diamond Team.

Wayne Miller (6-1, 185, SS, Bearden High School, Knoxville, Tenn.) is a highly recruited middle infielder with power-hitting potential, good range and an outstanding glove.

"We had the opportunity to see him play a couple of times this summer and loved his talent and the way he plays the game," Dunn said. "He is an intense player on the field and plays as hard as anybody. He will make another great addition to this program on the field and in the classroom."

Miller completed his junior season in high school in impressive fashion with a .400 batting average, nine home runs, 33 RBI, 38 runs, 12 doubles and two triples on his way to being named to the All-District and All-Region teams.

He was also selected as his team's Most Valuable Offensive Player. This followed a solid sophomore year were he hit .330, with three home runs, 21 RBI and nine doubles on his way to receiving the Newcomer of the Year award at his school.

Marcus Rodriguez (6-2, 200, 3B, Barron Collier High School, Naples, Fla) is one of the top prospects in the country from one of the best high school programs in the talent-rich state of Florida. Rodriguez was ranked the #210 Best Player in the country earlier this year by Baseball America and his team was the top-ranked 5A team in Florida and it was ranked 17th in the country overall by Baseball America his junior season.

"Marcus is a well-known and top prospect from Florida," Dunn said. "He is a guy that has played at an extremely high level in one of the most challenging baseball areas in the country. He will be an outstanding addition to Samford on the field and in the classroom."

Rodriguez helped lead his team to the high rankings with a .330 batting average while leading the team with 28 runs batted in. He received All-County and All-Area Team honors after the season.

He played for the prestigious Florida Bombers summer program and was apart of the WWBA under 18 National Champions. Also excelling academically, Rodriguez was the winner of the Academic Excellence Award each year from Barron Collier and is a member of the National Honor Society.

Tripp Swann (6-3, 190, LHP, Montgomery Academy, Montgomery, Ala) is an outstanding prospect in the midst of a dominant high school career and considered one of the top three left-handed pitchers in the state.

"We are very excited to have Tripp joining our program," Dunn said. "He had his choice of a lot of programs and are happy he chose Samford. We definitely felt he was one of the top three left-handed pitchers in our state and a definite priority sign."

Swann is an outstanding athlete that has also spent the last few years as the starting quarterback at Montgomery Academy High School leading his team to another playoff win recently.

Swann has completed back-to-back All-State pitching performances following his sophomore and junior seasons while leading his team deep into the high school playoffs. As a sophomore, he was 9-1 with 109 strikeouts in 72 innings. His 3-0 playoff record was highlighted by a 19 strikeout performance in a dramatic 2-1 victory in the quarterfinals.

His junior season was as impressive and more dominant, posting a 9-2 record while striking out 140 batters in 80 innings and posting a 1.82 ERA. In addition, he led the team in hitting as well as collecting five home runs.

Heading into his senior season, Swann is 12th overall on the career strike out list for the state of Alabama. He was voted First Team All-State by the Alabama Sports Writers Association and the Birmingham News. He was also selected to the ABCA Super 100 after both his sophomore and junior years. He helped lead his team to the finals twice and semifinals once in his three high school seasons so far.

Swann chose Samford over Alabama, Arkansas and Birmingham-Southern.

Daniel Payne (6-4, 210, RHP, Manatee Community College, Valrico, Fla) is an outstanding right-handed pitcher from one of the top junior college programs in the entire country.

"Daniel is coming out of one of the top junior college programs and areas in the country and will be battle tested at an extremely high level," Dunn said. "He is a guy that has the experience to allow him to be able to step in right away for us next season. He is an outstanding athlete with a good frame that gives him an opportunity to get even better."

Payne is one of the top returning pitchers on a staff that helped lead Manatee to a No. 1 ranking in Florida and No. 3 ranking in the country for most of the year. He was recently named as a pre-season All-Star for Florida Junior Colleges.

As a freshman last season, Payne pitched as well as playing first base and some outfield. On the mound he finished the year with a perfect 3-0 record with an impressive 1.25 ERA with 36 strikeouts in 36 innings pitched. He finished the year third in the state in ERA. He completed his high school career at Bloomingdale High School by being named to the Florida 6A All-State team after his junior and senior seasons.

Payne finished his senior season with a 7-1 record and a 2.15 ERA. He was selected to All-District, All-Conference, and All-State teams. As a junior he helped lead his team to a No. 2 ranking in 6A with a 28-2 record while showing his athleticism off the mound by hitting .404 with three home runs and leading the county in RBI.

Trent Hill (6-2, 200, RHP, Jasper, Ala., Mississippi State University) appeared in seven games last season at Mississippi State, including one start. He posted a 4.15 ERA in 13.0 innings of work. He pitched 4.0 innings without giving up a run as a freshman in 2005.

"Trent is an outstanding addition to our baseball program," Dunn said. "He has competed well at a very high level. Once he decided to transfer, he really had his pick of a number of schools and we are excited that he chose Samford."

Hill, a native of Jasper, Ala., was a four-year starter as a pitcher and shortstop at Walker High School. He had a four-year batting average of .342. He was named first team All-State as a junior, and honorable mention All-State as a sophomore and senior.

Hill joins a Samford team that set a school record with 34 wins and an Ohio Valley Conference record with 21 league victories.