AIKEN, S.C. – University of South Carolina Aiken baseball head coach Kenny Thomas is pleased to announce the signings of Robert Ard, Collin Beasley, Erik Davis, Ryan Hunt, Joseph Marlow, Brad Taylor, Zachary Trombley and Ben Utley to National Letters of Intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at USC Aiken beginning in the Fall of 2014.

“What a great class we were able to get this fall,” Thomas said. “We went after what we thought to be our needs with the idea of getting the best players we could get and I feel like we got about as close to that goal as possible.

“Led by Coach Walck, the assistant coaches did a great job with many tireless hours put into this class. I know Pacer fans will enjoy seeing these guys when they arrive here at USC Aiken.

“Three JUCO pitchers and a high school pitcher set the tone for the class. We got a JUCO catcher and two very talented high school infielders (Hunt & Utley). We feel like Utley has a chance to be a two-way player with great stuff on the mound. We also continue to go to Colorado and get solid hitters."

Ard, a 6-0 catcher from Lynchburg, S.C., attended East Clarendon H.S. He is currently at USC Salkehatchie. While at East Clarendon, he was a two-time all-state and all-region selection. As a senior, he was the Offensive Player of the Year. During Ard's junior campaign, he was tabbed the team MVP.

Beasley, a 6-1 pitcher from Harlem, Ga., went 3-1 on the mound as a junior. He also boasted a solid .325 average at the plate. Beasley is the younger brother of Derek, who is currently on the USC Aiken baseball team.

Davis, a 6-2 pitcher/designated hitter from Black Creek, Ga., attended Savannah Christian Prep School before enrolling at Georgia Perimeter College. While at GPC, he recorded a .370 batting average and belted three round-trippers. At Savannah Christian Prep School, he batted .350 and had an OPS of 1.200 while guiding his team to a conference championship. Davis earned all-region honors and was the team MVP.

Hunt, a 5-10 middle infielder from Glen Burnie, Md., attends Archbishop Spalding H.S. He has currently started at second base for the last two seasons. The two-time team captain posted a .392 average at the plate as a sophomore with 13 RBI and 10 runs scored. Hunt drove in 15 runs and scored 18 during his junior campaign. He is a member of the National Honor Society.

Marlow is a 6-5 hurler from Kennesaw, Ga. After graduating from Kennesaw Mountain H.S., he enrolled at Georgia Perimeter College. While at Kennesaw Mountain H.S., Marlow was a three-time MVP. He picked up all-region and all-county accolades twice. As a junior, he batted .425 with eight homers and 52 RBI while going 8-2 on the mound. As a senior, he was 9-2. At GPC, Marlow recorded 22 innings of work with a 0.00 ERA and 11 strikeouts.

Taylor is a 6-4 right-handed pitcher from Fitzgerald, Ga. While at Fitzgerald H.S., Taylor amassed a 47-12 record over a four-year span. He registered 382 strikeouts as well. At the plate, he batted over .400 during his sophomore and junior campaigns. For his career, Taylor drove in 150 runs. A three-time all-state selection and a four-year all-region honoree, Taylor was tabbed the Region Pitcher of the Year as a junior. He was also selected to the all-middle Georgia and all Tift-area teams on two occasions. He is coming to USC Aiken after a stint at Georgia Perimeter College. 

Trombley is a 6-0 infielder from Broomfield, Colo., and attends Holy Family H.S. As a junior, he totaled a .464 batting average with a .544 OBP and a .788 slugging percentage. Trombley drove in 35 runs and had 16 extra-base hits en route to being a first-team all-state selection. Trombley guided his team to a Class 3-A state championship.

Utley is a 6-1 third-baseman and pitcher from Lawrenceville, Ga., that attends Mountain View H.S. As a junior, Utley batted .335 and carried a .475 on-base percentage. He picked up Player of the Month honors three times in his career. During his junior campaign, Utley was tabbed the team's Most Valuable Offensive Player. He guided his Team Elite squad to the national Perfect Game tournament.

Thomas and his 2014 squad open the season at home Feb. 1 against Lincoln Memorial. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.