North Carolina head baseball coach Mike Fox got an early Christmas present this morning with the announcement of 19 new student-athletes signing their letters of intent to play in Chapel Hill next Spring. Coach Fox’s haul includes four of the top 75 prospects according to Baseball America, as well as six of the top 200, according to Perfect Game.

“My staff has put together another outstanding class and we are very excited to bring these young men to the University of North Carolina,” Fox says. “Coach Jackson has once again done a tremendous job leading our recruiting efforts along with the tireless work of Coach Forbes and Coach Gaines. I know that this group is made up of the type of student-athletes who will make our University proud while competing at the highest level both on the field and in the classroom.”

Leading the class are outfielder Jahmai Jones (No.47 Baseball America, No.17 Perfect Game) and OF/1B Desmond Lindsey (No.49 Baseball America, No.52 Perfect Game).  Jones, out of Roswell, Georgia, is rated as the fourth-ranked high school outfielder in the nation, while his outfield counterpart Lindsey, from Bradenton, FL, is also rated as the nation’s No. 4 first baseman.

Joining them at the top are catcher Wyatt Cross (No. 74 Baseball America, No. 40 Perfect Game), the nation’s second-ranked catching prospect hailing from Broomfield, Colorado, and left-handed pitcher Brendon Little (No.57 Baseball America, No. 124 Perfect Game).  Little, from Malvern, Pennsylvania is considered to be the top lefty in his state.

Twelve members in the class are ranked among the top 25 high-schoolers in their home states. This includes in-state commits Cole Aiker from Kernersville and Josh Hiatt from Mooresville. Both are right-handed pitchers. Overall, seven of the 19-player class are homegrown from the state of North Carolina.

These new prospects will look to continue the strong tradition of UNC baseball and add to Coach Fox’s already impressive collection of College World Series appearances.