Two White County baseball stars sign with UGA

The University of Georgia baseball recruiting class added six more signees Tuesday, including two standouts from White County High.

Warriors pitchers Luke Crumley and David Sosebee joined pitcher Jarrett Brown, outfielder Hunter Cole, catcher/infielder Nicky Delmonico and outfielder DJ Smith in signing national letters-of-intent to attend UGA.

A 6-foot-5, 190-pound right-hander, Luke is the son of Landry and Sandy Crumley of Cleveland. He helped the Warriors post a 19-8 record last season as they advanced to the Class AAA playoffs. Crumley is rated the number eight prep player in Georgia by Perfect Game. He was named to the 7-AAA All-Region squad after going 5-3 with a 2.98 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 47 innings pitched during 2010. Also, he batted .416 with 10 home runs and 31 RBI. As a sophomore, he led the Warriors with 48 strikeouts in 34.2 innings pitched and had a 3.63 ERA.

"Luke is a tall right-hander with a good arm who projects well," said Bulldogs coach David Perno. "His best baseball is ahead of him, and we're glad he will be at Georgia where we can help him develop."

He will be joined in Athens by Sosebee, a 6-1, 180-pound right-hander. David is the son of Todd and Rena Sosebee. The senior also played a key role last season, also being named to the 7-AAA All-Region squad after going 7-1 with a 0.76 ERA and 101 strikeouts in 55 innings pitched. He led White County in wins and ERA.

"David is a strike-thrower, and his stuff has been getting better each year," said Perno. "He has the right mentality and is a great fit for our pitching staff. He is a high school teammate of Luke (Crumley), and we're looking forward to having them both at Georgia."

-- A brief look at the other signees:

Brown is a 6-3, 180-pound left-handed pitcher. He attends Salem High School where he plays for coach Chad Kitchens.

Cole is a 6-1, 185-pound right-handed hitter. He is the top-ranked prep player in South Carolina and 28th in the country according to Perfect Game's national rankings. He batted .458 with nine home runs and 31 RBIs as a junior for the Dorman High School Cavaliers and coach Benjamin Waddle.

Delmonico is a 6-3, 210-pound left-handed hitter. He has helped lead Farragut High School to three straight state Class AAA titles under the direction of coach Matt Buckner. For the past two summers, he has played for the USA national team and won two gold medals for Team USA at the Pan American Junior Championships. He was a member of the 16U team in 2008 and the 18U squad in 2009. Also, he participated in the Under Armour High School All-American game at Wrigley Field in Chicago. He was featured in an August issue of Sports Illustrated for best up-and-coming prep athletes. He is rated among the top prep players in the country by Perfect Game. He has two older brothers, Tony who is in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization after a standout career at Tennessee and Florida State, and Joey, a junior catcher on the current Bulldog squad. Nicky's father Rod served as the University of Tennessee baseball coach from 1990-2007.

Smith is a 6-2, 185-pound right-handed hitter. He is an honor student at Sequoyah High School in Canton, where he plays for coach Joseph Jones. He batted a team-best .403 with 25 RBI in leading the Chiefs to the state playoffs as a sophomore. They went 16-12, and he earned first team All-Region and All-County honors as well as offensive MVP. As a junior, he hit .317-2-7. Also, DJ has lettered in football and has earned academic honors including the Lamp of Knowledge.

The early national signing period continues through Nov. 17, and the Bulldogs will announce additional members of their recruiting class throughout the week.