COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio State head baseball coach Bob Todd today announced the signing of four student-athletes to national letters of intent. The four, all of them freshmen, are RHP Cole Brown, outfielder Hunter Mayfield, RHP Brett McKinney and catcher Steel Russell.

Brown and Mayfield are both from Tallahassee, Fla., and were teammates at Lawton Chiles High School. McKinney is from Hamilton, Ohio and attended Badin High School. Steel is from the Philadelphia suburb of Wyndmoor, Pa., where he attended Chestnut Hill Academy.

"This is a smaller class of recruits," Todd said, "but we like the ability that all four of these players have. They are the type of players who, if they reach their potential, will help the Buckeyes be contenders for Big Ten Conference championships."

Brown, a 5-11, 200-pound right-handed pitcher, only made two appearances in his senior season due to injury. During his sophomore and junior campaigns, Brown combined to go 8-4 on the mound with 110 strikeouts in 95 innings pitched.

His high school teammate, Mayfield, is a left-handed hitting outfielder. The 6-0, 180-pounder batted .369 with three doubles, four triples, four home runs and 34 runs scored in his senior season after posting a .438 batting average with four doubles and 22 runs scored the year before.

McKinney, a 6-2, 225 pound right-hander from Hamilton Badin was named the 2009 D-III Player of the Year in the state of Ohio. Also a football standout, McKinney combined to go 18-2 with 145 strikeouts in 124 innings pitched his final two high school seasons. 

Steel, a Philadelphia Daily News honorable mention all-Southeastern Pennsylvania pick as a senior, hit .450 this past season for Chestnut Hill Academy with four home runs and 32 RBI. He is the son of John Russell, the manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The four freshmen will join the 27 returning members of the team for their first official fall ball practice Monday at 10:30 a.m. at Bill Davis Stadium.

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