MARSHALL, Minn. – Southwest Minnesota State University head baseball coach Paul Blanchard announced today that four high school standouts have recently signed letters of intent to continue their academic and baseball careers at SMSU.

Joining the SMSU program for the 2015 season include catcher Noah Bluth from Minneapolis, pitcher Alex Jorgensen from De Pere, Wis., catcher Jon Leighton from Victoria, Minn., and outfielder/infielder Jake Wendland from Hutchinson, Minn.

"Overall, we've had a great start to our recruiting class for this year," Blanchard said. "We've signed four players that will all contribute significantly. We needed to add depth at the catching position due to our impending graduations the next two seasons. We are very excited about the two players we have signed at that position. We also added a very good left-handed hitter and a right-handed pitcher. We still have much to do and anticipate signing several more players later this spring."

Bluth, a senior at St. Anthony Village High School for coach Troy Urdahl, was named all-conference and all-section last season. He is also a team captain on the basketball team.

"Noah has a great skill set for catching," Blanchard said. "He's flexible, has a strong arm and can hit well. His size will allow him to keep improving."

Jorgensen, a senior at De Pere High School for coach Bob Van Rens, tossed 33 innings last spring with 30 strikeouts and finished with a 2-2 record and a 4.67 ERA. A 2014 team captain, Jorgensen helped lead De Pere to a 2013 region championship allowing one earned run over six innings. He finished with a 3.82 ERA in 40 innings during the 2013 Legion season.

"Alex will be a solid starting pitcher for us," Blanchard said. "He has the size and he's very projectable. We are fortunate to have him in our program. He's a solid student and teammate."

Leighton, a senior at Chanhassen High School for coach Cullen Bahn, batted .372 with 23 RBIs during the 2013 Legion season and led the team with a .460 OBP.

"We've seen Jon play since the 9th grade," Blanchard said. "He's a late bloomer and has improved his skills each year. His arm strength and hitting ability have increased dramatically with his added strength."

Wendland, a senior at Hutchinson High School for coach Scott Renning, was named honorable mention all-conference last season. He also played football and helped Hutchinson to back-to-back state championships in 2012 and 2013.

"Jake has very good ability as a hitter and can play multiple positions," Blanchard said. "We like his versatility and look for him to be an offensive threat right away."

Southwest Minnesota State, located in Marshall, is a member of NCAA Division II and competes in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.