Cole and Smith Sign with Harper Baseball

Kayson Smith (left, sitting down) and Zach Cole (right, sitting down) with assistant coach Isaac Valdez (back left) and head coach Cliff Brown (back right). (Bill Smith

PALATINE, Ill. – The Harper College baseball program added two players to its 2016 recruiting class recently as Zach Cole and Kayson Smith signed their NJCAA Letters of Intent to play for the Hawks and head coach Cliff Brown next season.

Cole, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound middle infielder, attended Cherokee High School in Canton, Georgia and played for coach Jason McDaniel. A two-year varsity player, he was a 2016 Southeast Honorable Mention and 2016 MVP. In 2015, he was an All-Region player and Underclass Honorable Mention.

Cole is looking forward to his chance to play for Harper College and plans to major in Secondary Education.

"Harper is a whole different environment, and I look forward to experiencing this," he said. "Coach (Cliff) Brown and Coach Isaac (Valdez) are giving me an opportunity to play and continue my career in baseball."

Smith (left) and Cole (right) with their families on signing day. (Bill Smith)

Smith, a 6-foot-2, 210-pounder who can play third base and first base, attended Pope High School/Performance Learning Center. Smith and Cole were teammates on the East Cobb Nationals Baseball team for the last three years.

He is eager for the chance to play at Harper while completing his core classes.

"I feel like Harper would be a great baseball experience, and I will be able to advance more as a player," Smith said. "It's also an opportunity for me to complete my core classes and start my college baseball career."