AUGUSTA, Ga. - Augusta State head baseball coach Chris Cooper announced Monday the signing of Menelik Vereen to a national letter-of-intent.

A 6-3, 200-pound outfielder from Lilburn, Ga., Vereen will join the Jaguar Baseball program for the Fall, 2010 semester.

A product of the powerhouse Parkview High School baseball program in metro-Atlanta, Vereen started in centerfield as a senior. He hit second in the lineup and helped lead the Panthers to the Region 8-AAAAA championship.

“Menelik is a tremendous athlete with an awfully big upside,” Cooper said. “He’s got good power at the plate and his arm is good enough to play any of the three outfield positions. He grew up in one of the great high school programs in the state. He runs a 6.9 60-yard dash and he’s got a great work ethic and great character. As a coaching staff, we all expect Menelik to be in the mix for playing time as a freshman.

In his first year at the helm of the ASU Baseball program in 2010, Cooper guided the Jaguars to a 16-31 overall record. ASU is expected to return five starters and 28 letterwinners for the 2011 season.