This is a heck of a sign for Coach Pete. Of course there is the chance he never steps foot on the campus...

Bobby is a VERY good player.

He is a nice well mannered kid to go along with an exceptional baseball ability.

Junior college All-American and Columbia, Tenn., native Bobby Bratton inked a national letter-of-intent with Middle Tennessee on Monday, as announced by head coach Steve Peterson.

Bratton earned National Junior College Athletic Association Third Team All-America honors last season as a freshman at Motlow State Community College after batting .388 with 13 doubles, 20 home runs and 57 RBIs for the 38-18 Bucks. He tied for the national lead in home runs and led and Tennessee Junior and Community College Athletic Association in runs scored with 70 while ranking fifth in RBIs. He also tied for third in the TJCCAA in triples, was first in slugging percentage (.831) and ranked seventh in on-base percentage (.463).

For his efforts the 6-foot-1, 190-pound infielder was voted TJCCAA Freshman and Player of the Year as well as First Team All-TJCCAA.

Bratton was a four-year starter at Columbia High School for former Blue Raider Mark Pickle and was voted All-State by the Tennessee Sports Writers Association his final three seasons. He batted .434 with seven homers and 48 RBIs as a sophomore, earning All-District honors.

The shortstop came back with a .451 average, 13 home runs and 49 RBIs as a junior, garnering All-District honors and All-Midstate accolades from The Tennessean in the process.

As a senior, Bratton led the Lions to the Class AAA State Tournament, batting .370 with 10 homers, 12 doubles and 40 RBIs, earning All-Midstate accolades for a second straight season. He missed two weeks of his senior campaign because of an appendectomy.

"Bobby is a kid who I watched play all through high school and he is now beginning to see the value of an education," Peterson said. "Unless he gets drafted high enough and there's a good deal of money on the table, he will be a Blue Raider in 2007.

"He's a player who will have an opportunity to play professional baseball. He's just a good baseball player. He can hit, hit for power, run, and he can hit in the middle of the lineup. He's a good infielder with all of the tools to be an outstanding player," Peterson added.

Bratton joins four other signees from last week, including Blake McDade (Ooltewah HS - Ooltewah, Tenn.), Drew Robertson (Ravenwood HS - Nashville, Tenn.), Zach Hudson (Overton HS - Nashville, Tenn.) and Tyler Hyde (The Chaminade Prepatory School - St. Louis, Mo.).