ROGERS -- Derek Sallee and Will Sanders will continue their baseball careers at the college level next year as both Rogers High baseball players signed letters of intent Tuesday.
Sallee signed with Allen Community College in Iola, Kan., while Sanders signed with Ouachita Baptist in Arkadelphia. Both players are expected to pitch in college.
The right-handed Sallee was 3-1 last year with 3.67 ERA in 29 innings of work. He also batted .378.
"I'm real proud of Derek because he has worked hard for us," said Rogers coach Matt Melson. "He gave us some quality innings on the mound last year. Derek is a kid that is really versatile, and I know Allen likes him as a pitcher. He has more velocity, and he has learned how to pitch, add and subtract speeds.
"We are looking at Derek being the anchor of the staff this year."
Sanders played mostly with the junior varsity team last season, but Melson is expecting big things from the left-handed pitcher this season.
"Will is a kid that has come on late, and that is something that left-handed pitchers do sometimes," Melson said. "He is really a success story; he has developed and worked hard. He has quality off-speed pitches and can keep hitters off balance."
-- Paul Nielsen • @NWAPaul
Sports on 01/21/2015