Bryan-College Station, TX  – The Brazos Valley Bombers announced today their first four players for the 2007 season, all of them from nearby Texas A&M. First baseman Darby Brown, outfielder Daman Aaron, and infielders Dane Carter and Josey Parker, all members of the #28-ranked Aggie baseball squad, have committed to play for the Bombers for the team’s inaugural season.

“We’re excited to have four players coming from a quality program that’s off to a good start,” said Bombers head coach Kevin Moulder. “With a pair of corner infielders, a middle infielder and an outfielder, we get a little bit of everything from them.

“It’s great to have these four players as the core of our team, giving us something to build on.”

“This is an exciting day for the Bombers organization,” general manager Mike Lieberman added. “Not only are we introducing the first four players ever for the Bombers, but these four gentlemen are already playing here in Bryan-College Station. Fans have the opportunity to follow them right now with A&M and get even more excited about the Bombers inaugural season.”

Brown, a junior transfer from Howard Junior College, has seen the most action of the four this season. Appearing in all five games during the Aggies 4-1 start, starting a pair, the Lubbock native is batting .273 with two RBI and a run scored. He drove in a pair of runs in the season opener against Texas Southern, going 1-for-3 with a walk.

Brown was a standout in his two seasons at Howard, batting .470 over that span, including .508 as a freshman – both school records. In fact, he holds three career marks at Howard (hits, doubles, and batting average) and is among the top five in three other categories. After a freshman year that also included 17 home runs, a school record 27 doubles, and 87 RBI, Brown was named a second team All-American and earned the Rawlings Big Stick Award for the NJCAC Southwest Region as the top offensive player in the region. He was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 46th round of the 2005 draft.

The lone outfielder of the four, Aaron is also in his first season with the Aggies after two years at Howard. With A&M head coach Rob Childress trying out a number of new players on the squad, Aaron has seen action in three of the team’s first five games. In five at-bats this season, he has managed one hit, a double in A&M’s win on Tuesday against McNeese State.

Aaron and Brown have followed similar paths, both enjoying prep success (at rival high schools) in Lubbock before playing for coach Britt Smith at Howard. Like Brown, Aaron was a two-time all-conference pick at Howard, where his .437 career average is the school’s third-best all-time. He also posted 11 triples in two years, the school’s second-best mark. Aaron achieved some success on the mound as well, notching a school record 1.22 ERA as a freshman in 2005.

Carter is a junior in his first season with the Aggies after transferring from Vernon Junior College. He’s seen action in a pair of games for A&M, starting the opener with Texas Southern and appearing against Arizona State during the Houston College Classic. In his debut, Carter managed a walk in four plate appearances and scored the Aggies first run of the season.

Carter brings speed to Bombers lineup after setting the Vernon school record for stolen bases. Twice an all-conference selection and an all-region performer as a sophomore, Carter batted .400 and .454 in his two seasons under head coach Kevin Lallman. He is also the only one of the four to have experience in the Texas Collegiate League, having played for his hometown Graham Roughnecks in 2006. With the Roughnecks (who have since moved to Wichita Falls) Carter batted .276 with a .399 on-base percentage and an impressive 17 stolen bases.

Parker has yet to see action this season as he recuperates from a separated shoulder suffered in the fall. Nevertheless, both the Bombers and the Aggies are excited about the Jasper native’s power potential after he belted 23 home runs and drove in 115 runs in two seasons at Panola Junior College. As a sophomore, Parker hit .439 with 16 homers and 73 RBI on his way to being named a second-team All-American at shortstop. He added a 3-3 record last year as a pitcher, helping earn the title “Panola College Athlete of the Year” for 2006.

“This is an exciting crop of players that can flash both power and speed,” concluded Moulder. “Bombers fans are really going to enjoy watching them this season.”