RUSTON, La. - First-year head coach Greg Goff and the Louisiana Tech baseball team welcomed seven newcomers on National Signing Day on Wednesday, Nov. 12, including six junior college players and one high school athlete, all of which are set to join the Bulldogs next fall.

In all, the Bulldogs have added four infielders, two right-handed pitchers and a catcher, all of which will enroll at LA Tech and be eligible to take the field for Goff and Co. next fall. In addition to the following seven players, there will be seven more future Bulldogs released later this week.

As a first-year staff, Louisiana Tech's coaches relied heavily on junior college athletes in their inaugural signing class with six of the seven additions making their way to Ruston via transfers, including five players hailing from Hinds Community College, a program that made an appearance in the finals of the NJCAA World Series a season ago and won a total of 42 games.

"I am very thankful for the tireless work that Coach (Rick) McCarty and Coach (Jake) Wells put into our first recruiting class here at LA Tech," Goff said. "They both spent countless hours on the road finding the kind of players that it takes to compete in Conference USA. I am thrilled and thankful about these student athletes wanting to come here and help build something special at Louisiana Tech."

Marshall Boggs, Chase Lunceford, Casey Sutton, Jonathan Washam and Jordan Washam have all committed to play for the Bulldogs for the 2015-16 seasons and beyond, as all five will come to LA Tech from Hinds Community College in Mississippi.

Additionally, Goff and his staff added three former local stars to the signing class with Sutton (Monroe, La./Sterlington HS/Hinds CC), Jonathan Washam (Sterlington, La./OCS/Hinds CC) and Jordan Washam (Sterlington, La./OCS/Hinds CC) all set to join the Bulldogs next fall, while Aaron Sheppard will also enroll at Tech next fall after finishing up his prep career at Benton High School.

Sutton earned all-state honors as a prep star at Sterlington High School after going 12-0 his senior year before furthering his baseball career at Hinds, where he became the ace of the Eagles' staff as a freshman. In his first season at Hinds, he pitched a total of 79 innings and struck out 69 batters for an 8-3 record on the mound. He appeared in 18 games and his 4.90 ERA helped earn Sutton spots on the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges all-state and all-region teams, as he is set to enter his second and final season at Hinds before transferring to Louisiana Tech next season.

Infielder Jordan Washam is entering his first season at Hinds after transferring to play for the Eagles from Southeastern Louisiana, where he appeared in four games as a freshman for the Lions. Most recently, Jordan, who prepped at OCS in Monroe, played for the Carolina Freedom where he was named the Silver Slugger Award winner after hitting .405 with 10 doubles, two homers, 28 RBI and 16 stolen bases over the course of the summer season.

Jordan's twin brother, Jonathan Washam, is also set to become a Bulldog after finishing up his two year career at Hinds, where he appeared in 33 games as a go-to guy behind the plate for the Eagles. The sophomore catcher also helped lead Hinds to an appearance in the NJCAA World Series where he notched his first career home run. Recently, Jonathan is coming off a successful fall season for the Eagles, as he led Hinds with a .456 batting average during the fall.

The Bulldogs will also welcome Mississippi natives Marshall Boggs and Chase Lunceford to the squad in 2016, with both players once again coming to LA Tech by way of Hinds. Boggs, an infielder for the Eagles, is coming off a stellar freshman campaign after earning the Best Hitter Award at the NJCAA World Series, where he broke an all-time series record with 16 hits in seven games. The Cleveland, Mississippi native led all teammates with 18 doubles as a freshman, while also posting a .366 average, three home runs and 37 RBI.

Boggs' teammate, Lunceford, was also a standout for the Eagles as the left-handed hitter was named first team all-state by the MACJC after leading Hinds with 10 home runs and 48 RBI in his first season. After hitting .328 in 2014, Lunceford split the team's Best Offensive Player award with Boggs.

In addition to the five Hinds players making their way to Ruston, LA Tech will also welcome Canadian Raphael Gladu to the squad from Galveston College where he helped the Whitecaps to a 38-win season as a freshman infielder in 2014. Coming off his first collegiate campaign, Gladu recorded a .348 average as a left-handed hitter at the dish with a total of 31 runs batted in.

LA Tech's lone high school newcomer in this class, Aaron Sheppard, is a product of Benton High School where he helped propel the Tigers to back-to-back District 1-4A titles in 2013 and 2014 as a right-handed pitcher. In his junior season, Sheppard posted a sparkling 1.21 ERA with 53 strikeouts, which helped him earn all-district and all-parish honors in 2014.

"These young men are all great students and have great character that will represent this University and community in a first class manner," Goff said. "This is one of the most talented classes I have been a part of and we look forward to getting them on campus next fall."

While these seven additions will have to wait to take the field for LA Tech until the 2016 season, the Bulldogs are currently awaiting the start of the upcoming 2015 campaign, which is set to begin with a three-game series at Southeastern Louisiana on Friday, Feb. 13 in Hammond, Louisiana.

For complete coverage of Bulldog Baseball, please follow @LATechBSB on Twitter or visit the official home of Louisiana Tech Athletics at LATechSports.com.

Marshall Boggs

Position: INF

B/T: R/R

Height: 6-0

Weight: 210

Class: So.

Hometown: Cleveland, Miss.

Last School(s): Hinds CC/Cleveland HS

2014 (Hinds CC): Helped lead Hinds to an appearance in the NJCAA World Series where they finished as national runners-up with a 40-21 overall record under head coach Sam Temple ... Named to the MACJC all-state second team after his freshman season ... led Hinds in doubles (18) and was second on the team in batting average (.366) and hits (75), while scoring 38 runs and finishing with one triple, three home runs, 37 RBI and three stolen bases ... Won the Best Hitter Award for the NJCAA World Series after breaking an all-time World Series record with his 16 hits in seven games ... Was also presented with the Mayor's Award by Cleveland, Mississippi Mayor Billy Nowell for his record-setting performance in the NJCAA World Series.

High School: Prepped at Cleveland High School where he totaled a .396 career batting average, including a .438 average as a senior with 49 RBI and five home runs ... Helped lead the Wildcats to a Region 3-4A title after the team posted a 23-4 record in 2013 ... Selected to play in the Mississippi High School All-Star game following his senior season ... Coached by Steve Wies.

Personal: Full name is Marshall Richard Boggs ... Born on April 10, 1995 in Mississippi.

Raphael Gladu

Position: INF

B/T: L/R

Height: 6-2

Weight: 185

Class: So.

Hometown: Trois-Rivieres, Que.

Last School(s): Galveston College/Academie Les Estacades

2014 (Galveston): Posted a .348 batting average in 201 at bats for the Whitecaps ... Totaled 31 runs batted in and 35 runs scored as a freshman infielder for Galveston ... Helped lead the Whitecaps to a 38-17 overall record, including a 28-10 mark in conference play ... Coached by Chris Joblin.

High School/Canada Cup: Prepped at Academie Les Estacades in Quebec, where he was recognized as the best hitter in 2012 ... Selected to play for Team Quebec in the Canada Cup Championship in August 2012, where he went 10-for-22 (.455) with two doubles and eight RBI ... Recorded four multiple-hit games in the Canada Cup Championship.

Personal: Full name is Raphael Gladu ... Born on June 23, 1995 in Quebec.

Chase Lunceford

Position: INF

B/T: L/R

Height: 6-2

Weight: 185

Class: So.

Hometown: Clinton, Miss.

Last School(s): Hinds CC/Clinton HS

2014 (Hinds CC): Helped lead Hinds to an appearance in the NJCAA World Series where they finished as national runners-up with a 40-21 overall record under head coach Sam Temple ... Named first team all-state by the MACJC after his first season with the Eagles ... tied for the team lead in home runs (10) and RBI (48), and finished his freshman season with a .328 batting average ... Split Best Offensive Player honors with teammates Marshall Boggs ... Finished with 180 at-bats, 36 runs, 59 hits, 10 doubles, one triple and a stolen base ... recently named to Who's Who Among Students in American Community and Junior Colleges.

High School: Named second team All-Metro as a senior in 2013 by The Clarion-Ledger ... Totaled 14 doubles, 35 RBI, 43 runs and a .328 career batting average at Clinton High School, where he prepped under head coach Eddie Lofton.

Personal: Full name is William Chase Lunceford ... Born on Dec. 28, 1994 in Mississippi.

Aaron Sheppard

Position: RHP

B/T: S/R

Height: 5-10

Weight: 180

Class: Sr. (HS)

Hometown: Benton, La.

Last School: Benton HS

High School: Prepped at Benton High School under head coach J.D. Stephens where he helped lead the Tigers to back-to-back District 1-4A championships ... Saw action in 46 innings as a junior, while posting a 1.21 earned run average with 53 strikeouts and a 5-2 record ... Had a 0.950 WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched) ... Earned first team all-district honors in 2013 and 2014, while also being named All-Parish as a pitcher in 2014 ... Pitched 19 innings in the summer with a 0.75 ERA ... Was a part of the Team USA Baseball Identification Series where he played for the South Texas team.

Casey Sutton

Position: RHP

B/T: R/R

Height: 6-2

Weight: 225

Class: So.

Hometown: Monroe, La.

Last School(s): Hinds CC/Sterlington HS

2014 (Hinds CC): Helped lead Hinds to an appearance in the NJCAA World Series where they finished as national runners-up with a 40-21 overall record under head coach Sam Temple ... Appeared in 18 games for the Eagles while starting two as the ace of the Hinds pitching staff ... Posted an 8-3 record as a freshman 79.0 innings pitched ... Struck out 61 batters he faced, while recording a 4.90 earned run average ... Named first team all-state and all-region by the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges ... recently named to Who's Who Among Students in American Community and Junior Colleges.

High School: Prepped at Sterlington High School under head coach Randy Carr ... Named to the LSWA all-state baseball team after posted a 12-0 record with a 17-to-1 strikeouts to walks ratio with 118 strikeouts and seven walks in 80 innings.

Personal: Son of Greg and Julie Sutton ... Has one sister, Cassidy.

Jonathan Washam

Position: C

B/T: R/R

Height: 5-11

Weight: 200

Class: So.

Hometown: Sterlington, La.

Last School(s): Hinds CC/Ouachita Christian (OCS)

2014 (Hinds CC): Appeared in 33 games as a freshman under the direction of Hinds head coach Sam Temple ... Helped lead Hinds to an appearance in the NJCAA World Series where they finished as national runners-up with a 40-21 overall record ... Hit his first collegiate home run at the NJCAA ... Led the Eagles with a .456 batting average during their 2014 fall season ... Recently named to Who's Who Among Students in American Community and Junior Colleges.

High School: Played both baseball and football at Ouachita Christian School in Monroe, La. ... Posted a career batting average of .450, including a .505 average as a senior ... Started three seasons as the OCS catcher ... Helped lead OCS to two Class 1A baseball state titles in 2010 and 2012 ... Earned a spot on the Class 1A all-state baseball team as a senior in 2013.

Personal: Full name is Jonathan Washam ... Son of Kevin and Shelley Washam ... Has two siblings, Emily and Jordan (twin) ... His uncle, Shane Reynolds, pitched for the Houston Astros ... Born on May 11, 1994 in Monroe, Louisiana.

Jordan Washam

Position: INF

B/T: L/R

Height: 5-11

Weight: 194

Class: So.

Hometown: Sterlington, La.

Last School(s): Hinds CC/Southeastern La./Ouachita Christian (OCS)

2014 (Southeastern La.): Appeared in four games for the Lions and totaled six at-bats as a freshman before transferred to Hinds Community College.

2014 (Summer Ball): Played for the League Champion Carolina Freedom this summer in wooden bat Collegiate League in North Carolina ... Named the Silver Slugger Award winner for the league after posting a .405 batting average with 47 hits, 10 doubles, two home runs, 28 RBI and 16 stolen bases ... Had an on base percentage of .474 and a .543 slugging percentage.

High School: Played baseball and football at Ouachita Christian School in Monroe, La. ... hit .460 with 15 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and 44 RBIs ... Named District MVP and was a two-time all-state selection in baseball, as well as a two-time all-state linebacker ... Helped lead OCS to two Class 1A baseball state titles in 2010 and 2012 ... Earned a spot on the Class 1A All-State baseball team as a senior in 2013.

Personal: Full name is Jordan Kevin Washam ... Son of Kevin and Shelley Washam ... Has two siblings, Emily and Jonathan (twin) ... His uncle, Shane Reynolds, pitched for the Houston Astros ... Born on May 11, 1994 in Monroe, Louisiana.