BEAUMONT, Texas – Adding on to its already prodigious 2019 recruiting class, Lamar University’s baseball team made another addition to the 14th-best Junior College class in the nation on Monday with the signing of LC-M graduate Mitchell Lee, who officially committed to Lamar after two seasons at Tyler Junior College.

“Mitchell was originally supposed to play tight end at the Division I level and decided last minute to pursue baseball. He has worked extremely hard over the last three years to get to where he’s at,” said head coach Will Davis. “He throws from two different arm slots, reaching 92 mph over the top and 88 from a side arm slot. We think that Mitchell has the opportunity to be a back end of the bullpen guy, an area where we have been very thin at this year.”

Lee has made 15 appearances at TJC in 2019 alone and has mowed down the majority of the batters he’s faced. The 6’5″, 230 lb incoming junior has a 2.82 ERA through 22.1 innings of work and has struck out 31 batters. He also pitched for TJC in the five hour and 12 minute 2018 NJCAA Division III National Championship game, which ultimately ended in a 13-inning, 14-11 decision against the Apaches.

Lee is the son of former Lamar University football star Stephen Lee and the nephew of Paul Lee (Lamar football) and Jon Lee (McNeese State University football). His brother Michael Lee is currently playing baseball at Panola Junior College.

In high school Lee was a 2016 Regional Finalist and a First Team All-District pitcher. He was an honorable mention All-State first baseman and hit nine home runs in his senior season, leading the state of Texas.

He’ll major in business at Lamar University starting in the fall of 2019.