Centerville -- Eight members of the Indian Hills baseball team signed National Letters of Intent this week during the opening of the early signing period.  The signees, and where they are headed next year, are:

DJ DePiero - Bradley University; Depiero is a lefthanded pitcher from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada; he went 0-1 with a 5.52 ERA last year as a freshman at IHCC, making 10 appearances, four as a starter; he struck out 19 in 14 2/3 innings and held opposing hitters to a .192 batting average

Zachary Fascia - Purdue University; the lefthanded-hitting catcher also pitched in 12 games in his first season at Indian Hills; he hit .277 in 177 at-bats with 10 doubles, two homers and 37 RBIs; on the mound, the native of Brampton, Ontario, Canada, had a 1-1 record with a sparkling 0.66 ERA, allowing only one earned run in 13 2/3 innings as the Falcons' closer; he fanned 18 and walked five

Ryan Humeniuk - Louisana-Monroe; is coming off a solid freshman campaign in which he hit .330 in 59 games and 219 at-bats; led the team with six triples and added 14 doubles and five home runs with 50 RBIs; earned second-team All-Region XI honors

Corey Jackson - North Carolina-Greensboro; a transfer from New Mexico Junior College, is expected to bolster the Falcons' rotation as a righthanded pitcher from Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada; as a freshman at NMJC he struck out 12 in 14 2/3 innings, winning his only decision in seven games

Justin King - Alabama; had his freshman season at IHCC cut short after suffering a broken bone in his hand; a lefthanded hitter who can play first base or the outfield, he hit .357 before being sidelined with the injury, and the native of Okotoks, Alberta, Canada showed his power potential with five homers in only 56 at-bats

Christian Pena - Marshall University; played in 24 games, starting 16, and the Davenport, Iowa-product batted .300 with 18 hits that included four doubles, two triples and a memorable home run; slammed a three-run homer that broke a 4-4 tie in the Falcons' clinching region championship win over Iowa Western; only struck out five times in 60 at-bats

Tristan Ledger - Northwest Missouri State; won his lone decision while pitching in eight games, two as a starter, as a freshman; the righthanded pitcher from Fairfield, Iowa, threw 18 innings a year ago and is destined to play a larger role in the IHCC pitching plans as a sophomore

Will Zimmerman - Arkansas State; compiled a .330 batting average as a freshman while nailing down second base for the Falcons; produced 12 doubles, four triples and a homer among his 61 hits; from Hoople, North Dakota, he led the team with his 24 walks and stole 10 bases in 57 games; also topped IHCC with 135 assists