BUIES CREEK, N.C.- Campbell moved one step closer to winning its first conference championship since 1990 when head coach Greg Goff announced the signing of Taylor Lewis, a right-handed pitcher from Yavapai College.

"Taylor is an extremely valuable signee for Campbell because he brings a lot of experience and depth to our pitching staff," said Goff. "I am excited to sign such a talented player from such a high quality program in Yavapai. We look for Taylor to have an immediate impact in our rotation, and look forward to working with him over the next couple of years."

Lewis, who was drafted in the 28^th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers out of high school, originally signed with the University of Arizona before deciding to play for Yavapai College. The Tucson, Ariz. native led the Roughriders to a 41-16-1 record in which they were crowned the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) and were a 2008 NJCAA Region I Finalist. Yavapai finished the season ranked 11^th in the country, according to the Ringor/NJCAA Division I National Poll.

"With Taylor's continued development, we fully expect him to do extremely well at both the Division I and the professional level," said Yavapai head coach Sky Smeltzer. "His strong work ethic and desire will carry him a long way. Taylor was a very good, very solid arm in our rotation this year, and he will be both missed and hard to replace for us."

Lewis had an outstanding sophomore season in which he notched a 6-2 record over 70 2/3 innings pitched. Lewis – a 6-foot-4, 210 pound hurler – owns a 4.20 earned run average and struck out 59 batters while walking just 19. Lewis is the eighth junior college athlete signed for 2009.