OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss baseball program added a pair of junior college standouts with the signing of right-handed pitcher Eric Callender and catcher Miles Hamblin, Rebel head coach Mike Bianco announced on Tuesday.

Callender and Hamblin are the most recent announced signees for the Rebels, joining right-handed pitcher David Renfroe as a part of the 2009 signing class. The duo will be eligible to compete for the Rebels beginning in the 2009-10 academic year.

Callender signed with the Rebels out of Meridian Community College where he is expected to be the number one pitcher this season after leading the Eagles with a 1.70 ERA last season and helping Meridian claim the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges State Championship.

The right-handed hurler - a native of Baton Rouge, La – transferred to Meridian Community College from Southeastern Louisiana.

“Eric is an outstanding pitcher who throws in the 88-90 range and has a good curve ball and change-up,” said Ole Miss assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Rob Reinstetle. “He is a mature pitcher who knows how to really pitch and use all three of his pitches to his advantage. We expect big things from him.”

Callender chose the Rebels over LSU, South Alabama, Troy and Mississippi State.

Hamblin comes to the Rebels from Howard College in Texas where the catcher has been a big part of the program’s recent success. Hamblin, who bats left and throws right, hit .412 as a freshman at Howard with 11 home runs and 56 RBI on the season. He helped the Hawks to a No. 3 ranking in the final NCJAA poll .

The 6-3, 200 pound catcher was recently selected to play in the Texas JUCO All-Star game. He is the younger brother of Danny Hamblin who played baseball at Arkansas.

“We’re excited about Miles signing with us,” Reinstetle said. “He is a quality catcher and will give us a good left-handed bat with power. We expect him to come in and make an immediate impact here at Ole Miss.”

Hamblin selected Ole Miss over Nebraska and TCU.