SENATOBIA – Sophomore catcher Tanner Booth will be the newest member of the Northwest baseball team to join the Division I ranks, after signing a National Letter of Intent to Murray State on Thursday morning.

"He's an outstanding young man that deserves this opportunity," Northwest head coach Mark Carson said. "He has worked so hard for us and in the classroom. He is a model citizen for our program and I could not be more proud for him."

A 6-foot, 220-pound product of Lewisburg HS, Booth has become a mainstay behind the plate in his sophomore campaign, fielding .983 in 118 chances with eight caught stealing. He has also been a force at the plate for the Rangers, batting .321 with five doubles, five home runs and 17 RBIs.

As a freshman, the Southaven native earned 14 starts in 18 games played, hitting .255 with four doubles, three home runs and 10 RBIs. He was second on the team with a .991 fielding percentage in 108 chances and had one caught stealing.

Booth is the sixth Ranger to sign or commit to a Division I program, joining the Ole Miss trio of Dalton Fowler, Hayden Leatherwood and Ben Van Cleve, Tanner Leggett (Mississippi State) and Reed Harding (Memphis).

Booth will be the first Ranger to ink with Murray State. Located in Murray, Ky., the Racers compete in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and are currently 14-16 overall and 8-4 in conference play.