SENATOBIA - Northwest sophomore pitcher Brayden Sanders will suit up in a different shade of blue following his Ranger baseball career.

Sanders, a native of Olive Branch, signed with the University of Memphis on Thursday afternoon, becoming the first member of the 2023 Northwest baseball squad to sign to the four-year level. 

"It feels awesome for me to get back to the Division I level, a place where I want to play at," Sanders said. "I thank all of my coaches here for helping me get to Memphis and back to the Division I level. I can't wait to represent Memphis and throw on that Tiger blue."

After spending a semester at Ole Miss as a freshman, Sanders joined the Northwest baseball squad in time for the 2022 season. He made 12 starts in 13 appearances on the mound last season, tossing 53 strikeouts against 33 walks in 36.1 innings thrown. Sanders finished the year with a 2-3 overall record and steadily decreased his earned run average, partially due to pair of strong efforts against Coahoma and Holmes, where he struck out a combined 13 batters.

Sanders' career-best effort came in an early-season road loss at Wallace State-Hanceville on February 26, where he threw eight strikeouts in four complete frames. 

"He has really matured as both a player and a person," Northwest head baseball coach Mark Carson said. "One of the reasons you go to community college is to get reps and more experience, and he's really developed some things in terms of his arsenal and what he can throw. That's going to help him improve his skills at the next level and Brayden definitely has great things ahead of him."

Prior to Northwest, Sanders starred at Lewisburg High School, helping the Patriots to countless playoff appearances. As a senior, he compiled a 1.50 ERA, two complete games and 58 strikeouts in 37 innings, all while holding opponents to a .121 batting average.

Memphis finished the 2022 season with a 26-29 overall record and nine conference wins as a member of the American Athletic Conference. The Tigers are entering their first season under head coach Kerrick Jackson, who arrived at the U of M following a stint as the President of the MLB Draft League.