CROOKSTON, Minn.-  The University of Minnesota Crookston men's basketball and baseball programs announced the signing of Aaron Hollcraft (5-11 175, Crookston, Minn./Crookston H.S.) to a National Letter of Intent. Hollcraft will compete in both sports at University of Minnesota Crookston, as a left-handed pitcher for the baseball team and a guard for the UMC men's basketball squad.

He is the sixth signee for the UMC baseball program joining Zach Seipel (C, 6-2 185, Eagan, Minn./Eagan H.S.), Clarke Peterson (C, 5-6 175, East Grand Forks, Minn./East Grand Forks H.S.), Eric Newman (RHP, 6-3 188, Buffalo, Minn./Buffalo H.S.), David Olson (C, 6-1 195, Stillwater, Minn./Vermillion C.C.) and Wyatt Peppel (OF, 6-0 225, Greenbush, Minn./Badger-Middle River Greenbush H.S.).

Hollcraft is the fifth signee for the UMC men's basketball program joining Chase Knickerbocker (F, 6-6 175,Annandale, Minn./Annandale H.S.), Kobe Critchley (G, 6-0 190, Roseville, Minn./Roseville Area H.S.), Connor Gamble (G, 6-0 155, Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area H.S.) and Nate Lorenz (F, 6-7 210, Breckenridge, Minn./Breckenridge H.S.), who all signed during the early signing period.

"We were able to watch Aaron play throughout the season and were really impressed with him and the Crookston High School basketball team," said UMC head men's basketball coach Dan Weisse. Aaron is a very good shooter, was well coached, and was a leader on a very successful team. He is equally impressive as a person. We felt it was a great fit for Aaron to be on our team and we are excited that he feels the same."

"Aaron is a great addition to our program," said UMC baseball coach Steve Gust. "We expect him to help build our program all four years. He has great natural ability, but more importantly, he has those character traits that we look for in a student-athlete. He is a hard worker, disciplined, and a great teammate.

If he develops and matures like we think he can, he's going to be able to get some big outs for us in the next four years. He is just an excellent addition to our program as we try to build something special here in Crookston."

All signees are contingent upon admission to UMC and compliance with NCAA rules, including certification by the NCAA Eligibility Center. Everyone released today has signed their National Letter of Intent prior to release of information.

Aaron Hollcraft/5-11 175/Crookston, Minn./Crookston H.S.

Hollcraft is one of the best athletes to come through Crookston High School in recent years. As a basketball player, he set the record for most career rebounds in Pirate boys basketball history. Hollcraft was second all-time in career scoring with 1,415 career points at Crookston H.S., just shy of Kenley Wahlin, the brother of current UMC women's basketball assistant coach Kamille Wahlin. He is also an accomplished left-handed pitcher for the Crookston High School baseball team. Hollcraft played for current UMC baseball players Trevor Buttermore and Jesse Jennings for the Crookston American Legion team. He currently is coached on the Crookston H.S. baseball team by former UMC softball coach Mitch Bakken. As a sophomore, Hollcraft was 4-3 with five complete games and a shutout. He struck out 67 batters and had two saves. He was named Co-Conference MVP for baseball. In basketball, he shot 42 percent from beyond the arc. Hollcraft is ranked second all-time in career three-pointers. He led basketball team to 25-4 mark. Hollcraft was an Academic All-State pick and Conference Most Valuable Player. He was coached on the basketball team by Greg Garmen.

Hollcraft is the son of Monica and Ray Hollcraft. He was born Oct. 2, 1996 and is undecided on his major. Several of Hollcraft's family members have been college athletes.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.

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The University of Minnesota Crookston is a NCAA Division II university located in the Red River Valley of Northwest Minnesota. UMC sponsors 11 intercollegiate athletic teams with membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate conference (NSIC) and the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). The NSIC is a 16-team conference with schools situated in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.

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