University of Georgia baseball coach David Perno announced

Monday two more student-athletes who signed a national letter-of-intent

during the recently completed early signing period.

The latest additions to the Bulldogs recruiting class are shortstop

Gordon Beckham of Westminster and corner infielder Brandon Shanks of Mary

Persons High School.

Beckham, a 6-0, 175-pound native of Atlanta, is the son of Gordon and

Sully Beckham. A switch-hitting shortstop for the Wildcats and coach Jim

Jefferson, he also  serves as the starting quarterback/all-state defensive

back on the gridiron for Gerry Romberg¹s squad. As a junior, he batted .340

with three home runs, 21 RBI and 10 stolen bases in helping Westminster to

the final eight of the state playoffs. He hit .359-1-17 as a sophomore.

"Gordon is a great athlete and competitor in football and baseball,"

said Perno. He has the arm strength of an SEC-caliber shortstop and will be

one of our starting candidates at that position for 2006."

"It's a great honor to play for Georgia and Coach Perno, and I¹m eager

to get started with the Bulldogs next fall," said Beckham.

Shanks, a 6-3, 210-pound corner infielder, is the son of Robert and Linda

Shanks of Forsyth. Brandon has been a three-year standout for the Bulldogs

and coach Lee Chomskis. He is a three-time recipient of the Best Offensive

Player Award including leading the team with a .463 batting average, eight

home runs and 30 RBI last year. As a sophomore, he hit .440-4-25 and as a

freshman, he helped the Bulldogs advance to the playoffs for the first time

in school history.

"Brandon attended our Top Dog Camp and proved to us he is very capable

of being a solid contributor as an SEC student-athlete," said Perno. "He has

a lot of power and good instincts at either corner."

"I'm very excited to be in the Georgia baseball program, and I look

forward to working hard and doing my part to bring a championship back to

Athens," said Shanks.