FARGO, N.D.--Four Minnesota high school standouts have signed National Letters of Intent to play baseball and continue their education at North Dakota State University.

NDSU head coach Tod Brown made the announcement Wednesday, Nov. 11, the first day of the one-week early signing period.

Spring Lake Park pitcher Joe Axelson, Grand Rapids infielder John Skrbec, Anoka pitcher Parker Trewin, and Osseo pitcher Sam Windle are the four players to commit.

Axelson, a 6-foot-3 right-handed pitcher, was all-conference first team as a junior when he won four games and had 58 strikeouts in 38 innings for Spring Lake Park. He was MVP of the Fridley American Legion team in 2009 and led the team with four wins and a 2.36 ERA. His father, Wally Axelson, was an All-America pitcher at Minnesota State Moorhead in 1981.

Skrbec, a 6-foot-1 right-handed hitting shortstop, is a two-time all-conference player who hit .388 his junior year and .400 as a sophomore. He led the Thunderhawks to a third-place finish at the Class 3A state tournament in 2008 to end a record-setting 26-3 season. He is also an all-conference hockey player.

Trewin, a 6-foot-3 left-handed pitcher, was a 2008 all-section performer and played for Team Minnesota in the 2009 Midwest Classic. He’s a three-year starting pitcher and outfielder for Anoka and has been a two-year starter on the football field at quarterback and wide receiver.

Windle, a 6-foot-3 right-handed pitcher, was 3-1 with 29 strikeouts in 29 innings for the Osseo American Legion team last year. A standout hockey player, he was drafted by the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League.

North Dakota State was 16-28 overall and placed fifth in The Summit League with a 10-14 record last year. The Bison open the 2009 season with a four-game series at Lamar University in late February.