July 25, 2003

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. - Brian Davis, a center fielder who helped lead the 2003 Lyons Township High School baseball team to a 36-6 record and the Illinois Class AA state championship, has signed a national letter-of-intent to play at Lewis University.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Davis hit .362 with seven home runs, 35 RBI, six doubles, six triples, 48 runs, 19 walks, 19 stolen bases, a .449 on-base percentage and an .848 slugging percentage his senior season. He hit .384 with five homers, 24 RBI and 15 steals as a junior and was named to the West Suburban Silver all-conference team and the Suburban Life all-area team.

Lyons also won the 2002 state title in high school summer-league play with the help of Davis, who was named Most Valuable Player of the state tournament. He hit .493 with 22 RBI and 18 steals in 2002 summer play.

Davis also excelled in football, rushing for 1,291 yards and scoring 20 touchdowns as a senior to help lead Lyons to a playoff berth. He was an all-conference first-team selection, Suburban Life Player of the Year, conference Offensive Player of the Year runner-up and team MVP.

"Brian is one of the finest all-around outfielders I've recruited since players like Ernie Young and Mike Stevenson, who were All-Americans in the late '80s and early '90s," Lewis head coach Irish O'Reilly said.

"He has all the tools. He hits for average and some power, and he is an outstanding defensive outfielder. He has good speed that helps him make plays other outfielders can't make."

Davis is part of a Lewis recruiting class that has O'Reilly enthusiastic about the future.

"This is the best recruiting class we've had since the late '80s, and Brian is a big part of it," O'Reilly said. "He will be a great addition to the Lewis baseball program."