Once again, an outfielder from Chicago will be wearing No. 1 playing for Rainy River Community College’s baseball team.

Jamall Hudson was in International Falls on Wednesday to formally sign a letter of intent to play baseball as an incoming freshman for the Voyageurs next season.

Hudson, who noted he graduated in 2009 from Roberto Clemente High School in Chicago and has played amateur baseball the past two years, said he was part of a city of Chicago championship team his senior year in high school.

RRCC head baseball coach Josh Koenig said he found out about Hudson through a past coach of Michael Dickerson, who is also from Chicago and started for the Voyageurs in the outfield as a sophomore during 2011 while wearing the No. 1 jersey.

“We’re very excited to have (Hudson) and looking for him to be a big impact player right away, both out in the outfield and also on the base path,” Koenig said.

The coach also noted that “one of our ideas of what we’d like to do” is to have Hudson play a similar role to what Dickerson did last season.

Dickerson, who will be continuing his baseball career at Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Ga., was the leadoff batter for the Voyageurs and led the team in stolen bases last season.

When Hudson was asked whether he is also known for his base-stealing ability, he said, “Yes sir.”

Koenig said Hudson brings the number of players who have committed to play baseball for the Voyageurs next season to 12.

He said he will continue to recruit additional players prior to the start of school at RRCC on Aug. 22 to have them in place for the “fall ball” practices that will take place during September at Scheela Field.

Hudson said he plans to take general education courses while at RRCC to lead up to earning an associate’s degree, while he is undecided at this point about furthering his education beyond the two years of eligibility he would have to play for the Voyageurs.

“Our goal, obviously, for him, as it is with any of our baseball players, is if it is their desire to move on to a four-year university and continue playing ball, we want to find a place for them to do that,” Koenig said.

In addition to Dickerson moving on to a four-year college to continue playing baseball beyond his sophomore year of eligibility, Koenig said J.C. Crane, who was RRCC’s most valuable player as a sophomore in 2011, is in the process of signing with the University of Minnesota, Crookston to play baseball at the NCAA Division II level.