CLINTON, Iowa - The Ashford University baseball program went "North of the Border" to acquire some Canadian talent as first baseman Marc Arsenault of Thornhill, Ontario, and right-handed pitcher Jeremy Jayaweera of Kitchener, Ontario, pledged to the Saints in recent history.

Jayaweera and Arsenault will be the first Canadian natives on the baseball roster since former pitcher/catcher Ben Kangas of Cambridge, Ontario, was a senior for the 2006 season.

Arsenault comes in as a transfer from Lon Morris College located in Jacksonville, Texas, after a diverse prep playing career at Thornhill Secondary School that included numerous honors in basketball, volleyball and track and field -- in addition to baseball.

Arsenault served as captain of Thornhill for his senior season and helped his squad to the regional championship, highlighted with a two-home run, seven RBI effort in the semifinals.

He was the recipient of several awards presented by Thornhill including the D. Foley Award (overall athletic male achievement) and Stephen Bewcyk Award (highest performing athlete). In addition to his accolades on the field, Arsenault spent some of his time working with Diamond Division, a local program designed for young children with autism.

Arsenault, the son of Paul and Bev Arsenault, chose Ashford over several Midwest schools and will focus towards a degree in Business Administration and Sports Management while at Ashford.

Jayaweera was a standout athlete in several other sports at Resurrection Catholic Secondary School in Kitchener, including ice hockey and badminton. He was an All-Academic Conference honoree for all four years and was a four-year MVP of Resurrection's hockey squad.

Jayaweera and his family made the 11-hour commute from Canada to Clinton and conducted his signing day ceremony the same day after working out for AU graduate assistant coach and pitching specialist Josh Brandt.

The son of Kumar and Joyce Jayaweera, Jeremy picked Ashford over strong interest from Davenport College and Clarke College.