High Point University outfielder Nate Roberts, who was selected by the Minnesota Twins in the fifth round of the 2010 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft, signed a professional contract with the Twins. Roberts will report to Minnesota's rookie league affiliate, the Elizabethton Twins.

“We are very excited for Nate as he begins his career as a professional baseball player,” said HPU head coach Craig Cozart. “The team will certainly miss him next year but this is a credit to the hard work Nate has put in and the programs ability to develop players. He will always be a part of the HPU family and we wish him nothing but the best as he continues his career.”

Post season accolades have piled up for the junior, earning second team All-America honors from ABCA and third team All-America honors from Baseball America, NCBWA and Ping!Baseball. He was also a first team All-Atlantic Region selection by the ABCA and was named to the 2010 North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) All-State baseball team.

Roberts led the nation with a .573 on-base percentage and 88 runs scored and became just the second Panther to be named the Big South Player of the Year. The Spring Grove, Ill. native set Big South and HPU single-season records in OBP (.573) and runs scored (88), while leading the Conference with a .416 batting average, 19 home runs and 53 walks. He also stole 36 bases and was hit by 25 pitches while driving in 69 runs.

Roberts became the sixth Panther drafted in the Division I era. He is the highest selection for HPU since joining Division I in 1999, topping Eammon Portice's 12th round selection by the Boston Red Sox in 2007. Roberts is the highest overall pick for High Point since 1987 when Anthony Morrison was taken in the fifth round by the New York Yankees. The Panthers were still an NAIA member in 1987.

Roberts helped the Panthers to a 31-29 overall record, the most wins for HPU in a Division I season. He was also part of an offense that set program records in batting average, hits, doubles, home runs, runs scored, RBI, walks and stolen bases.