PEARL, Miss.– Brandon native Brent Leach signed with the Atlanta Braves and assigned to Double-A Mississippi today.

The left-handed pitcher graduated from Brandon High and played at Southern Miss and Delta State before beginning his professional career.

Leach was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the sixth round of the 2005 draft. He made his major league debut with the Dodgers on May 6, 2009. In 38 big league games, Leach went 2-0 with a 5.75 ERA while limiting opponents to a .213 batting average.

Leach began his college career at Southern Miss (2002-03). In 2002, he recorded one save and posted a 2.08 ERA in 16 outings with the Golden Eagles. He also limited opponents to a .237 batting average. In 2003, Leach appeared in four games (three starts) with Southern Miss, posting a 7.27 ERA.

After undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2004, Leach transferred to Delta State University in 2005 where he went 1-1 with a 1.74 ERA in 24 appearances out of the Statesmen's bullpen. He recorded seven saves while leading the Statesmen to the NCAA Division II College World Series in Montgomery, Ala.

After being released by the Dodgers in late 2010, Leach signed with the Yokohama BayStars in Japan. He returned to the United States before the season began following the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. After that, Leach was placed on the restricted list and was not allowed to play anywhere else. He was reinstated on July 8, 2011, and made eight starts (1-7, 5.95) with Yokohama.

The Dodgers re-signed Leach on Feb. 19. He appeared in 10 games with Triple-A Albuquerque (1-2-1, 7.02) before being released on May 7.