Crushers Ink Arizona State Slugger Jacob Tobias, Outfielders Bryce Hayman and Samuel Benjamin
FL Lake Erie Crushers

Crushers Ink Arizona State Slugger Jacob Tobias, Outfielders Bryce Hayman and Samuel Benjamin

Published on April 16, 2026 under Frontier League (FL)
Lake Erie Crushers News Release


Avon, OH - The Lake Erie Crushers and Jared Lemieux have signed three left-handed hitters to the 2026 roster: 1B Jacob Tobias, OF Bryce Hayman, and OF Samuel Benjamin. Crushers roster updates are presented by BCT Alarm Services, Inc.

1B Jacob Tobias is a 6'1", 225lb left-handed hitting, slugging first baseman from Arizona State University. He started all four years of college for the Sun Devils and finished with a whopping 43 home runs, 55 doubles, and 195 RBIs in 225 collegiate games. His final slash line was .306/.391/.538. In Tobias' junior year, he led the team in doubles (14) and home runs (18). His 18 homers were second in the PAC-12 in 2024, and Tobias received PAC-12 First Team All-Conference honors.

Tobias was a walk-on at Arizona State, and though he went undrafted after his monster junior year, Tobias remained loyal to the Sun Devils, coming back for his senior year in 2025 and helping them to an at-large bid in the College World Series regionals. He has the physical attributes to display a lot of power professionally as well as the plate discipline to be an offensive producer amidst a budding Lake Erie lineup.

OF Bryce Hayman is a left-handed hitting outfielder from Michigan City, Indiana. Hayman began his collegiate career at Eastern Illinois University, then he transferred to Roosevelt College, an NAIA school in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. In 84 games across two seasons with Roosevelt, Hayman posted a .297 batting average with 95 runs scored, 22 doubles, six triples, seven home runs, and 25 stolen bases, including 16 in his final season in 2024.

Hayman displayed an uncanny ability to get on base in his collegiate career. He worked more walks than strikeouts (80/76) and found his way on via hit-by-pitches, getting plunked 20 times in college to support his .440 career OBP. Hayman won the 2024 ABCA-NAIA Rawlings Gold Glove thanks to his perfect 1.000 fielding percentage, solid centerfield arm, and his great range factor. In his first professional season with the Vallejo Seaweed in the Pecos League, Hayman hit .347 with 50 runs and 40 RBIs in 50 games while also stealing 32 bases.

OF Samuel Benjamin is a lefty swinging bat who can play all three outfield positions. A Texas baseballer through and through, Benjamin played two seasons with the University of Houston. He then transferred to Houston Christian University in 2023 and came into his own in a season where he slashed .354/.426/.634 with 14 doubles, 11 home runs, and 48 RBIs in 47 games. Benjamin's final collegiate season was much of the same. He swatted 15 home runs and scored a career high 48 runs while finishing with a .995 OPS.

Benjamin appeared for the State College Spikes in the MLB Draft league and posted a video game slash line of .422/.536/.678 (for a 1.213 OPS) in 26 games with six home runs and a show of speed with 14 stolen bases - one of the most impressive performances in MLB Draft League history. He cracked into professional baseball in 2024 with the Lake Country DockHounds. Benjamin has had the rare honor of appearing in international baseball settings. He appeared for Team China in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers in 2025, and he also played for Team Dubai in the 2014 Little League World Series.

Single-game tickets are on sale now! Pick your games and buy your tickets at lecrushers.com/2026-schedule. Or, just pick all the games with the brand-new Ballpark Pass. Information at lecrushers.com/lec-ballpark-pass.

The Lake Erie Crushers will open their 17th season at ForeFront Field in Avon on Friday, May 8th, 2026 presented by VacationLand Federal Credit Union in a playoff rematch against the Schaumburg Boomers. Join us for postgame fireworks and the first Dollar Dog Night as we kick off the 2026 season! For information on season ticket memberships visit lecrushers.com or call (440) 934-3636, and be sure to follow our socials @LECrushers on Instagram/Facebook/X.

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Frontier League Stories from April 16, 2026


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