Pride bring seven more into the fold

Published on March 28, 2003 under Canadian American League (Can-Am)
American Defenders of New Hampshire News Release


The Nashua Pride announced today that the team has agreed to terms with pitchers David Rollandini and Brian Smith, OF Pat Howell, INF/OF Joe Kilburg, 1B D.J. Boston, INF Garrett Larkin and C Ryan Van Horn.

Howell, 34, and Boston, 31, are familiar faces to Pride fans. Howell has appeared in 229 games for the Pride over the last three seasons, while Boston has been a part of 350 Pride games in the five years since the Pride's inception in 1998. Both players were part of the Pride team that won the 2000 Atlantic League title.

Smith spent last season with AAA Nashville of the Pacific Coast League. The 30-year-old right-hander has 45 wins and a 3.51 ERA in his eight-year minor league career, and also saw action in three games with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2000.

Kilburg, Larkin, Rollandini and Van Horn are all prospects in their mid-to-late-twenties. Larkin is the elder statesman of the group at age 27, and spent last year with Adirondack of the Northern League, and was part of Canton's Frontier League champions in 1997. Kilburg, 26, was with Yuma of the Western League for the past two years, and has a .279 career batting average in six years in the minors.

Van Horn, 25, joins Damien Sapp on the Pride roster calling signals behind the plate, after spending all of 2001 and part of 2002 with the Frontier League's Cook County squad. And at age 23, Rollandini enters just his third season of pro ball, joining Nashua after playing in Canton last year, where he finished with a 3.67 ERA in 27 games.

WANTED: HOST FAMILIES FOR PRIDE PLAYERS

The Pride need volunteer host families for ballplayers this summer. Most players are single, but we also have a player who is bringing his wife and 1-year old child, and we need a family willing to host them. Give us a call at 883-2255 for more info, and please pass this along to anyone who might be interested.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

The NEWARK BEARS agreed to terms with right-handed pitcher Al Hawkins, a former three-sport standout at nearby Elizabeth High School and current Newark resident. Hawkins, who spent six seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers' chain, is the 11th player to ink with the defending Atlantic League Champions. After deciding to enter the Major League Baseball draft, he was a 15th round pick of the Brewers. Hawkins advanced through Milwaukee's minor league ladder, eventually landing at AA Huntsville early in the 1999 season. He won 17 games and fanned 122 batters in two seasons with the Stars. During his time in Alabama, he was part of a rotation which included current major leaguers Nick Neugebauer and Ben Sheets. Hawkins missed all of 2001 with an injury to his right shoulder and returned late in 2002, throwing 19 2/3 innings with Milwaukee's entry in the Arizona fall league. For his career, Hawkins has appeared in 100 games, making 95 starts. He has struck out 328 batters while posting a 4.79 ERA. Pronounced fit and ready to go, the 25-year old Hawkins will look to earn a spot in Newark's 2003 rotation.

The ATLANTIC CITY SURF signed southpaw pitcher Andy High and infielder Kim Batiste, two former Surf players who will rejoin the team in 2003. High pitched for the Surf in 2001, going 9-2 with a 3.20 ERA before signing with the Milwaukee Brewers. Last season, he pitched for AA Huntsville, going 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA. Batiste, a former Philadelphia Phillie, hit .290 with nine homers and 40 RBI with the Surf in 1999. Last season, Batiste played with Camden and Nashua, hitting .246 and .312 respectively.

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Canadian American League Stories from March 28, 2003


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