Pride Newsletter

Published on April 18, 2008 under Canadian American League (Can-Am)
American Defenders of New Hampshire News Release


Pride Signings; Abreu to Patrol Outfield

Nashua Pride officials have announced the signing of outfielders Dennis Abreu, Vinny Pennell, Chris Scarola, infielder Will Groff, pitcher Nicolas Suero, and the re-signing of catcher Christopher Torres.

Abreu, who headlines the Pride's most recent acquisitions, is the brother of Major Leaguer Bobby Abreu, the right-fielder for the New York Yankees. Breaking into professional baseball in 1995, Abreu has spent time in the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals organizations before playing the last four seasons in independent leagues.

The Aragua, Venezuela, native is a career..289 hitter, having driven in 450 RBI, belted 57 home runs, and stole 251 bases in 1,178 career professional games. He is expected to play the outfield for the Pride, but also has experience within the infield.

Pennell, a Spencer, Mass., native, will reunite with his former Franklin Pierce University teammate and current Pride first baseman Brian Duplissie as an outfielder for Nashua.

Suero, a Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, native, will join the Pride pitching staff having spent six seasons within the Pittsburg Pirates minor league system.

Groff comes to the Pride, a highly touted prospect from the St. Louis Cardinals organization where he batted..252, with seven doubles, a triple, a homer run, and 12 RBI in 36 games.

Scarola, who was the Commonwealth Coast Conference Player of the Year in 2007 for the Curry College Colonels, spent a brief portion of last season with the Brockton Rox following his career with the Colonels.

Torres returns to the Pride, expected to fill the back-up catcher's position. He could also be used in a utility role for Manager Rick Miller.

Woody Woodland New Voice of Historic Holman Stadium

Woody Woodland, a New Hampshire radio icon, has been hired as the Pride's public address announcer for the 2008 season. He will fill the vacancy left by a fellow N.H. radio prodigy, Ken Cail, who had been the voice of the Pride since its inception in 1998.

Woodland, a well rounded specialist of current events, is the host of the "Woody Woodland Show" on 1590-AM, WSMN radio in Nashua, a politically focused talk show featured every weekday morning from 7-9am.

"We are extremely lucky to have Woody," said Pride General Manager Chris Hall. "He is so well respected and is already a part of the history within Nashua baseball. He is a perfect fit and we are pleased to have him."

Woodland will be complimented by local announcer Bob Bates. Bates has announced football games for the Nashua high schools at Stellos Stadium for 10 years, Nashua Babe Ruth for 25 years, and American Legion baseball for 16 years. He will man the microphone during Sunday games and other instances when Woodland is not available.

National Anthem Singing Contest for Pride Opening Day

The Nashua Pride, in conjunction with WYCN tv13 Nashua, will hold a National Anthem singing contest at Historic Holman Stadium and will award the winners the microphone for the Opening Day ceremony on May 22nd and Butch Hobson Night on May 23rd.

Contestants will be separated into adult and kids divisions, which will consist of participants 12 years old and younger, and will compete for an opportunity to be the star singers of the National Anthem. The winner of the adult division will sing Opening Day and the winner of the kids division will sing on Butch Hobson Night.

Contestants will be given one opportunity to sing the Star Spangled Banner in its entirety in front of a panel of judges that which will determine the winners. Second and third place finishers will be granted the opportunity to perform before a Pride game later in the season. All winners will also be awarded four tickets to the Pride game at which they will be performing in addition to other prizes offered by generous community sponsors.

The contest will be held on Saturday, May 3rd, from 1-3 p.m., on the field of Historic Holman Stadium. Contestants should arrive to Historic Holman Stadium 30-minutes prior to the event and be wearing appropriate attire as if they were arriving to perform before a sold-out stadium.

The contest will also be recorded by WYCN tv13 Nashua and broadcast on a later date. In the event of inclement weather, contestants will be notified of a date change.

To register, contact WYCN tv13 Nashua at (603) 883-7435 or email crchoate@wycntv13.com.

Pride Hire Matt Leite and Mark Dudley

Matt Leite, a 2007 Honors graduate of Franklin Pierce University, was recently hired by the Nashua Pride as the Manager of Media and Community Relations. Leite will also serve as the team's play-by-play announcer, taking over the microphone from Ken Cail, the longtime voice of the Pride.

Mark Dudley, owner and operator of Dudley's Concessions has been hired by the Nashua Pride to service Holman Stadium's food and drink distribution during Pride home games for the 2008 season.

Job Fair Saturday, April 15th

The Nashua Pride have announced that they will be holding a job fair for the 2008 season at Historic Holman Stadium on Saturday, April 19th from 10am - 1pm. The Pride will be looking to hire gameday stadium staff and gameday concessions staff. Minimum age to be determined. Applicant must be able to work in the United States legally.

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Canadian American League Stories from April 18, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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