Roster Grows to 30 with Seven Signings
February 3, 2015 - West Coast League (WCL)
Victoria HabourCats News Release
VICTORIA, B.C. - With four months and two days to go until the first pitch of the 2015 West Coast League season, the Victoria HarbourCats have added seven more players to the roster, bringing the number to 30.
"We are proud to have relationships with schools such as Pepperdine, UC-Davis, Chico State and St. Mary's, because they not only produce great athletes, they produce great people," said General Manager Jim Swanson.
"These are quality baseball prospects who are on the radar of pro scouts, and who know that success on the field and as part of a winning program will help get them where they want to be down the road. Our new coaching staff, led by Graig Merritt and Alec Adame, are excited to have these players and be able to help them reach their potential. We think our fans will enjoy having these players in Victoria, in HarbourCats' uniforms. We think these moves improve pitching depth considerably, and add a lot of speed to our offence."
Added to the roster today are:
Ryan Wilson - LHP, Pepperdine
Matt Blais - RHP, UC-Davis
Sean O'Toole - RHP, St. Mary's College of CA
Chase Lambert - IF, Pepperdine
Cam Santos - IF, Chico State
Ryan Anderson - IF, UC-Davis
Jackson Thoreson - C, St. Mary's College of CA
Wilson is a strike-thrower who threw a perfect game in high school, where he was 8-2 as a senior for Carlsbad High, while Blais was a star recruit out of Serra High School who hits 90mph on the radar gun and was 7-3 with a 1.25 ERA before moving to college, striking out more than a batter per inning. O'Toole is a product of Huntington Beach, CA, and was 4-0 as a high school senior. O'Toole's record of giving back to the community is impressive - scholar-athlete awards, member of Model United Nations, and participant in tutoring programs and community volunteering efforts. All three hurlers are freshmen at the NCAA level.
Lambert, a freshman, is the likely starter at third base for Pepperdine as a true freshman, though he can play any infield position. He can hit, as his.444 average with 11 extra-base hits in 23 games as a high school senior indicates - and he stole 26 bases as well. Santos is a small, quick middle infielder also in his first year at the college level, but a 5-9/160 guy who hit three home runs and batted .412 and stole 15 bases as a high school senior. Santos won back-to-back Babe Ruth World Series titles - he's a winner. Anderson is a 6-3/200 left-side infielder from Pleasanton, CA, who was captain of his high school team and hit four home runs and posted a .386 average, and led his team to Connie Mack state titles twice. Lambert, Santos and Anderson are right-handed hitters.
Thoreson is a key player for St. Mary's, a left-handed hitting catcher and a product of Bellarmine College Prep. Will catch and DH for the Gaels, and notably won his high school program's award for having a positive attitude while being named second team all-conference. HarbourCats assistant coach Alec Adame, who coaches at East LA College, played a key role in recruiting Thoreson, Anderson, O'Toole and Blais.
More player announcements will be made in March.
CURRENT ROSTER (30 players)
CATCHERS (3) - Zach Bonneau, University of Washington; Jackson Thoreson, St. Mary's; Dane Fujinaka, Sacramento State
INFIELDERS (9) - Gabe Clark, Oregon State; Jamie Umbinetti, Edmonds CC; Griffin Andreychuk, Seattle University; Cam Santos, Chico State; Ryan Anderson, UC-Davis; PJ Floyd, Sacramento State; Michael Gretler, Oregon State; Chase Lambert, Pepperdine; Carl Stajduhar, University of New Mexico
OUTFIELDERS (3) - John Naff, Everett CC; AJ Alcantara, UC-Irvine; Evan Cassolato, UC-Irvine
RH PITCHERS (10) - Curtis Bafus, Everett CC; Alex Rogers, Trinidad State (North Dakota State next fall); Alex FaGalde, Cuesta College; Preston Ryan, University of New Mexico; Sean O'Toole, St. Mary's; Kyle Francis, Everett CC; Matt Blais, UC-Davis; Chris Fougner, Salt Lake CC; Mikey Wright, Consumnes River CC; Zander Clouse, Bellevue CC.
LH PITCHERS (5) - Henry Baker, University of Washington; Carson Schneider, University of New Mexico; Josh Mitchell, Pittsburgh; Ryan Wilson, Pepperdine; Matt Fish, Pierce CC.
*Clark, Andreychuk, FaGalde, Rogers, Schneider, Ryan and Wright are returning players.
TICKETS ON SALE, ON-LINE
HarbourCats fans can get to the front of the line now by going on-line to purchase tickets for 2015 - that includes Father's Day, Opening Day and the opening series, and special Fireworks Games, slated for June 6, June 30, and August 3.
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West Coast League Stories from February 3, 2015
- Pippins Add Campbell and McCasland from CSUN - Yakima Valley Pippins
- Roster Grows to 30 with Seven Signings - Victoria HabourCats
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