Chill Moves Weekend Games

Due to poor field conditions at Tbaytel Field at Chapples Park, the Thunder Bay Chill will play their weekend exhibition games at Fort William Stadium.  The Chill host the Winnipeg Lions Saturday night at 7:30 and Sunday at 1:00.  The Chill open the PDL regular season in Winnipeg on May 31st.  

Cats Sign Pair Of Local Pitchers

The Border Cats pitching staff will have a local flavour this season with the signings of Thunder Bay's Lucas Scocchia and Danny McInnis.  Scocchia and McInnis, who signed temporary contracts,  both attended St. Ignatius High School and our graduates of the Northwest Slam baseball program under the direction of current Lakehead University Thunderwolves coach Jason Hart. 

 

Scocchia, who underwent Tommy John elbow surgery in 2012, just completed his sophomore season at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan.  The 6'2", 230 pound righthander appeared in nine games this year and went 0-1 with a 4.05 earned run average.  He will join the Cats in the first week of June.  McInnis just finished his freshman season at Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas.  The 5'11", 190 pound righthander drew the attention of college scouts in the fall of  2012 when he threw a no-hitter at a showcase tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

 

The Cats have added more depth on the mound with the signings of pitchers Wes Helsabeck and Devin McLemore of Winston Salem State University in North Carolina as well as teammates Michael Daley and Charles Thielmann of Kean University in Union, New Jersey. 

 

Helsabeck, is a 6'0", 190 pound lefthander.  The native of Rural Hall, NC., made 13 appearances this season, including 10 starts, and compiled a 6-1 record with a 3.02 ERA.  McLemore, a 6'3", 195 righthanded sophomore, pitched in 18 games, going 1-1 with a 5.50 ERA.  The product of High Point, NC., also played shortstop for the Rams and batted .284 in 28 games with one home run and 19 runs batted in. 

 

Daley, is a 5'10", 155 pound junior from Sommerville, NJ.  The righthander went 7-1 this season in 12 games, including nine starts.  Daley recorded a 3.56 ERA and had three complete games and two shutouts to earn all region honours.  Daley's college teammate, Thielmann is a 6'3", 235 pound junior from Piscataway, NJ.  The righthander made nine starts and had a 4-4 record in 10 games with a 3.00 ERA. 

 

The Cats have also signed pitchers Ben Allison (Belhaven University), Nathaniel Leon (St. Peter's University), Tyler Lequire (Pfeiffer University), and Kevin Woebke (Concordia University).  Allison made 10 starts and pitched in 22 games this season overall.  The 6'3", 200 pound junior righthander had a perfect 6 and 0 record with a 2.29 earned run average.      

The Border Cats play their 2014 home opener Tuesday, May 27th, at Tbaytel Park against the St. Cloud Rox at 7:05pm.  Season ticket packages, plus 16-game and 6-game flex packs are on sale at the stadium ticket office or by calling 766-CATS.

 

Cats Add Six To Mix

The Thunder Bay Border Cats are proud to announce the signing of six more players for the 2014 Northwoods League season.  Manager Johnny Hernandez has added three players from St. John's (NY) University, two players from Columbia University, and a pitcher from San Diego State University.  
 
St. John's teammates Matt Hennie, Tyler Sanchez and Ty Blankmeyer will all suit up for the Border Cats this summer.  Hennie is a 6'2", 170 pound right-handed pitcher from Roselle Park, NJ.  The sophomore has appeared in 17 games out of the bullpen for the Red Storm this season and is 2-0 with one save and a 3.07 earned run average.  Sanchez, a 6'3", 205 pound sophomore catcher from Port St. Lucie, FL., has played in 44 games and is hitting .254 with one home run and 18 runs batted in.  Blankmeyer is also a sophomore from Morristown, NJ., and has played in 36 games this year, batting .213 with five RBI.  The 5'7", 155 pound infielder can play second base or shortstop.  St. John's will compete this weekend in the Big East Tournament in Brooklyn, NY.  
 
The Cats have also signed a pair of players from another New York school, Columbia University.  Robb Paller, is a 5'10", 195 pound outfielder from Brooklyn.  In 43 games this season, the sophomore is hitting .299 with 10 doubles, three home runs and 33 runs batted in.  Paller leads the Lions with 50 hits.  Jordan Serena is 6'1", 190 pound second baseman from Parker, CO.  The junior infielder has also played in 43 games this spring and is hitting .286 with nine doubles, two triples and 12 RBI.
 
Joining the pitching staff is 6'2", 180 pound righthander Mark Seyler from San Diego State University.  The sophomore from Agoura Hills, CA., has appeared in 15 games for the Aztecs and has an 8-5 record with a 3.94 earned run average.  Seyler has struck out 75 batters in 89 innings pitched.  
 
The Border Cats play their 2014 home opener Tuesday, May 27th, at Tbaytel Park against the St. Cloud Rox at 7:05pm.  Season ticket packages, plus 16-game and 6-game flex packs are on sale at the stadium ticket office or by calling 766-CATS.

 

The Thunder Bay Border Cats are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League.  Playing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind.  A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 115 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (DET) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmerman (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB).  All league games are viewable live via Northwoods League YouTube channel.  For more information visit www.bordercatsbaseball.com.  

Wolves Add New Recruit

Lakehead University and the Thunderwolves hockey team are pleased to announce that forward Jake Wright has committed to the program.  Thunderwolves Head Coach Bill McDonald feels that Wright will add depth and toughness to the Wolves’ lineup.  The 6 foot, 205-pounder played two seasons for the Woodstock Slammers of the Maritime Hockey League and led the team in scoring last year, tallying 24 goals and adding 53 assists for 77 points in 52 games. Wright had previously played two seasons for his hometown Soo Thunderbirds of the NOJHL, where he won the Dudley Hewitt Central Canada Junior “A” Championship played at the Fort William Gardens in April of 2012.

Cats Sign Outfielder

The Thunder Bay Border Cats are proud to announce the signing of outfielder Tyler Rolland from Southern Illinois University.  The junior, from Broken Arrow, OK., has played in 31 games this season and is batting .258 with two doubles and 11 RBI's.   Rolland has an on-base percentage of .410, thanks to 21 walks.

Rolland will be joined in Thunder Bay this summer by a pair of teammates from the Northwestern State University as the Border Cats have signed right-handed pitchers Nathan Aultman and Reid Peavy.
The Cats have also announced that outfielder Nick Heath, a recruit from Northwestern State University, will miss NWL season due to an injury.  The redshirt freshman is scheduled to undergo Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery.  Heath was named the top MLB prospect by Baseball America in the Hamptons Summer Collegiate League after leading the North Fork Ospreys to the 2013 championship.  The Cats are hopeful that Heath will be able to play in Thunder Bay in 2015.
The Border Cats open the 2014 Northwoods League season at home on Tuesday, May 27th, against the St. Cloud Rox at Tbaytel Park at 7:05 pm.

McEachern Returns To Cats

The Border Cats 2014 roster will again have a local flavour this season with the signing of Thunder Bay's Carter McEachern.  The outfielder is having an outstanding sophomore season at Trinity University in San Antonio, TX., where he has started all 34 games for the Tigers.  McEachern is batting .331 with one home run, two doubles and 21 runs batted in.  The 19-year old had two stints with the Border Cats last season and hit .333 (10-30),  in 10 games with one double and two RBI's. 

Joining McEachern in Thunder Bay this summer will be his college teammate, pitcher Zach Speer.  The 6'4", 230 pound righthander is the top pitcher on the Trinity University staff with a 7-1 record in 10 starts and a 2.01 earned run average.  The junior from Houston, TX., has struck out 46 batters in 58 innings pitched.  The Tigers are currently 28-6 overall and are the sixth ranked NCAA Division III team in the United States. 

The Border Cats have also signed returning outfielder Alex Bautista from Kentucky's Lindsey Wilson College and pitcher Ryan Powers of Miami of Ohio University.

Bautista, a fan favourite last summer, is hitting .277 in 43 games this season with the NAIA school with seven home runs, eight doubles and 31 runs batted in.  Bautista is in his junior season with the Blue Raiders after transferring from Clarendon College in Texas, where he played for former Border Cats manager Devin McIntosh.   Despite hitting only .171 in 52 games with Thunder Bay last year, the Queens, NY., native showed great promise at the plate with four home runs and 18 RBI's. 

Powers is a 6'5", 230 pound junior from LaGrange, IL.  The righthander has started nine games for the Redhawks this season and is 3-3 with a 4.80 ERA.  Powers has recorded 39 strikeouts in 54 innings.

 

The Border Cats open the 2014 Northwoods League season on Tuesday, May 27th, at 7:05pm versus the St. Cloud Rox at Tbaytel Park.          

Petrie Cup Is Back

The top senior men's hockey teams in Thunder Bay will take to the ice this week at Fort William First Nations Arena for the Petrie Cup Championship.

The Petrie Cup was a staple in Thunder Bay during the 1970's and 80's and is returning this year with six teams battling for the title.  The original championship trophy is again being provided by Tom Petrie, owner of Petrie's Cycle and Sports.

The six teams are made up from three local loops, the Thunder Bay Senior League, the Stanley Rural League and the Superior League, which is based at FWFN Arena.  The clubs qualified for the tournament by winning either their league regular season or playoff championship.  Team rosters are loaded with former Junior "A" players and also include former professional players Bobby Bolt, Jeff Heerema and Malcolm MacMillan.  

The modified round robin tournament opens Tuesday night with three games.  The Knights of the Stanley League play the Lumberjacks from the Superior League at 7:45.  The Hornets of Thunder Bay Senior League take on the Stanley League champion Wolves at 8:45 and in the last game of the night at 9:45, the Wolf Clan, champions of Superior League go up against Coastal Steel, the champs of the Thunder Bay Senior League.

There are three round robin games nightly with the semi finals scheduled for Friday at 7:00 and 8:30 and the championship game Saturday, April 19th, at 7:30.  Admission is free.