Cullowhee, N.C. – As the summer starts to wind down heading towards the fall semester, CatamountSports.com catches up with Catamount baseball for a Diamond Notes feature that includes updates on both current Catamounts and those playing among professional baseball.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount baseball and WCU Athletics through social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountBSB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountbsb).
Murray Collects Postseason MVP Award in ONSL
Western Carolina junior catcher
Cameron Murray received postseason Most Valuable Player honors from the Old North State League (ONSL) while playing for the league-champion Pineville Porcupines. The Porcupines won the best-of-three championship series over the Clayton Clovers.
Murray doubled and scored on a wild pitch in Pineville's 8-7 walk-off victory in game one of the three-game championship set. In the finale, he drove in two on a walk and a sacrifice fly in the series-clinching victory. The Fredericksburg, Va., product found himself on base numerous times in the Porcupines' postseason run to the title as the squad finished the year on an 11-game winning streak.
Western Carolina Baseball Alumni Weekend, Oct. 27-29
WCU head coach and Catamount baseball alum Alan Beck is inviting all alumni of the program back to Cullowhee for Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 27-29, 2023. Festivities surrounding the alumni weekend include golf at the Maggie Valley Club on Friday, Oct. 27 followed by rounds of batting practice under the lights at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium. On Saturday, Oct. 28, baseball will hold a special alumni tailgate and fundraising home run derby ahead of the WCU football game against Mercer that kicks off at 2:30 p.m.
To secure a spot in the WCU Baseball Alumni Weekend, contact assistant coach
Seth Graves at
sgraves@wcu.edu.
Updating Catamounts in the Various Summer Leagues:
Brandon Eldridge -- Saugerties Stallions (Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League)
Pitched 12 total innings in seven games with one start, posting a 1-0 record, a 3.75 ERA, and struck out a dozen.
Hayden Friese -- Outer Banks Scallywags (Premier Collegiate League)
Played in 33 games, posting a .312 batting average … Collected 34 hits with eight doubles, two triples, and three homers ... Recorded 30 RBIs and 22 runs scored.
Kyle Harbison -- Johnson City Doughboys (Appalachian League)
Played in 10 games before being sidelined with an injury … Collected six hits, two RBIs and six walks for a .308 on-base percentage with 33 total at bats.
Shane Huntsberger -- Palm Beach Xtreme (South Florida Collegiate Baseball League)
Made five starts over six appearances, posting a 2-0 record and a 4.05 ERA … Struck out 32 against 11 walks.
Coby Ingle – Martinsville Mustangs (Coastal Plain League)
Made three relief appearances for a total of 3.1 innings of work with a strikeout … Had an 8.10 ERA in limited action.
Zach Ketterman -- Valley Blue Sox (New England Collegiate Baseball League)
Saw action in 32 games collecting 23 base hits including seven doubles and three home runs … Scored 15 runs while driving in 15 RBI, adding 17 walks … Made one relief appearance on the mound, striking out three over 2.0 innings without allowing an earned run.
Paddy McGonigal -- Outer Banks Scallywags (Premier Collegiate League)
Pitched in five games with four starts … Posted a 1-1 record with 20 strikeouts and just one earned run allowed to boast a 0.43 ERA.
Drew Needham – Martinsville Mustangs (Coastal Plain League)
Played in 43 games on the summer with a .209 batting average, finishing 29-for-139 with five doubles and seven home runs … Collected 26 RBI while adding 10 walks to bolster a .410 on-base percentage.
Adam Quincy -- Tarboro River Bandits (Premier Collegiate League)
Pitched in 14 games, posting a 2-1 record with a save … Over 29.2 innings pitched, struck out 41 … Allowed eight earned runs for a 2.43 ERA.
Jack Spyke – High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms (Coastal Plain League)
Played in 36 games, posting a .263 batting average with 31 hits including six doubles and two home runs … Drove in 22 while adding 11 walks on the summer.
Nate Stocum -- Vermont Mountaineers (New England Collegiate Baseball League)
Played in 32 games posting a .241 batting average … Half of his 20 hits went for extra bases including four doubles, a triple, and five home runs … Drove in 19 while drawing 13 walks.
Jonathan Todd – Martinsville (Va.) Mustangs (Coastal Plain League)
Made six relief appearances, tossing just 6.2 innings with 10 strikeouts … Had a 4.05 ERA, surrendering three runs on just four hits.
Dylan Wheeler -- Valley Blue Sox (New England Collegiate Baseball League)
Made just one start, tossing three innings with four strikeouts against a walk.
Ryan White – High Point-Thomasville Hi-Toms (Coastal Plain League)
Pitched in eight games with four starts on the mound … Posted a 2-3 overall record and a 3.64 ERA over 29.2 innings of work … Struck out 31 against 12 walks.
* WCU had seven 2023-24 newcomers playing in the various summer leagues; summer stats will be included in the newcomer release.
Updating Catamounts in Professional Baseball
Pascanel Ferreras, Fayetteville (N.C.) Woodpeckers – Houston Astros, Single-A Affiliate
Drafted in the 20th round with the 614th overall pick – the last pick of the MLB Draft – Ferreras signed with the Astros in late July. He played just one game in rookie summer ball before being moved to Fayetteville in the Single-A Carolina League. Ferreras made quite the splash in his professional debut, going 3-for-3 with a run-scoring double and a walk.
Zebby Matthews – Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Kernels – Minnesota Twins, High-A Affiliate
Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the eighth round of the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft, Matthews has played with three teams over the past two seasons. The right-hander advanced from rookie ball to the Class-A Ft. Myers (Fla.) Mighty Mussels at the end of 2022, opening this season in southern Florida. In late May, Matthews was moved to the High-A Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Kernels. Over two seasons, Matthews has a 6-3 record with 17 starts among 21 appearances and 94.2 innings thrown with 107 strikeouts.
Will Prater – Schaumburg (Ill.) Boomers – Frontier League, Independent
After playing in the MLB Draft League with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, Prater signed with the independent Frontier League with the Schaumburg Boomers as an infielder. Currently, Prater is on the Boomers' injured list and out of the lineup. Prior to the injury that sidelined him, Prater was batting .312 with a home run and 33 RBI to accompany 22 runs scored with 11 stolen bases over 47 total games.
Justice Bigbie – Erie (Pa.) SeaWolves – Detroit Tigers, Double-A Affiliate
Picked in the 19th round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Bigbie has advanced to Double-A this season where he's been on a tear. After finishing 2022 in High-A ball with the West Michigan Whitecaps, the Chesapeake, Va., product began 2023 with the same club before being assigned to Double-A Erie. Since being called up, Bigbie is batting .376 (56-of-149) with 11 doubles, eight home runs, with 30 RBI over 39 games played.
Jack Snyder – Montgomery (Ala.) Biscuits – Tampa Bay Rays, Double-A Affiliate
Signed by the Tampa Bay Rays to a minor league contract in February 2022 after excelling in the independent Frontier League-member Schaumburg (Ill.) Boomers, Snyder as in single-A and high-A ball in his first year as a professional, playing for the Charleston (S.C.) RiverDogs and Bowling Green (Ky.) Hot Rods. After beginning 2023 in Kentucky, Snyder was called up to Double-A Montgomery in April. Over two-year minor league career, he has tossed 60.2 relief innings over 38 appearances with nine saves, three holds, and seven victories.
Chase Walter, Arizona Complex League (ACL) Padres – Rookie Level
Drafted by the Los Angeles in the 32nd round of the 2019 MLB Draft, Walter was signed to a minor league contract as a free agent in 2020 by the San Diego Padres. Walter has battled through injuries over the past couple of seasons in the minors. He has thrown just 40 innings over 34 appearances in his career with two saves and 75 strikeouts, and remains assigned to San Diego's rookie-league team.
Bryan Sammons, Toledo (Ohio) Mud Hens – Detroit Tigers, Triple-A Affiliate
A hard-throwing left-hander, Bryan Sammons has spent his professional career in the minors, most recently bouncing back from a stint with the independent Atlantic League's Gastonia Honey Hunters to be picked up by the Detroit Tigers. He is currently at the Triple-A level in the Tigers' system with Toledo. Back in January, Sammons was picked up by the Houston Astros before being released from affiliate Corpus Christi in late March. Over 135 career games that include 84 starts, the Wilmington, N.C., product has 27 career victories and over 500 strikeouts. Sammons was taken in the eighth round with the 226th overall pick by the Minnesota Twins back in 2017.
Brendan Nail, Worcester (Mass.) Red Sox – Boston Red Sox, Triple-A Affiliate
Former LHP Brendan Nail has spent much of his seven-year professional career bouncing through the rungs of the minor league ladder with most of the past two seasons rostered between Double and Triple-A. This summer, Nail has split time between the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs and the Triple-A affiliate Worcester Red Sox – or "WooSox." Signed as an undrafted free agent by Boston in August 2017, Nail has made over 130 career appearances with five starts, posting a 14-6 career record over 188.1 innings of work.
Tyler White, Voluntarily Retired List
Spent the last two years in the minor leagues at the Triple-A level between the Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers), Gwinnett Stripers (Atlanta Braves), St. Paul Saints (Minnesota Twins), and lastly with the Syracuse Mets (New York Mets). White was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 33rd round of the 2013 MLB Draft and made his professional debut in April 2016, earning American League Player of the Week plaudits in his first week in the Bigs. All told, White was a part of seven MLB clubs during his career – Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, Minnesota Twins, and New York Mets.
