By IAN WILSON
The Brooks Bombers have had a taste of playoff baseball and now the team and its fans want more.
That taste came in 2022, when the team qualified for the postseason for the first time in franchise history.
The Bombers missed out on extra August baseball last year, but the focus will be on getting back to the playoffs in 2024.
Can Brooks climb the West Division standings and lockdown a postseason berth?
The smaller dimensions of Elks Field should help batters hit for power, but pitchers on the Bombers will have to work to keep balls in the yard.
IN THE DUGOUT
Dan Morgan takes over the head coaching reins for the Bombers this summer. He steps in for the departing Ruddy Estrella, who served as the skipper in Brooks last year and has now joined the Swift Current 57’s as an assistant coach.
Morgan is the recruiting coordinator and assistant coach at Dallas College Richland. He joined the Richland Thunderducks in 2023.
Aiding Morgan will be Jake Zettel, who has taken an assistant coach position with the Bombers. Zettel is an assistant at Amarillo College in Texas.
ON THE MOUND
The Bombers have several right-handed hurlers to choose from on their pitching staff.
Odessa College’s Leeroy Tavarez has been a sophomore workhorse for the Wranglers this season. The 6-foot-2 Texas Southern University commit went 4-3 with 42 strikeouts and a 6.35 earned run average (ERA) in his 62.1 innings and 14 appearances. The starting pitcher also recorded a complete game at Odessa College.
Evan Hoegler has pitched for three seasons as a reliever with the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds. The North Vancouver native has a 3.89 ERA, six saves and 34 Ks in 41.2 innings.
Jack Leary went 3-3 in his 52-plus innings at Whitworth University. With the Pirates, the 6-foot-2 pitcher also manufactured 40 strikeouts.
Jeremy Kahle is another bullpen option. The Hawaii Pacific University reliever registered seven strikeouts over 12.2 innings for the Sharks.
Tomoki Jitsukawa is a product of Tokyo, Japan. He spent the last two seasons at Indian Hills Community College, where he logged 61.2 innings over 33 appearances and went 7-0 with a save, 49 Ks and a 3.06 ERA.
In his two years at Dallas College Richland, Vince Ray posted a 6-2 record with three saves. The righty also struck out 37 batters in 41-plus innings.
Towering pitcher Grayden Stauffer has taken the mound for two seasons at Cameron University. The 6-foot-5 native of Oshawa, Ontario registered 16 Ks in 19-plus innings.
Other right-handed options include Sarnia, Ontario’s Ben George, who attends William Penn University and Killian McLaughlin, who plays for Dallas College Brookhaven.
Available southpaws include Theo Giedd, Oliver Duthie, Grant Harvill and Jacob Smoot.
Giedd is a Minnesotan pitching for the Winona State Warriors, while Smoot has split time as a starter and a reliever at Dallas College Richland. Smoot’s stats over two seasons include 33 appearances, 13 starts, 99.2 innings, 103 Ks, 4.61 ERA, two saves and a 9-6 record.
Duthie is from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and with UBC he has a 3.18 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched.
Harvill, meanwhile, plays for the University of Texas Permian Basin, where he has a 3-3 record and 39 Ks in 48-plus innings over the last two years.
“This will be our most well-rounded and versatile pitching staff we have assembled since we entered the league,” said Jason Wandler, the general manager of the Bombers.
BEHIND THE PLATE
A couple of backstops from Texas – and one who went to school in the Lone Star State – will mask up behind the plate.
Will Bomersbach is a junior at Newman University who appeared in 23 games for the Jets this season. The San Antonio native had a .241 batting average, 11 runs, 11 runs batted in (RBI) and five homers in his 54 at bats.
Brett Griggs, a sophomore at Coppin State University, got into a dozen games for the Eagles this year.
Rounding out the catching group is Evan Leibl from Los Alamitos, California. He suited up in 38 games for West Texas A&M in 2023, where he posted a .371 on-base percentage and 26 RBI.
AROUND THE HORN
Zander Bretza is a returning player from Santa Ana, California. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) freshman batted .303 with 44 runs, 38 RBI, 10 doubles and six homers in 55 games for Brooks last summer. Bretza is set to take the field at third base and he’s also an available bullpen option. In four outings and 4.2 innings with the Bombers, he recorded a save, five strikeouts and a 3.85 ERA.
Quebec City native Antony Gilbert slots in at shortstop. As a junior at Bellevue University, Gilbert plays alongside one of the top shortstops in the WCBL. Brendan Luther has been a star fielder and hitter for the Bruins and he’s won back-to-back WCBL Playoff MVP awards with the Okotoks Dawgs the last two summers.
Ned Ceklic is a 6-foot-4 corner infielder from Okotoks. The Dawgs Academy grad played in 46 games for Dakota State University, where he batted .271 with 34 RBI, 27 runs and four homers as a freshman.
Other infielders on the club include Cash Benavidez, a Texan studying at San Jacinto Community College, and Maddox Shaver, who attends McCook Community College. In 53 games this season, Shaver has 48 runs, 32 RBI and a .309 batting average.
IN THE OUTFIELD
Coach Morgan will have a couple of familiar faces available for outfield duty with the Bombers.
Jouseph Gelpi and Kelton Phillips are both recruits from Richland. In 107 games over two seasons with the Thunderducks, Gelpi is batting .361 with a .504 on-base percentage, 146 runs scored, 85 RBI, 37 doubles and a dozen long balls. In his last two years in the program, Phillips has 100 runs, 82 RBI, 47 stolen bases and a .345 batting average.
D’Andre Gaines is coming off a strong season at Mid-America Christian University, where he batted .366 with 67 runs, 47 RBI, 12 home runs and 11 stolen bases in 49 games.
Chicago product Payton Matthews heads north to Brooks after getting a few games in with the University of Texas Permian Basin, while Jacob Gillis joins the roster from Bossier Parish Community College. Gillis stands 6-foot-5 and can also suit up at first base.
A pair of intriguing two-way players are also outfield options for Brooks.
Californian Jordan Otjen is a freshman at Hawaii Pacific University. As a pitcher, he’s 2-4 with a save and 24 Ks in 54.1 innings of work. At the plate, Otjen has a .274 batting average over 62 at bats.
Meanwhile, Okotoks Dawgs Academy product Sebastian Cazorla – who is listed on the roster as a right-handed pitcher and an outfielder – adds a fun dimension to the rivalry between the Bombers and the Dawgs. He’s the younger brother of Alejandro Cazorla, who has been a star outfielder with the Okotoks Dawgs and a key part of their recent WCBL championship drives.
Home Ballpark: Elks Field
Home Opener: 7:05 p.m., Wednesday, May 29th vs. Moose Jaw Miller Express
2023 Regular Season Results: Last place in West Division with 17 wins & 39 losses
2023 Playoff Results: Did not qualify
