LAKE ERIE SIGNS TWO PURE COLLEGE HITTERS AND FORMER NATIONALS FARMHAND

AVON, OH - The Lake Erie Crushers are excited to report its first batch of new signees to the 2025 roster: OF Jacob Corson, IF Zack Campbell, and RHP Miguel Pozo.

Jacob Corson will make his first professional baseball appearance for the Crushers in 2025. The 23-year-old left-handed hitter from Williamsport, Pennsylvania played four seasons at Bucknell University, a D1 program in the Patriot League. Corson, a 6'0" outfielder, was one of the best players in Bucknell's program history. He ranks 10th in OBP (.433), 4th in runs (136), 4th in doubles (44), 4th in home runs (24), 5th in RBIs (129), 8th in total bases (303), and is the all-time Bucknell baseball leader in walks (104) and hit-by-pitches (40). 

Corson projects as a table-setter to be slotted in at the top of the lineup. His career .300 batting average in college was reinforced by his 2024 season with the Williamsport Crosscutters in the MLB Draft League where he slashed .301/.443/.431 in 48 games. He has a chance to make an immediate impact at a corner outfield spot for the Crushers and could provide an innate ability to get on base that the Crushers were looking for in 2024.

Along with his leadoff hitter reminiscent numbers, Corson had a power surge in his final season in college with 13 homers and ranked 33rd in the nation in average exit velocity (94.7 mph). He's a pure hitter that could be a major contributor for the Crushers in 2025.

Zach Campbell continues the trend of Jared Lemieux's search for pure hitters to add to the Lake Erie lineup. The 5'9", lefty-swinging utilityman hails out of Warren, OH, just a stone's throw away from Avon. He attended Tiffin University (D2) for five years, introducing himself as a sophomore in 2019 with a .378 batting average in 50 games. In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Campbell was on pace to have one of the most ridiculous seasons ever. In 11 games, he was slashing .539/.583/.872 for a 1.455 OPS to lead all of Division II baseball.

While those numbers are hardly sustainable, Campbell responded in his fourth and fifth seasons at Tiffin with shows of incredible consistency. His game is based around contact, and his 112/120 strikeout-to-walk ratio supports that. He's another table-setter whose mindset is to get on base. Between his time at Tiffin, his stints with the Moose Jaw Miller Express in Saskatoon, Canada, and a summer with the Sandusky Ice Haulers, Campbell's consistency is a welcome addition to the Crushers' lineup. He is also movable in the field having played extended time at both corner outfield and middle infield positions.

Miguel Pozo is a former Washington Nationals rookie ball pitcher, and he'll be making his first professional appearance this season for Lake Erie since 2022. In his affiliated career, Pozo owns a 4.68 ERA in 67 ⅓ innings pitched. Walks were his biggest enemy in his time in rookie ball, but a season with the Rocky Mountain Vibes in the Pioneer League saw a huge step forward with Pozo's control.

In just 34 innings, Pozo struck out 44 batters and walked just 11 while putting up a 3.97 ERA. The Dominican right-hander began as a starting pitcher before transferring to the bullpen, and his 10 saves with the Vibes in 2022 are an encouraging sign as he breaks back into professional baseball. Given his experience as a starter, Jared Lemieux has options on how to use Pozo in 2025.