JACKALS SELECT 2 IN 2023 DRAFT!
Although most of the attention surrounding a draft of talented players is focused on the NFL, the Frontier League's 16 member clubs gathered in the St. Louis suburb of Sauget, Ill. yesterday to conduct their 2023 Draft. A culmination of a two-day tryout, selected players from the Draft are provided with invitations to Spring Training and an opportunity to chase their baseball dreams in the largest Independent League circuit in the country.
The draft positioning is determined by record from the previous campaign, which meant the New Jersey Jackals held the fifth overall selection in the first round. New skipper P.J. Phillips used the pick to acquire Luke Hansen, a left-handed pitcher from Sacred Heart University. The 6'3" Hansen recorded just short of 90 innings pitched for the Pioneers from 2019-22 and struck out 88 hitters. during his time in Fairfield. In high school for Southold, NY, Hansen contributed to three county championships, two Long Island championships and was named to the Axcess Baseball Top 30 Players on Long Island list.
In the second round, again selecting fifth overall in the round, the Jackals added to their outfield corps with the selection of Vincent Martin. The Lodi, NJ native attended Bergen Catholic before matriculating to UMass Lowell. In 146 games for the River Hawks, he hit .291 with 18 doubles, 6 homers, 48 RBI and 79 runs scored. After a transfer to William Paterson, Martin exploded onto the scene, playing in 43 games in which he accumulated a .339 average, 14 doubles and 39 RBI. He also tallied a perfect fielding percentage, hauling in all 75 of his outfield chances and tallying five fielding assists. His May 8th, 2022 game against Montclair State was arguably his best as he rapped four hits, drove in five runs and scored two of his own in a 20-9 Pioneers win over MSU in the NJAC tournament.
Hansen, Martin and the rest of the 2023 New Jersey Jackals will begin Spring Training next week as preparations begin for the season. By Sunday, May 7, the Jackals must be down to 28 players on their active roster. By May 10, the team must have its roster pared down to between 22 and 24 active players. The Jackals season begins with a road trip to the New York Boulders in Pomona, NY and the Quebec Capitales north of the border, before a split series begins with the Sussex County Miners on May 19. The inaugural game for the franchise at Hinchliffe Stadium follows on May 20.
