VALLEYCATS NEW MANAGER BEGINS BUILDING 2024 ROSTER
The Tri-City ValleyCats have announced that they have signed outfielders Alec Olund and Dylan Broderick, traded LHP Elijah Gill to the Missoula PaddleHeads of the Pioneer Baseball League (PBL) in exchange for INF Jacob Kline and OF Kevin Santiago, and have exercised their 2024 team options. The final Building the Roster with Curtis Lumber update of 2023 comes just one week after manager Greg Tagert was formally introduced as the new 'Cats skipper over Zoom.
Olund returns to the Frontier League after beginning his professional career with the Traverse City Beach Bums in 2018. The Purdue University product played with the Binghamton-Bloomfield Beavers from 2019-20 in the United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL). He also spent time with the Westside Woolly Mammoths and the Utica Unicorns in the USPBL in 2020. Afterward, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound right-handed hitter played the next three seasons in the American Association. Olund was with the Gary SouthShore RailCats from 2021-22. The Crown Point, Ind. native finished the 2022 campaign with the Fargo Moorhead RedHawks, and was a fixture of their lineup in 2023 as he batted .281 with four homers and 10 stolen bases.
Broderick had a cup of coffee with the Washington Wild Things last season, appearing in six games as a pinch-runner and a defensive replacement. The State College, Pa. product produced an eye-popping .330/.475/.547 slash line in five years at the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. A left-handed hitter, Broderick was one of the toughest outs and best defenders in the Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), and was named First-Team All-PSAC West in 2022 and 2023.
Catching up on a previous offseason trade, Gill returns to the PBL after pitching with the Billings Mustangs in 2022. Kline was teammates with Gill in 2022 in what were both of their first professional seasons. The Akron, Ohio native was picked up by the PaddleHeads this past June. Across two years in the PBL, Shawnee State University alum showcased an excellent blend of power and speed with 11 roundtrippers and eight stolen bases in 90 games while batting .313. Meanwhile, Santiago looks to get his first taste of pro ball with the ValleyCats. He was signed by Missoula this offseason after demolishing NAIA competition with Texas Wesleyan University. The Puerto Rico-born product was a .350 hitter that racked up 30 long balls and 127 RBI in 132 games during his collegiate career.
These exciting new additions could join a solid ValleyCats core in 2024 as the following players had their 2024 team options exercised: INF Connor Bagnieski, RHP Angelo Baez, RHP Dan Bebee, OF Lamar Briggs, C Oscar Campos, RHP Aaron Ernst, OF Jaxon Hallmark, RHP Tyler Jeans, C Cale Jones, RHP Dwayne Marshall, OF Carson McCusker, INF Robbie Merced, LHP Caden O'Brien, LHP Tanner Propst, OF Tanner Smith, RHP Jhon Vargas, RHP Greg Veliz, and 3B Ian Walters. Season 22 of ValleyCats baseball and entertainment continues as ticket plans and group outings are now available to purchase for 2024. Each ticket plan includes multiple fireworks dates to enjoy. Fans who buy a ticket plan before December 22nd will be included in a raffle to win a suite in May 2024 (with the exception of the home opener on May 17, 2024). You can be a part of the excitement by logging on to tcvalleycats.com or by calling 518-629-CATS (2287).
