Fabulous Five: Meet the five new players joining the squad this season

As opening day nears, let’s continue to meet some of the players that will be joining the Stompers this summer!

Maxx Castellucci - Sacramento City College

Castellucci comes to Sonoma from Sacramento City College, but is a local player. He is originally from Napa, CA and attended Justin Siena High School. 

He appeared in three games for Sacramento City College this season. 

Be sure to follow Castellucci before he comes to Sonoma!

Hayden Crews - Sacramento City College

Crews will also be coming to us from Sacramento City College. He is from West Sacramento, CA and attended River City High School. He had helped River City to a three-game winning strea in his senior season in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down.

He came out onto the scene as a freshman hitting .514 in 44 at-bats in 2017 while driving in 14 runs. In his high school career, he hit .357 with 28 RBI and 11 doubles.

On the mound, he struck out 18 batters in 19 innings of work over his three-year high school career.

Garrett James - Santa Rosa Junior College

James is originally from Fort Bragg, CA and starred at Fort Bragg High School. James is playing for the Santa Rosa Junior College Bear Cubs.

In the now-concluded 2022 season with the Bear Cubs, James threw 19.2 innings in 10 appearances on the mound. He’s recorded 13 strikeouts along the way.

Brady Routon - Sacramento City College

Routon is another Sacramento City College Panther who will be donning the navy blue and orange this summer. He comes to us from El Dorado Hills, CA and played his high school ball at Oak Ridge High School. 

Throughout his high school career, Routon was dominant on the mound. Over his three-year varsity career, Routon pitched 45.1 innings to the tune of a 2.62 ERA. He struck out 46 batters while walking just 15. 

Follow Brady until he gets to Sonoma!

Tyler Hellums - Santa Rosa Junior College

Hellums is a local product from Windsor, CA and attended Windsor High School. He was named North Bay League - Redwood pitcher of the year his senior season in 2019.

Boy, was it deserved. In his senior campaign at Windsor, he went 6-1 with a miniscule 0.29 ERA He completed two games, one of which was a no-hitter. In 48.1 innings that season, he struck out 82 batters to 34 walks and allowed an opponents’ batting average of just .111.

In his two-year varsity career for the Jaguars, he threw 92.1 innings with a 0.83 ERA with 142 strikeouts and 66 walks. Opponents got on base just 30% of the time against him and allowed just 11 earned runs.

This season with SRJC in limited action, he had a strikeout-per-nine innings ratio of 10.13.

Staying Local: Meet three Junior College players competing in the playoffs this weekend

As the junior college playoffs heat up, let’s meet three future Stompers that will be competing in those playoffs this weekend!

Daniel Smith - Santa Rosa Junior College

Smith originally hails from Ukiah, CA and was a Ukiah High School Wildcat. Smith currently plays at Santa Rosa Junior College.

In 60.2 career high school innings, he pitched to the tune of a 4.38 ERA with a 7-5 record, 72 strikeouts, 31 walks allowed and a .255 opponents’ batting average.

This year at SRJC, Smith is 5-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 57 innings of work. He’s struck out 68 batters to just 16 walks allowed in those innings. SRJC is hosting Butte this weekend in the CCCAA Baseball Northern Regional.

Follow Smith and the Bear Cubs the rest of the season before they come to Sonoma!

Eric Woodrow - College of Marin

Woodrow is from Fairfax, CA and attended Sir Francis Drake High School, which is now known as Archie Williams High School. 

For the Mariners, he has pitched 34 innings this season, striking out 36 batters to 17 walks with a strikeout rate of 9.53 per nine innings. COM will take on Ohlone College in the CCCAA Baseball Regionals this weekend. 

Follow Eric and the Mariners before he comes to Wine Country!

Jack Cazin - Santa Rosa Junior College

Cazin is a southpaw that will be coming to Sonoma from Santa Rosa Junior College. He is from Dannville, CA. Cazin played his prep ball at Monte Vista High School.

In his senior season, Cazin helped the Mustangs by pitching to the tune of a 3.23 ERA with an opponents’ batting average of .231. 

This year with SRJC, he’s struck out 23 batters in 40.2 innings pitched. 
Follow Cazin and the Bear Cubs for the rest of the season before the lefty heads to Sonoma!

They're Comin' to your City

As the Stompers continue to sign collegiate players for the 2022 season, we will continue to introduce them to you, the fans! Here’s more about three of our new players coming to Sonoma this summer.

Tucker McEnroe - Texas A&M Corpus Christi

McEnroe comes to Sonoma from Texas A&M Corpus Christi where he is completing his freshman season at the moment. He is from Spring, Texas, playing his prep ball at Klein Oak High School.

McEnroe will help the Stompers on the infield in 2022. This season with the Islanders, he is hitting .265 with two home runs, 16 RBI and has scored 10 runs.

Texas A&M Corpus Christi is 21-24 on the season. Follow Tucker the rest of the season before opening day in Sonoma!

Daniel Morehead - Youngstown State University

Morehead is a freshman at Youngstown State. He is a local product, coming from Cardinal Newman High School in Santa Rosa, CA.

In the 2021 COVID-19 shortened season last spring as a senior at Cardinal Newman, Morehead appeared in four games without allowing an earned run while striking out seven batters. He helped the Cardinals to a 17-3 record that season.

Follow Daniel for the rest of the season before he comes home this summer!

Food and Beverage Partners Announced!

The Sonoma Stompers are proud to announce our Four Food and Beverage Partners for the 2022 season! 

JACOB’S RESTAURANT is the “Official Restaurant Partner of the Sonoma Stompers”. Since 1989, Jacob’s Restaurant, formerly known as Pizzeria Capri Ristorante has been a neighborhood favorite for over three decades. Fans can now enjoy Jacob’s fresh Chicago Style Hot Dogs, hearty pizzas, fresh salads, and Gyros down the third-base concession stand. Enjoy Jacob’s Restaurant at Arnold Field during Stompers games as well as their main location at 1266 Broadway, Sonoma.  

HENHOUSE BREWING COMPANY is the “Official Beer Partner of the Sonoma Stompers” and the “Official Partner of the Beer Garden”. They value teamwork, quality, knowledge and stokedness. They also believe living these values creates jobs that don’t just pay a living wage, they also help achieve goals they wouldn’t on their own. HenHouse believes that a thriving company directly benefits its employees, its shareholders, its partner businesses and its community as a whole. A profitable business is part of the bedrock of a strong community and HenHouse is a part of the bedrock of Sonoma County.

TREE FORT is the “Official Wine Lounge Partner of the Sonoma Stompers”! If you’re beach bound or to the hills, sharing moments alone or family thrills, or sitting at the ballpark, we have you taken care of. A wine that embodies the central coast from its start, a paradise found to all of those who venture forth. Whether it’s a surfboard in hand, a saddle on your shoulder,  hiking the hillsides, or catching a Stompers game, reclaim your hideout with Tree Fort.

Ricci Vineyards Wines is the “Official Wine Shack partner of the Sonoma Stompers”, which is located at the entrance of the stadium. The Ricci family has farming in their  blood. For multiple generations they have tilled the soil and cultivated the land that has ultimately become one of the most esteemed wine locales in the world. Since 1982, Ricci Vineyards have produced premium wine grapes sought after by renown winemakers and revered wineries throughout Sonoma and beyond. After nearly forty years farming, Ricci Vineyards is also very proud to be producers of small-lot, boutique wines crafted from Carneros. Share in their adventures and be a witness to their wine journey.

A pair of arms added to the Stomper pitching staff

As the Stompers continue to sign collegiate players for the 2022 season, we will continue to introduce them to you, the fans! Here’s more about three of our new players coming to Sonoma this summer.

Noah Larkin - Cal Poly SLO

Larkin is a 2021 graduate of Burlingame High School. Under head coach Shawn Scott, he posted a 5-4 record with a 3.46 ERA in 13 appearances on the mound. He struck out 61 batters over 60.2 innings. He tossed a four-hitter with eight strikeouts in an 8-2 win over Aragon in semifinals of CIF-Central Coast Section Division 3 playoffs. In his senior season, he helped the Panthers to 18-9 overall record, a second-place Peninsula League Bay Division finish and the CIF-Central Coast Section Division 3 championship with a 10-2 win over Los Altos. 

This year, Larkin sports a 4.70 ERA in 23 innings pitched with 15 strikeouts. The Mustangs are 24-14 overall and 11-3 in conference play this season. Follow Larkin the rest of the season before he comes to Sonoma!

Orlando Leon Jr. - Modesto Junior College

Leon just signed with University of Hawaii at Hilo to continue his baseball career. He is from Modesto, CA and attended Central Catholic High School. 

He began the season pitching 6.2 consecutive scoreless innings. Modesto is 21-13 overall and 10-11 in conference play. Follow Leon the rest of the way before he comes to Wine Country!

Meet two high school interns that have joined the Stompers family!

Feature Image courtesy of Dwight Sugioka

The Sonoma Stompers have been introducing some of their players, but now we want to highlight a couple of our interns! Hudson and Brett have been working extremely hard providing great content for our social media pages and our website!

Hudson Stipp - Sophomore at St. Vincent de Paul High School in Petaluma

Hudson Stipp is entering his first season in the front office as a broadcasting and marketing intern. He hopes to learn and pursue a career in sports broadcasting. His most recent experience was with the Healdsburg Prune Packers, another CCL team, as part of their color and play-by-play commentating crew along with our Director of Broadcasting, Michael Baribault. 

“This is the beginning of my dream job,” Stipp said. “Being a journalist for Prep2Prep and an intern for a very successful baseball team in the Sonoma Stompers.”

Hudson Stipp joined the Stompers organization in December 2021.

He also works as a student-reporter covering St. Vincent de Paul High School athletics for Prep2Prep.com. 

Stipp is originally from Los Angeles, California but has also moved around to San Diego and Chicago before settling in Petaluma when he was in sixth grade. His favorite sports memory is playing golf at Pebble Beach earlier this year. 

“Playing there was my golf heaven,” Stipp said. “It was scenic and it was a dream of mine to play there and play a sport that I love.”

While also playing golf, Stipp also plays basketball at St. Vincent de Paul High School in Petaluma. He played on the varsity team as a freshman and this past season as a sophomore, he helped the team get to the North Coast Section Division 5 Playoffs for the first time in five years. The Mustangs also won a playoff game for the first time in 11 years. 

“It was pretty special,” Stipp said. “But I’m not content with how we finished the season and I'm very excited for next year to do much better and hopefully get to the state playoffs which has been a dream of mine for a while.”

Hudson has enjoyed his time with the Stompers since being hired in December of 2021.

“'I’ve enjoyed working with the Stompers a lot and I’ve been able to use my creativity which has not been very enhanced in my life so I've been able to work on that and create some really good stuff,” Stipp said. “The thing I'm most excited for is actually being there on site and just being able to put something like this on my resume to help me throughout college is amazing.”

Brett Ghisletta - Sophomore at St. Vincent de Paul High School in Petaluma

Brett is entering his first season in the front office as a broadcasting and marketing intern. Brett is a sophomore and attends St. Vincent de Paul High School. He aspires to be a sports broadcaster in his future. He recently began as a public address announcer for St. Vincent de Paul High School boys basketball and baseball. Brett plays football, basketball and baseball at St. Vincent de Paul High School. 

“I have a lot of great friends and I'm surrounded by great people and coaches [at St. Vincent de Paul High School],” Ghisletta said. “I now play the three sports that I love for my school.”

Brett Ghisletta joined the Stompers organization in February!

Ghisletta won the 2021 North Coast Section Division 7 championship with the football team this past season. 

“I got the call up from junior varsity to varsity about six weeks in and I didn’t know what to expect,” Ghisletta said. “A week later, I was starting and playing almost every play in our playoff run. I always wanted to be a varsity offensive linemen. It was incredible, it's not something you can take away from a person.”

Ghisletta did not actually begin playing football right away. He began his athletic career on the diamond and on the hardwood.

“I played basketball and baseball in kindergarten and I fell in love with it,” Ghisletta said. “Then I quit baseball to focus on football, because I realized I was pretty good at football.”

He is originally from Petaluma, CA and has grown up a big Oakland Athletics fan. This past season, he led his JV team to a 17-6 record as the St. Vincent de Paul basketball program continues to try to rebuild.

He also works as a student-reporter covering St. Vincent de Paul High School athletics for Prep2Prep.com. 

Now, Ghisletta plays on the junior varsity baseball team at St. Vincent de Paul and looks forward to football season this fall.

For now, Ghisletta has enjoyed his time working for the Stompers so far and looks forward to the season.

“I love it, it’s been really fun as my first internship,” Ghisletta said. “It’s helping me a lot and I’m using the skills I’m learning for other things too. I’m really excited for our season. I wouldn’t want to be working with any other collegiate baseball team.”

Welcome Hudson Stipp and Brett Ghisletta to the Sonoma Stompers family!

A pair of pitchers and a catcher added to the roster!

More player intros! As the Stompers build out the roster, let’s introduce three more players that will be donning the navy blue and orange this summer!

Brett Hagen - Oakland University 

Hagen is originally from Turlock, California. He transferred to Oakland after spending a season at Modesto Junior College. He made 13 appearances with four starts and posted 1-1 record with 27 strikeouts in 35.2 innings of work.

Image via Oakland University

In 41.1 innings pitched so far this season with Oakland, he’s struck out 23 batters to 11 walks with a 4.35 ERA. 

Follow Brett and the Grizzlies this season before he comes to the Wine Country.

Zachary Garcia - Texas A&M Corpus Christi

Pitcher Zach Garcia is originally from New Braunfels, Texas and played his prep ball at New Braunfels High School. She received All-District Honors and All-State Honors junior and senior seasons. He also earned All State Academic Honorable Mention and played club baseball for the Bowie Bulls for eight years under Micah Bowie.

In 39.1 innings pitched this season, he has struck out 39 batters to 10 walks with a 2.52 ERA. 

Be sure to follow Zach and the Islanders the rest of the season before he heads to Sonoma for the summer!

Davis Cop - University of Utah

Cop comes to Sonoma from the University of Utah and is one of three Utes on the roster this summer. Played scholastically at Valencia High School for head coach Mike Killinger. He was named All-CIF and California All-State in 2019 and also starred in football while in high school. In his senior year, he led the Vikings to an 18-13 record while hitting .376 with five home runs and 27 RBI.

Image via @daviscop1 on Instagram.

He transferred to Utah after spending the 2021 season at Gateway Community College in Arizona. He hit .258 in 38 games played at Gateway with 10 doubles, one triple and one home run, adding 21 RBI at Gateway.

So far this season at Utah, he is hitting .346 with one HR, 22 RBI in 78 at bats. In 130 chances defensively he’s committed just four errors. 

Follow Davis and the Utes for the rest of the season before he heads to Sonoma for the summer!

Stompers announce the addition of three more players to the 2022 roster

As the Stompers continue to sign collegiate players for the 2022 season, we will continue to introduce them to you, the fans! Here’s more about three of our new players coming to Sonoma this summer.

Jackson Castillo - College of Southern Nevada

Jackson Castillo comes to Sonoma from the College of Southern Nevada. Originally from San Diego, CA, Castillo played his high school ball at Rancho Bernardo High School. While at RBHS, Castillo was named all-conference. In 56 high school games, he hit .264 with six home runs, 27 RBI, 23 stolen bases and an OPS of .848. In 74 total chances defensively, Castillo made just one error in high school.

In his true freshman season at CSN, Castillo is having a fantastic start to his collegiate career. In 35 games so far this season he is hitting .331 with six home runs and 33 RBI. He’s also stolen 23 bases on 28 attempts. In the field, he’s made just one error in 56 chances.

Castilo running the bases for the Coyotes. Photo courtesy of Coyote Athletics.

The Coyotes are 21-14 so far this season. Be sure to follow Jackson and the Coyotes before he comes to Wine Country this summer!

Kyle Dickey - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Left-handed pitcher Kyle Dickey is one of four Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders joining the Stompers this summer. Dickey is from Cypress, Texas and played his prep ball at Bridgeland High School. In his senior year, he led Bridgeland to a 29-9-1 record and a quarterfinal finish in the Texas 2021 Baseball 6A Region 2 & 4 tournament. He also received All-League Honors all four years of high school and earned All- District and All-State honors senior year. He also helped the Bears win a District title.

Dickey delievers a pitch for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Photo courtesy of Islander athletics.

In his freshman year at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Dickey has made three appearances, striking out three batters in three innings of work. 

Follow Kyle and the Islanders as they sit at 15-15 on the season thus far before he heads west to the North Bay!

Dakota Duffalo - University of Utah

Outfielder Dakota Duffalo comes to us from Mesa, Arizona and Red Mountain High School in Mesa. He played under head coach Rob Gorrell. While at RMHS, he was named 2020 Sports360AZ All-Academic First Team and 2019 6A East Valley All-Region Second Team. Over the course of his high school career, he hit .304 with five RBI as a senior, and hit .283 with 25 RBI as a junior.

Duffalo on University of Utah: “I chose the University of Utah because it provided me with a challenging athletic and academic environment. It also allowed me to stay close to home while competing in one of the top conferences in the country.”

In 38 at-bats this season, Duffalo is hitting .310 with two home runs, four RBI and nine runs scored. In a series this weekend at Washington State, Duffalo had a breakout weekend going 6-13 with a HR and three RBI while raising his batting average 69 points.

Utah is 17-10-1 on the season and 4-5 in the Pac-12 conference. Follow Dakota and the Utes the rest of the season before he comes to Sonoma this summer!

Stompers begin introducing their roster

The Sonoma Stompers front office has been hard at work filling out their roster for their inaugural season in the California Collegiate League. A mix of local stars and players from around the country have filled out half of the roster to this point. Let’s introduce three of them right now.

Max Handron, Santa Rosa Junior College

Max Handron is a Sonoma Valley High School alum. Max graduated from Sonoma Valley High School in 2019, lettering in baseball three of his four years for the Dragons. Over his high school career, Max had a career .384 batting average accompanied by 78 hits in 67 games. He was a key contributor to the Sonoma Valley team that played in the CIF North Coast Section Division 3 Playoffs three straight years from 2017-2019. 

“We are excited to bring Max on board this summer! He is an all-around solid ball player that will be an asset to our middle infield. This will be a great opportunity for him to improve his skills against California’s top talent on the very field he has grown up on.” says field manager Zack Pace. 

Through 21 games this season with the Bear Cubs, Handron is hitting .276 while scoring 23 runs and driving in 13 runs with an OPS of .795.

Aidan Lombardi, University of Utah

Aidan Lombardi is another local product from Petaluma, CA and graduated from Cardinal Newman High School. In 49 games with the Cardinals over the course of three seasons, Lombardi hit .285 with three home runs, 10 doubles, 39 RBI and 27 runs scored. In his senior season, he hit an even .300 with three homers and 22 RBI, leading Newman to a 17-3 record. Throughout his high school career, he collected Rookie of the Year and All-League awards while winning a North Bay League championship in 2019.

Aidan Lombardi makes a play at shortstop for Cardinal Newman High School.

Photo via Christopher Chung/ The Press Democrat

Lombardi now plays for the Utah Utes and is redshirting this season.

“I chose Utah for its great academic and athletic opportunities. I saw myself here as soon as I visited campus and saw everything it had to offer.”

Jack Gallagher, Santa Rosa Junior College

Another Santa Rosa Junior College Bear Cub will don the Navy Blue and Orange this summer in Sonoma and that is Jack Gallagher. He went to Petaluma High School, playing for head coach Jim Selvitella. While playing for the Trojans in 52 games, Gallagher hit .392, had an on-base percentage of .466, an OPS of .951, drove in 33 runs and scored 27 runs. Playing catcher, Gallagher threw out 41% of all base stealers.

Jack Gallagher records a base hit for Santa Rosa Junior College

Photo via Jack Gallagher/Instagram

Through 24 games at SRJC this season, Gallagher is hitting .388 with four home runs, 16 RBI, 20 runs scored and an OPS of 1.156. He’s also thrown out 33% of potential base stealers so far this season. 

To find more information about the team, visit stompersbaseball.com or send an email to info@stompersbaseball.com. Be sure to keep up with the latest news by following us Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

CCL North Golf Tournament

Join the Sonoma Stompers and the rest of the CCL North in their annual Golf Tournament at Lincoln Hills Golf Club on May 15! The shotgun start begins at 8am with a raffle and catered lunch included! The top three finishers win a foursome at a local golf course!

Play as a foursome, twosome or individually! There’s also plenty of opportunities to sponsor the event! This wil help cover the costs of putting on a California Collegiate League season covering the cost of travel, lodging, umpires and so much more. After all, it’s for the student-athletes! When registering, please note that you are there to support the Stompers and where Stompers gear when attending!

Founded in 1993, the California Collegiate League is a premier college summer baseball destination. Ten teams canvas the golden state of California. Each year, top college baseball players compete for the: MLB Academy Barons, Arroyo Seco Saints, Conejo Oaks, Healdsburg Prune Packers, Lincoln Potters, Orange County Riptide, San Luis Obispo Blues, Santa Barbara Foresters, Solano Mudcats, Sonoma Stompers and Walnut Creek Crawdads.

Head to the CCL website to register!