PaddleHeads Prepare For Redemption Tour in Upcoming 2023 Season
Mix Of Returnees & Exciting New Talent Highlights Spring Training Roster
Missoula, MT - The 2023 Missoula PaddleHeads will soon take the diamond at Dehler Park opposite the rival Billings Mustangs to open the Pioneer League season. The 2022 season also began with a tilt opposite the Mustangs on a sun splashed May night in the Garden City. A feeling of anticipation usually is present on an opening day. The Pioneer League season is a 90+ game journey into the unknown. The great unknown for the 2022 PaddleHeads proved to be a truly unique journey indeed.
Players on the 2022 PaddleHeads roster did things the Pioneer League had never seen. Missoula saw a team win at a clip that no franchise across all levels of professional baseball could match. The PaddleHeads finished with the highest winning percentage of any franchise in professional baseball (.724). Pioneer League records were broken, 9th inning dramatic moments were provided, and a new league home run king was crowned. The 2022 PaddleHeads truly sat at the head of the table in the Pioneer League. Until they did not.
The Grand Junction Rockies brought the locomotive that was the 2022 PaddleHeads to a screeching halt in the Pioneer League Championship Series. The Bobby Jenks led Rockies played with an unwavering confidence winning a pair of games inside of Allegiance Field at Ogren Park. The PaddleHeads only dropped 10 of their 48 games played at home during the regular season. After the dust settled, Jenks led the celebration outside of the visitors clubhouse as cheers could faintly be heard as the Rockies celebrated deep into the night.
In a way, this is where the story for the 2023 PaddleHeads began. Yes this iteration of the PaddleHeads will look a bit different. But there will also be a group of players looking to get back to the top of the mountain. Some of these individuals will remember what a championship feels like having being a champion on the 2021 Pioneer League Championship roster.
There are also new faces entering the fray looking to make an impact, and continue the tradition that has been built over the last 2 seasons. The PaddleHeads will look to once again be the 'Kings of the North' as the Pioneer League season approaches. Will this be a redemption tour of sorts for this club? Or will the curse of Bobby Jenks follow this team into the great unknown?
The 2023 season will be a new frontier for every team in the Pioneer League. Surely new faces will look to emerge in the Garden City as the PaddleHeads look to retain their position as league championship contenders. But Missoula will also have the luxury of welcoming some of the league's top players from last season to this season's roster. This combination of youth, and experience paired is definitely something that PaddleHeads Manager Michael Schlact feels is a strength.
"We're excited about the team we have coming into camp this season for many reasons - but the first is the mix of core returners & exciting new players," Schlact said. "The identity of this spring roster is versatility, which we're excited about. There are guys who can play multiple positions & impact the game in a bunch of ways. When you can bring a multi-faceted attack & have super versatile guys all over the field, we believe exciting things can happen."
Highlighting the group of returnees to the PaddleHeads roster is reigning Pioneer League MVP and single season home run king Jayson Newman. Newman provided otherworldly production in the 2022 season hitting 32 home runs, to go with 115 RBIs. Newman also has amassed a .361 career batting average as a PaddleHead in 110 career games played. The Cal-State Northridge product also has a 2.66 career ERA with 5 saves in 26 bullpen appearances.
Missoula's infield will also be further solidified by roster mainstay Cameron Thompson who returns for his 3rd season with the PaddleHeads. The former Kansas State Wildcat holds a .336 career batting average in 179 games played. The Texas native was also a fixture of consistency in 2022 having appeared in all 95 games that the PaddleHeads played in last season.
Thompson will be joined once again by his college teammate Kameron Willman who will return to the PaddleHeads for a 2nd season of action. Willman will look to build on a rookie campaign that saw him play in 65 games as an everyday starter at shortstop. The Bakersfield native finished with a .322 batting average in 298 plate appearances.
Centerfield will also be occupied by a familiar face as defensive stalwart Keaton Greenwalt will retake his place 'in the eight' at Allegiance Field. The former Phillies farm hand showed off his speed, and baseball IQ during the 2022 season with the PaddleHeads establishing himself as the league's best outfielder. Furthermore, the New Mexico product also had a productive season at the plate finishing with a .305 batting average in 89 games.
On the mound, the PaddleHeads will feature an experienced group highlighted by a strong backend of the bullpen. Schlact feels this staff will be able to provide plenty of support for the PaddleHeads offense.
"We took this winter to identify areas that needed improvement and we feel that we upgraded in some key spots," Schlact said. "We're very excited about the pitching depth we have to compliment the powerful offense in place. Above all that, this roster is full of genuinely great guys who have a strong passion for the game & play hard. There's never going to be a moment where a play is taken off because it's not a part of who we are or who they are."
Leading the group of returnees will be Mark Simon who's back for his 3rd season of action. The Former Pioneer League Pitcher of the Year has struck out 113 batters over 82 ⅓ innings over the course of 2 seasons in Missoula.
Another late inning specialist joining Simon in the bullpen for another run with the PaddleHeads will be Cody Thompson. The 3-year professional held a 3.27 ERA in 37 appearances in Missoula last season.
A pair of pitchers with previous ties to the Pioneer League will also look to bolster the PaddleHeads pitching staff. Headlining this group is former Osprey Lui Fuenmayor. The Venezuela native first appeared in the Diamondbacks system in 2017 appearing in 110 games over 5 seasons. Flamethrower Karsen Lindell will also look for a new start after spending time in the Brewers, and Reds farm systems. The Oregon native enjoyed his best season as a professional in 2019 with the Rocky Mountain Vibes finishing with a 3.12 ERA in 49 innings. Schlact was also Lindell's pitching coach that season in Colorado Springs before being hired as Manager by the PaddleHeads prior to the start of the 2021 season.
The path of the 2023 Pioneer League Season will have plenty of twists and turns. Will Grand Junction solidify itself as defending league champion, or will someone else emerge as league title contenders? Will roads in the Northern Division postseason picture run through Missoula for the third consecutive season? Only a trip into the great unknown will be able to answer these questions.
The PaddleHeads open their 2023 campaign on Tuesday May 23 in Billings opposite the Mustangs at Dehler Park. First pitch from the Magic City is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Hear the call on ESPN Missoula 102.9 F.M. and gopaddleheads.com. Be sure to join the PaddleHeads for their home opener on May 30 against the Rocky Mountain Vibes. Tickets to this game and every game are available at gopaddleheads.com.
