The pitching staff, it is growing — and adding interesting storylines.
Japanese pitcher Moosa Nonomiya, who is at Skagit Valley College in Washington, will add more to the international flavor of the Nanaimo NightOwls for 2024 — already with players from Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Taiwan
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Not all are far flung — lefty-hitting DH/1B Brayden McClary of the VIU Mariners and returning lefty arm Hayden Cuthbertson are islanders who know Serauxmen Stadium well.
The eight players signed over the weekend by the NightOwls, who begin Year3 in the West Coast League on May 31 in Kelowna, with the home opener at Serauxmen on June 4 against the Cowlitz Black Bears, are:
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OF Noah Hata, Hawaii Pacific, 5-9/165, Kaneohe, HI
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IF Brayden McClary of VIU, 6-3/215, Campbell River, B.C.
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C Kurt Felix, Cal Poly, 6-2/200, Bunkerville, NV
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RHP Grant Jakobson, College of Idaho, 6-2/205, Meridian, ID
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RHP Issac Ariaza, San Diego State, 6-5/270, Yuma, AZ
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LHP Hayden Cuthbertson (returning), Three Rivers College but going to Miami-Ohio, 6-2/190, Parksville, B.C.
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RHP Joe Hanning, Paradise Valley CC, 6-4/185, Vancouver
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RHP Moosa Nonomiya, Skagit Valley, 6-1/185, Tokyo, Japan
Hata can fly — he started 40 games as a freshman and will top that this spring, piling up 28 stolen bases over two seasons. He’s not just speed, he hit a game-winning grand slam in extra innings earlier this month and has three home runs and 25 runs driven in, batting .320 with a low strikeout rate.
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Cuthbertson has had a breakout year with a 3-1 record and four saves, striking out 27 in 17 innings and earning a Division1 spot with Miami-Ohio. McClary, also an Islander, will be the first married player on the NightOwls — he’s a key offensive force in the middle of the VIU lineup, hitting a ball out of Serauxmen this weekend against TRU.
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Felix is a young star catcher with position versatility— and he’s big at 6-2/200 as he goes to Cal Poly this fall. Jakobson is a righthander who will have ample innings available for the summer, a oower arm with bullpen potential.
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Ariaza is a great mix of power and strikes, and he’s the biggest NightOwl to date at 6-5/270. He didn’t walk a batter in 10 outings as a freshman and has 25 strikeouts in 18 innings, along with a save, this spring.
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Hanning has had success at the junior college level and has proven to be a workhorse, including 61 innings already this season, tops on his staff.
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Nonomiya has moved into a starting role in the NWAC conference and is now over 30 innings for a team that has NightOwls assistant Sean FitzGerald on the staff.
