Catcher Anthony Marnell IV can flat out swing the bat. Andrew Nykoluk can pick it with the best of them at short.
Consider the middle of the diamond fortified for first-year Nanaimo NightOwls head coach Cody Andreychuk.
Marnell, who will be at D-1 powerhouse Oregon State in fall, is a switch-hitting catcher with strong defensive skills — some of them worked on as recently as December with god-brother Austin Wells, the starting catcher for the New York Yankees.
Nykoluk is a defensive wizard for Hawaii Pacific who makes the NightOwls strong at a key spot on the diamond.
“I look at our catching group, and we will be very strong defensively with some bats who will get some time at DH as well,” said Andreychuk, the local product who is in his first year as head coach.
“I like the different options and the mix we have available in the infield as well, Nykoluk is a key piece of that puzzle and brings college-level experience of carrying the load at short.”
Unveiled today for Coach Andreychuk’s roster in 2025:
C Anthony Marnell IV, S/R, College of Southern Nevada (and Oregon State), 6-2/200, Las Vegas
RHP Zach Horwith, R/R, 6-1/200, Bellarmine University, Castle Rock, CO
RHP Brennan Kettle, R/R, 6-0/155, Hawaii Pacific, Houston, TX
SS Andrew Nykoluk, R/R, 5-10/165, Hawaii Pacific, Simi Valley, CA
RHP Jayden Gabrillo, L/R, Hawaii Pacific, 5-8/165, Ewa Beach, HI
OF Owen Wessel, R/R, 5-8/165, Hawaii Pacific, Huntington Beach, CA
Marnell is hitting .321 this spring with four doubles and two home runs and is on base at a .396 clip. He’s considered a strong defensive catcher with a pro frame.
Nykoluk is a glue guy, a leader, for the Sharks, was at D-1 at Loyola Marymount before moving to Saddleback CC and then to HPU. His dad Kevin played at the University of Miami and was drafted by St. Louis. Andrew played summer baseball in Alaska in 2024 and already has two triples and a home run this spring.
Wessel is a versatile outfielder at HPU known for his defence and strong baserunning instincts, with a bat that shows power potential. A team-first guy, he can also play some infield.
Kettle, with a firm fastball and strong sense of staying in the strike zone, projects as a long man out of the bullpen or a starting option.
Gabrillo has a loose arm and tops out at 90mph, with a tough splitter that gets a lot of ground balls. Projects to be a bullpen arm for the NightOwls.
Horwith, from Colorado, moved to Bellarmine from Fort Scott Community College, has had three longer outings already for 11 innings this spring.
