Paul Hvozdovic and Collin Forgey are both Sonoma bound after they signed contracts with the Stompers.
Supicket.com/BigBendCourier.com
Tim Livingston, Director of Broadcasting & Media Relations
The Sonoma Stompers Professional Baseball Club has agreed to terms with both pitcher Paul Hvozdovic and outfielder Collin Forgey.
Hvozdovic, 22, spent the summer of 2014 with the Windy City Rascals of the Frontier League and was quite dominant, pitching to a 1.23 ERA in 18 appearances. It was his first taste of professional baseball after an outstanding career at Shepherd University in West Virginia.
During his final season with the Rams in 2014, he was 11-1 with a 1.80 ERA and struck out 100 batters in only 90 innings. Even more impressive than the strikeouts was his lack of free passes; he only allowed eight walks that year, good for an unbelievable 12.5 K/BB ratio.
In fact, Hvozdovic might be the best pitcher to ever suit up for Shepherd. He holds the single-season records for wins, strikeouts and complete games (9), all set during the 2014 season. He also holds career records for the Rams in wins (34), innings pitched (340), strikeouts (307), games started (56) and complete games (19).
The 6’1”, 175 lb. left-hander from Herndon, Virginia has experience both as a starter in college and as a reliever as a professional, making him a flexible option on the hill for manager Fehlandt Lentini.
Forgey, 23, is a San Diego native that thrived as a Division III player at Menlo College down on the Peninsula, where he was named to the All-California Pacific Conference team and helped lead the to a school-record 32 wins in 2011.
He moved on to Division I baseball at St. Joseph’s (PA) in 2013, where he continued to hit the cover off the ball. After a season where he hit .292 with 15 extra base hits and 10 stolen bases, he blew up in his senior year, hitting .355 with 6 homers and 47 RBIs. He also had a .449 on-base percentage and a .542 slugging percentage.
His performance got Collin noticed enough to play for the Alpine Cowboys of the Pecos League last summer. He continued his stellar play at the plate, hitting .340 with a .902 OPS. He had 17 hits in only 14 games, with five going for extra bases.
Forgey will join what should be a stellar outfield for the Stompers in 2015, as the San Diego native will play alongside Lentini and returning Stomper Matt Hibbert.
Both players will arrive this week in advance of the team’s Spring Training schedule, which begins on Saturday, May 23. The Stompers will begin their regular season on Monday, June 1, when they host Pittsburg at Arnold Field with the first pitch set for 6 p.m.
Tickets are available at www.StompersBaseball.com or at our Fan Shop, located at 234 West Napa Street in downtown Sonoma.