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!

Stompers Sign Former Sonoma Valley HS Standout

SONOMA, Calif.- The Sonoma Stompers have officially signed Sonoma Valley HS Alum, Max Handron. 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 HS team that played in the CIF NCS D3 Playoffs from 2017 to 2019. 

After graduating from Sonoma, Max had a brief stint with the St. Bonaventure Bonnies, a division 1 program that competes in the Atlantic 10 baseball conference. Max, like every other college athlete in 2020, had his season cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the cancellation of the 2020 college baseball season Max has transferred to Santa Rosa Junior College, a top rated baseball program in CA. 

“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. 

Before the 2020 Pandemic college athletes were allowed four years of competition in a five year period. March 31st, 2020 the NCAA D1 council granted all spring student-athletes a one year extension of eligibility. Many players this year will come by way of being a third or fourth year student, but only in their first or second year of athletic eligibility on the field. 

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 Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. 

Baseball is Back!

SONOMA, Calif. -

The Sonoma Stompers are proud to announce the return of summer baseball for 2022! The Stompers have joined the California Collegiate League (CCL), a top ranked collegiate summer wood bat league, consisting of eleven teams total, six teams in Southern California and five teams in Northern California. 

The Southern Division consists of the MLB Academy Barons, Arroyo Seco Saints, Conejo Oaks, Orange County Riptide, San Luis Obispo Blues, Santa Barbara Foresters.

The Northern Division consists of the Healdsburg Prune Packers, Lincoln Potters, Solano Mudcats, Sonoma Stompers, Walnut Creek Crawdads

The CCL is in association with the National Alliance of Summer College Baseball, and in part funded by Major League Baseball. With notable executives such as Rick Turner, former MLB executive of the Angels serving as the league commissioner and Mike Scioscia, three time World Series champion, current head of the Conejo Oaks (Southern Division). 

“Baseball is back and I am thrilled to announce our partnership with the California Collegiate League and Major League Baseball. With this fresh start, the Stompers look forward to continuing player development at a high level and representing Sonoma on and off the field. Let’s play ball!” says owner Jon Sebastiani.

Newly appointed General Manager, Eddie Mora-Loera, is thrilled with this move for the Sonoma Stompers. “Joining the CCL has been something that we have been looking forward to since the pandemic first shut down the Pacific Association in March of 2019. The CCL provides the Sonoma Stompers the opportunity to deliver family-friendly and affordable entertainment as well as an opportunity for young baseball players to showcase and develop their talents in Sonoma.”

The Sonoma Stompers plan to play a 50 game schedule, hosting 32 home games in Sonoma at Arnold Field between the last week of May and the first week of August. The CCL will host a North vs. South All Star game in July with league playoffs starting the first week of August. 

The 2022 schedule and tickets will be made available in November! To find more information about the team, visit stompersbaseball.com or send an email to info@stompersbaseball.com.

2020 REGULAR SEASON UPDATE

SONOMA, Calif –

To our Stompers Family,

It is with great sadness that we announce the cancellation of Stompers Baseball season. We had hope that we would be able to play a shortened 2020 season, but given current COVID-19 conditions and Sonoma Country health regulations, we have made the decision to cancel the season in entirety.

The health and safety of our fans, players, and staff have always been and will always be our number one priority. 

We look forward to welcoming you back for the 2021 season and have already started planning for a wonderful season of family-friendly, affordable, Stompers baseball.

Until then, we wish you each health and happiness. If one thing is certain, we will come out of this stronger and better together.  

Sincerely, 

The Sonoma Stompers

A LOOK INTO THE ORGANIZATION

SONOMA, Calif. – Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Stompers are highlighting last year's hottest home runs, strikeouts, and plays via Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube. Every week on the Sonoma Stompers YouTube channel you can find instructional youth videos called “Train Like a Sonoma Stomper”. Also on Youtube be sure to watch “Locals On Deck”, which is a behind the scene look into local businesses here in Sonoma.

Train Like a Sonoma Stomper

Train Like a Sonoma Stomper is designed to provide youth and aspiring baseball players training videos that consist of throwing, hitting, fielding, and base running. At the end of each video there is a “Competition Round” that the Stompers encourage players of all ages to participate in. Take a video of you completing the challenge and send in your video to Info@stompersbaseball.com to be featured on the Stompers website! Check out episodes one, two, three, and four on our YouTube channel! 

#TaterTuesday and #WhiffWednesday

Every Tuesday and Wednesday the Stompers are publishing highlights of home run blasts and wipeout strikeouts. If you have a home run or strike out clip you think deserves to make our website be sure to send it in to info@stompersbaseball.com. 

“On This Date”

OTD are weekly milestones from historical moments in Stompers History. This week’s “OTD: 6/29/2017”, Kelsie Whitmore and Stacy Piagno signed with the Stompers making the club the first professional baseball team since 2010 to include a woman on a team and the first co-ed pro baseball team to feature multiple women since the 1950s. Make sure to leave comments on our platforms of your favorite historical memory.

“Locals On Deck”

Supporting the community and local businesses is always the Stompers main priority. “Locals On Deck” is a behind the scenes take at some of the hottest places in town. Recently interviewed was August Sebastiani from 3 Badge Beverage Corp., which is a locally family owned Beverage Corporation based out of Sonoma, Ca. August, 4th generation Sebastiani, continues the legacy his great-grandfather built. Check out the Interview on our Sonoma Stompers YouTube channel!

To find more information about the team, visit stompersbaseball.com or email to info@stompersbaseball.com. Keep up with our latest news on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.