May 22, 2023 – Pioneer League (PL) – Missoula PaddleHeads News Release
Missoula, MT- The 2023 Pioneer League season is upon us and the Missoula PaddleHeads
Professional Baseball Club is gearing up for another regular season grind. Missoula will look to
continue to be one of the league’s top teams after finishing with the highest winning percentage
(.724) of any franchise in all of professional baseball in 2022. The PaddleHeads have also
claimed the Pioneer League Northern Division crown in each of the last 2 seasons. After falling
just shy of its second consecutive league title last season, the PaddleHeads also have added
motivation to get back to the top of the mountain in 2023. Thanks to a roster filled with talented
returning players, and promising newcomers, the PaddleHeads look to be primed for another
strong season.
The PaddleHeads came away with a league high 69 regular season wins during the 2022
regular season. Clearly the PaddleHeads were not looking to reinvent the wheel when
constructing the 2023 roster as 14 returnees from last season’s club occupy this season’s
roster. Highlighted by 2021 Pioneer League Pitcher of the Year Mark Simon, and 2022 League
MVP Jayson Newman, Missoula’s roster features a group that has proven to have a winning
formula. It also is a roster that is battle tested as 22 players come in with previous experience in
professional baseball. Opening Day may always provide a feeling of optimism in the baseball
world. However, fans of the game of baseball in the Garden City may have an added feeling of
excitement when taking an in depth look at the 2023 roster.
PITCHERS:
#41 Karl Blum
Height/Weight: 6’5 220
Birthdate: 06-16-1996
Hometown: Toms River, NJ
BIO: Blum will make his debut in the Garden City this season. Blum made a brief appearance in
professional baseball last season appearing with the York Revolution of the Atlantic League. In
previous seasons, Blum also pitched with the Traverse City Beach Bums of the Frontier League.
Prior to his time in professional baseball, the New Jersey native pitched at the Division I level at
Rutgers, and Duke respectively.
#37 Austin Dill
Height/Weight: 6’0 170
Birthdate: 01-16-1999
Hometown: Sikeston, MO
BIO: Dill will look to make his mark in the Pioneer League as a rookie with the PaddleHeads in
2023. The 24 year old completed a 4 season career last spring at Evangel University. The
Missouri native appeared in 59 games (34 starts) in his time with the Valor posting a 4.31 career
ERA in 232 innings pitched.
#23 Liu Fuenmayor
Height/Weight: 5’11 170
Birthdate: 02-02-1999
Hometown: Guigue, Venezuela
BIO: Fuenmayor returns to the Garden City after spending the last 5 seasons in the Arizona
Diamondbacks system. The native of Venezuela posted strong numbers with the Osprey during
the 2019 season finishing with a 2.50 ERA in 15 appearances. In Fuenmayor’s time with the
Diamondback organization, the bullpen specialist finished with 3.47 ERA over the course of 121
innings pitched.
#27 John LaRossa
Height/Weight:6-1 205
Birthdate: 02-24-1995
Hometown: N. Massequa, NY
BIO: LaRossa returns to the PaddleHeads for his 2nd season with the team. The 4-year
professional appeared in 15 games last season in Missoula before having his season cut short
due to injury. The former Brewers farmhand finished with 32 strikeouts in 21 ‘…” innings pitched
with the PaddleHeads last season.
#45 Zach Penrod
Height/Weight: 6-2 220
Birthdate: 06-16-1997
Hometown: Nampa, ID
BIO: The former Rangers farmhand has spent the last 2 seasons pitching in the Pioneer League
with 2 separate clubs. Penrod made 15 starts in 2021 with the Southern Division Champion
Boise Hawks before he was traded to the Billings Mustangs for the postseason push late last
season. The Idaho native struck out 105 batters over 90 ‘…” in his time with Billings, and Boise
respectively.
#43 Kelvan Pilot
Height/Weight: 6-6 195
Birthdate: 12-31-1993
Hometown: Roseville, CA
BIO: Another pitcher with experience in the Pioneer League can be found in Pilot having spent
the past 2 seasons with the Billings Mustangs. The Northern California native was one of the top
starting pitchers for Billings last season finishing 7-5 with a 4.96 ERA as the Mustangs’ 2022
Opening Day starter. Pilot holds a career 14-8 record in professional baseball with a 5.32 ERA
over 132 innings.
#40 Arman Sabouri
Height/Weight: 5-10 200
Birthdate: 06-28-98
Hometown: Santa Clara, CA
BIO: The Bay Area product will look to find success in his first season with the PaddleHeads
after spending 2 seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers farm system. The South Bay native enjoyed
his best season professionally with the Rocky Mountain Vibes in 2019 finishing with a 4.62 ERA
in 21 appearances. Prior to his time in professional baseball, Sabouri held a 3.76 career ERA in
65 appearances (17 starts) at the University of California.
#11 Conner Schultz
Height/Weight: 6-4 225
Birthdate: 02-23-1999
Hometown: Allentown, PA
Bio: Schultz returns to Missoula after beginning his professional career with the PaddleHeads
last season. The Pennsylvania native made the bulk of his impact in the starting rotation making
6 starts (8 total appearances). Schultz also appeared at Iowa, and Butler at the collegiate level
before joining the PaddleHeads.
#10 Austen Seidel
Height/Weight: 6-3 235
Birthdate: 03-10-1998
Hometown: New Braunfels, TX
Bio: Seidel returns to the PaddleHeads for his 2nd season. After being added to the roster on
July 8, Seidel was one of Missoula’s top starting pitchers finishing with a 7-2 record and a 4.43
ERA in 10 starts. The Texas native pitched into at least the 5th inning in 9 of his last 10 starts in
Missoula last season.
#7 Mark Simon
Height/Weight: 6-0 185
Birthdate: 08-04-1995
Hometown: Houston, TX
Bio: The 2021 Pioneer League Pitcher of the Year returns to Missoula for a 3rd season of
action. After spending a portion of last season in the Toronto Blue Jays organization, Simon had
solid numbers in his return to Missoula posting a 2.82 ERA in 22 ‘…” innings. Simon holds a 2.91
career ERA with the PaddleHeads in 95 innings pitched to go along with 132 strikeouts.
#18 Mitch Sparks
Height/Weight: 6-2 190
Birthdate: 11-11-1996
Hometown: Willis, TX
Bio: Sparks provided the PaddleHeads pitching staff with a boost last season down the stretch
making 7 starts in his first season with the team. The Texas native was also called upon in the
postseason appearing as the starter in Game 2 of the Pioneer League Championship Series.
#28 Cody Thompson
Height/Weight: 6-3 200
Birthdate: 05-28-1996
Hometown: Mechanicsville, VA
Bio: One of Missoula’s most reliable relievers returns for his second season with the
PaddleHeads in 2023. Thompson held a 3.23 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 37 bullpen
appearances a season ago. The Virginia native also spent time with the Gateway Grizzlies of
the Frontier League prior to his time in Missoula.
#26 Mark Timmins
Height/Weight: 6-3 205
Birthdate: 05-12-1998
Hometown: Omaha, NE
Bio: Timmins will look to once again be one a reliable option in Missoula’s starting rotation after
making his debut as a professional with the PaddleHeads last season. The Nebraska native
posted a 5-4 record in 17 starts last season to go along with a 5.98 ERA. Prior to his time in
Missoula, Timmins’ pitched at the Division I level at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
#4 Alfredo Villa
Height/Weight: 6-0 220
Birthdate: 09-03-1997
Hometown: Tucson, AZ
Bio: Villa enjoyed a strong season in his first year in professional baseball last season pitching
with the Pioneer League Champion Grand Junction Rockies. The Arizona native held a 7-1
record with a 3.09 ERA in 19 games last season. Villa spent 3 seasons at Adams State
University making 24 starts before his time in Grand Junction.
CATCHERS:
#5 Austin Bernard
Height/Weight: 5-10 195
Birthdate:
Hometown:
Bio:The 5-Year professional will look to be a stable presence behind the plate in his first season
in the Garden City. After graduating from Pepperdine, Bernard was drafted by the Colorado
Rockies in 2017. The Southern California native played in over 200 games in the Rockies
system from 2017-2022.
#13 Kevin Elefante
Height/Weight: 6-0 200
Birthdate: 12-01-1994
Hometown: Chapel Hill, NC
Bio: Elefante will look to set down roots with the PaddleHeads this season after appearing with
2 separate teams in the Pioneer League last season. The North Carolina native appeared in a
total of 24 games playing with both the Idaho Falls Chukars, and Ogden Raptors last season.
INFIELDERS:
#1 Patrick Chung
Height/Weight: 5-7 165
Birthdate: 06-15-1995
Hometown: Everett, WA
Bio: Chung will look to once again be a sparkplug in the Garden City after a successful 2022
campaign in Missoula. The Washington native posted an astounding .390 batting average in 33
games with the PaddleHeads. Chung also spent time with the Idaho Falls Chukars last season
before being acquired by Missoula. Chung appeared at Gonzaga, and Western Oregon in the
collegiate ranks.
#17 Jake Guenther
Height/Weight: 6-4 230
Birthdate: 05-16-1997
Hometown: Oshkosh, WI
Bio: Guenther was a 7th round selection in the 2019 June Amature Draft by the Tampa Bay
Rays out of Texas Christian University. This will be the Central Wisconsin Native’s first season in
the Pioneer League. Guenther posted a .262 batting average over 179 games played while in
the Rays farm system. Guenther enjoyed his best collegiate season in 2019 at TCU posting a
.345 average in 58 games played with the Horned Frogs.
#55 Jayson Newman
Height/Weight: 6-4 280
Birthdate: 08-20- 1997
Hometown: Northridge, CA
Bio: The 2022 Pioneer League MVP returns to Missoula for his third season with the team.
Newman also set the Pioneer League record for home runs in a season (32) in 2022 while also
adding 115 RBIs. Newman has a career .361 batting average in 110 games played with the
PaddleHeads.
#30 McClain O’Conner
Height/Weight: 5-10 165
Birthdate: 07-05-1998
Hometown: Pioche, NV
Bio: O’Conner will look to solidify himself as one of the league’s best infielders in his 3rd season
with the PaddleHeads. The Nevada native signed in June of 2021 and immediately became one
of Missoula’s every day starters. The UC Santa Barbara product holds a .302 career average
with the PaddleHeads in 123 games played.
#22 Cameron Thompson
Height/Weight: 5-11 190
Birthdate: 10-14-1997
Hometown: Pasadena, TX
Bio: One of the Pioneer League’s best overall players returns to the Garden City as Thompson
enters the fray for his 3rd season of action. The Texas native was the only player on the roster
to appear in all 95 games that the team played as a fixture at 3rd base. Thompson has been
very consistent offensively over 2 seasons as well compiling a career .336 batting average in
179 games.
#2 Kamron Willman
Height/Weight: 6-3 175
Birthdate: 02-25-1998
Hometown: Bakersfield, CA
Bio: Willman solidified himself as the everyday starter at shortstop in his rookie season with the
PaddleHeads in 2022. The Central California native finished with a .336 average in 68 games
played last season. Willman also spent time at Kansas State , and New Mexico.
OUTFIELDERS:
#8 Jared Akins
Height/Weight: 6-3 220
Birthdate: 11-12-1996
Hometown: Altadena, CA
Bio: Akins has spent the last 2 seasons playing in Missoula after spending time in the
Minnesota Twins organization. The former Fresno State Bulldog enjoyed a solid season in 2022
posting a .310 average in over 60 games with the PaddleHeads.
#15 Thomas DeBonville
Height/Weight: 6-0 185
Birthdate: 05-31-1997
Hometown: Silverthorne, CO
Bio: DeBonville will look to continue to be a solid offensive weapon in the Pioneer League in his
first season with the PaddleHeads. The Colorado native spent most of the last 2 seasons with
the Idaho Falls Chukars posting a .336 batting average in 100 games played over that span.
DeBonville also played in 36 games with the Schaumberg Boomers of the Frontier League last
season.
#16 Keaton Greenwalt
Height/Weight: 6-3 175
Birthdate: 11-23-1997
Hometown: Clovis, NM
Bio: The Former Phillies farmhand is back in Centerfield for his second season with the
PaddleHeads. Greenwalt combined his defensive prowess with a solid offensive effort last
season posting a .305 batting average in 89 games played. Only Thompson appeared in more
games last season for the PaddleHeads than Greenwalt.
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