(Sylvan Lake Gulls)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

ready to fly

Sylvan Lake Gulls sign two local players

Nov 1, 2020 | 11:54 AM

The Sylvan Lake Gulls keep putting pen to paper ahead of their inaugural WCBL season, this week inking two Red Deer products.

Zachary Olson and Jared Arnold, graduates of Notre Dame High School and St. Joseph High School, respectively, were announced this week alongside Watrous, SK native Tyler McWillie and Brayden Cust of Sherwood Park.

All four are former attendees of Colby Community College in Kansas. They will don the blue, white and orange next summer when the Gulls play their first Western Canadian Baseball League game at Pogadl Park Stadium.

“With Jared and Zach, it’s exciting for me because I know them both on a personal level,” says Head Coach Jason Chatwood, a former college player in his own right. “I’m sure for them and their families as well, they’re feeling great about being on board, and they’re very well-deserving.”

Arnold is also a product of the St. Joseph Ball Academy, which launched in Red Deer in Sept. 2018. Chatwood agrees that with him, it might just be scratching the surface in terms of the untapped talent out there in central Alberta.

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“The guys we’re getting, they’re established college players, and along with a lot of the guys in the WCBL, they have goals of playing professionally at some point,” Chatwood says. “Tyler played on the national junior team also, so these are guys that have experience, they have good leadership qualities, and they want to come in and work hard.”

With the franchise also recently launching a merchandise site, season ticket packages coming soon, and progress on Pogadl Park Stadium continuing to open eyes, Chatwood says opening day isn’t as far away as it might feel.

“As we’ve started talking to players, hearing the excitement they have about coming up, and the way the field and stadium is looking, it’s starting to get exciting,” he says. “The schedule will be announced soon too, so I’d say it’s definitely starting to feel real ahead of opening day.”

Arnold, a right-handed pitcher, threw 12 Ks over 10.1 innings in eight appearances last season at Colby Community College.

Olson, an outfielder, played in 15 games, going 14/43 at home plate. He also notched six home runs and drove in 17 to go with seven walks.

Cust went 29/62 while at bat with seven dingers, while McWillie has pitched 45.2 innings over two seasons, striking out 52 with a career ERA of 9.46. In 146 at bats, McWillie has 42 hits for 36 runs and 40 RBIs.

The four latest signees join Walnut Creek, California’s Nico Zeglin (P/1B), Jack Moffit (P) of Mercer Island, Washington, Alex Zerfass (3B/1B) of Lake Forest, California, and Sherwood, Oregon’s Anthony Garrett (SS/2B), who were announced on Oct. 21.