Danbury Westerners Sign Three More Pitchers

The Danbury Westerners have announced the signing of three more pitchers to their 2015 team:  left handed pitcher Brandon Baker (Missouri), and right handed pitchers Jordan Guerrero (Polk State) and Shaniel Rivera (Vanguard).

Brandon Baker is originally from Lithonia, Georgia, and brings a high pedigree, strikeout potential and a power fastball reaching 90 miles per hour to the Westerners.  As a sophomore this season pitching for the Tigers, Baker has been tested out of the bullpen, with limited work.  In his three appearances, the left-hander has pitched three innings, yielding two earned runs while striking out two.

Prior to attending Missouri, Baker was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school.  The left-hander was a member of the 2013 Perfect Game All-Southeast Region Second Team and a 2012 Underclass Perfect Game Honorable Mention Honoree.  While pitching for Redan High School, Baker went 8-1 with a 1.41 ERA, and in the Class 4A State Championship game, Baker was the winning pitcher.  His dominance in high school led to him being named the Georgia State 4A player of the year.

Jordan Guerrero hails from Sarasota, Florida and is currently a freshman at Polk State University.  Thrown into the fire as a freshman pitching for the Polk State Eagles, Guerrero delivered right off the bat.  The right-hander has appeared in 19 games for the Eagles, pitching 22.2 innings.  While he has mostly pitched out of the bullpen, Guerrero has shown enough versatility to start one game for the Eagles.  The right-hander has pitched well enough to compile a 1.59 ERA.  He has walked 11 batters while striking out a total of 28.  This impressive strikeout total gives the right-hander 11.12 strikeouts per game. 

In conference play, Guerrero has been able to step up his game.  The right-hander has appeared in seven games pitching 6.1 innings.  He has only given up five hits and three walks while striking out four batters.  Only allowing one run, the right-hander has a 1.42 ERA in conference play.

A native of the Bronx, New York, Shaniel Rivera is currently a senior pitching for the Vanguard University Lions.  This season was Rivera’s first season pitching for the Lions.  The right-hander appeared in 13 games and accumulated 28 innings of work.  In every outing, Rivera put the team in position to win as he finished with a 3-0 record on the hill.  He finished with a 5.79 ERA while allowing 18 earned runs.  Rivera struck out 22 batters while only walking 15.  He also gave up 20 hits, forcing hitters to succumb to a .269 batting average.  He also showed his control as he only had one wild pitch over the duration of the season.  With that pinpoint control, Rivera was also able to avoid giving up the long ball as he only let up two the entire season.

Previously, in 2013, Rivera pitched for the Monroe College Mustangs.  At Monroe, he appeared in 10 games and accrued 50 innings of work.  The right-hander, considered the ace of the team, finished with a record of 4-2 while maintaining a 3.42 ERA.  He struck out 36 batters while walking 24 and giving up 48 hits.  The right-hander also avoided giving up home runs at Monroe where he let up zero long balls over the course of the season.  When asked about his experience at Monroe, Rivera said, “I came to Monroe expecting nothing, but leaving here with great opportunities and great life experience.”

Danbury Westerners President Paul Schaffer commented, “I’m excited that we have brought in some diversified talent with the additions of Baker, Guerrero and Rivera, and this will allow Manager Ryan Smyth and Pitching Coach Josh Parrow excellent opportunities to match their strengths against the NECBL teams they will be facing.”

Upcoming Events

The Danbury Westerners are once again seeking host families for the 2015 season.  Every summer college athletes come to Danbury to play for the Danbury Westerners. Our Host Family program is the foundation of our team's success both on and off the field. Living with a local family makes their stay in Danbury a home away from home and improves the quality of their experience. To learn more about the Danbury Westerners Host Family program, please contact Shelley Pitser at shelley@danburywesterners.com.

The Danbury Westerners are proud to announce that they will be having their 21^st Annual Celebrity Breakfast on June 5^th at the Amber Room Colonnade in Danbury, CT.  The Annual Celebrity Breakfast welcomes the 2015 Danbury Westerners to the greater Western Connecticut community.  In addition, the Westerners are thrilled to announce that former All Star and New York Mets World Series Champion Bud Harrelson will be the keynote speaker.  Tables of ten are $300; for reservations please contact Paul Schaffer at paul@danburywesterners.com.  Individual seats are also available.

Once again the Danbury Westerners are teaming up with 21^st Century Sports for its summer baseball camp program.  The camps are offered from July 6-9, July 13-16 and July 20-23.  To register please visit http://21csonline.com/.