The Danbury Westerners have announced the signing of three more pitchers to their 2015 team: right handed pitchers Denis Lyman (Lee) and Patrick O’Neill (Eastern) and left handed pitcher Samuel (Sam) Tinkham (Grinnell).
Denis Lyman is a native of Kingston, New York and is currently a redshirt junior at Lee University. Although he was a redshirt this season, Lyman brings a history of success at Herkimer College, where he attended last season. In 2014, Lyman appeared in seven games for the Herkimer Generals, going 1-1 over the course of 14 innings of work. Lyman finished the season with 15 strikeouts while walking only eight. The right-hander avoided giving up extra base hits as he only gave up one home run and no doubles or triples.
Although he did not pitch for Lee University this season, head coach Mark Brew already appreciates Lyman’s talent. “Denis has a big-time arm that we will rely on heavily … he has versatility to start or close and might be used in both roles. His flexibility could be a big key to our pitching staff,” said Brew.
Patrick O’Neill hails from Thomaston, Connecticut and he is currently a senior pitching for the Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors. O’Neill comes to the Westerners with experience both starting and coming out of the bullpen. This season, O’Neill was thrown into the fire as one of the leaders of the Warriors’ staff. The right-hander appeared in 14 games while starting ten and leading the team with 58.1 innings of work. Failing to get a lot of run support, he finished 2-6 with a 5.40 ERA in his 14 appearances. O’Neill gave up 72 hits and walked only ten while striking out 37 batters. This success helped him accumulate a 1.40 WHIP. In addition to his success starting games, O’Neill also finished the season with one save.
O’Neill laid the foundation for success in his 2014 season pitching for the Warriors. In his first season at Eastern Connecticut, the right-hander appeared in 14 games, finishing with a 5-1 record over 61.2 innings of work. He also maintained a 2.77 ERA while striking out 31 batters. He also only allowed 59 hits and 15 walks, leaving him with a 1.21 WHIP.
Tinkham established himself as a productive pitcher during his sophomore season pitching for the Pioneers. In the 2014 season, he finished 6-1 with an incredible 2.03 ERA over 62 innings of work. The left-hander finished with 62 strikeouts while walking only 28 batters. This remarkable strikeout total left him with the same average of almost one strikeout per innings, proving that this season was not a fluke. Hitters struggled against the left-hander as they only had 52 hits against him, leaving them with a .221 batting average. The left-hander only gave up one home run over the course of the entire season. This success led to Tinkham being named the Midwest Conference South Division Pitcher of the Year. He was also an ALL-MWC First-Team selection.
Danbury Westerners President Paul Schaffer commented, “The additions of Patrick O’Neill and Samuel Tinkham, two proven starting pitchers, should excite our fans this summer as they display their talents in Danbury. I also look forward to meeting Denis Lyman and hope he can build on his previous successes as he competes for us.”