Sonoma Stompers

The Sonoma Stompers are an independent professional baseball team based out of Sonoma, California. They began play as a member of the Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs in 2014. They are a successor franchise to the defunct Sonoma County Grapes, and are the first professional team to make Sonoma County home since the Sonoma County Crushers ceased play following the 2002 season.

Sonoma Stompers Baseball Club
Information
LeaguePacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs
LocationSonoma, California
BallparkArnold Field
Year founded2014
League championships2016
ColorsNavy, orange, white
              
Retired numbersJayce Ray (99)
OwnershipJon Sebastiani
ManagerZack Pace
General ManagerBrett Creamer
Websitestompersbaseball.com

History

The Stompers announced their first professional signing, Tommy Lyons in March 2014, and shortly thereafter traded for local hero, Jayce Ray. The team's first manager was Ray Serrano, who led the Stompers to a 42–36 record in their inaugural season. In 2015, Serrano accepted a full-time position with the Atlanta Braves to serve as the organization's catching instructor.[1]

Former major league pitcher Bill "Spaceman" Lee started a game for the Stompers on August 12, 2014, pitching the team to victory over the Pittsburg Mettle (since renamed the Pittsburg Diamonds). Lee set a record with the win, becoming the oldest person (at age 67) to ever win a professional baseball game.[2] Lee pitched 5⅔ innings, and batted for himself.[3]

In 2015 the Sonoma Stompers allowed Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller of Baseball Prospectus's "Effectively Wild" podcast to serve as the Baseball Operations department, under General Manager Theo Fightmaster. The duo wrote about their experience in a book entitled The Only Rule is it Has to Work that came out on May 3, 2016.[4]

The team made history in June 2015, when pitcher Sean Conroy became the first openly gay active professional baseball player.[5]

In June 2016, the Stompers announced that two female baseball players would join their roster starting in July. Upon joining the roster, the two players, outfielder-pitcher Kelsie Whitmore and infielder Stacy Piagno, will make the Sonoma Stompers the first coed professional baseball team since the 1950s.[6][7] The Stompers added catcher Anna Kimbrell in July 2016.[8] Whitmore and Piagno made the Stompers the first coed professional baseball team since Ila Jane Borders signed with the St. Paul Saints of the independent Northern League in 1997. Borders went on to play three-plus seasons with the Saints, the Duluth-Superior Dukes, and the Madison BlackWolf of the same league, before ending her career in 2000 with the Zion Pioneerz.

Season-by-season
Season W L Finish Playoffs/Result
2014 42 36 3rd of 4
2015 44 33 2nd of 4 First half winner; Lost championship game vs San Rafael Pacifics
2016 47 31 1st of 4 First half winner; Second half winner; League Champions
2017 52 26 2nd of 4 First half winner; Lost championship game vs Vallejo Admirals
2018 57 23 1st of 6 Lost championship game vs San Rafael Pacifics
2019 45 19 1st of 5 Lost championship game vs San Rafael Pacifics

Current roster
Sonoma Stompers roster
Active roster Coaches/Other

Pitchers

  •  8 Konner Arnold
  • 25 Spencer Backstrom
  • 27 Nicholas Barnese
  • 28 Patrick Barnett
  • 29 Jacob Cox
  • 31 Willie Ethington
  • 17 Ethan Gibbons
  • 22 Lenny Gwizdala
  • 13 Vijay Patel
  •  5 Ryan Richardson
  • 14 Marshall Shill
  

Catchers

  • 44 Bronson Butcher
  • 35 Danny Molinari

Infielders

  • 23 Jacob Barfield
  •  3 Pedro Barrios
  • 33 Brent Gillespie
  •  4 Nick Gotta
  • 15 Nick Kern
  •  9 Chris Kwitzer
  •  1 Rayson Romero

Outfielders

  • 21 Rob DeAngelis
  • 11 Matt Hibbert
  • 18 Miles Williams
  

Manager

  • Zack Pace

Coaches

  • Casey Gilroy (Bench)
  • Mike Nunes (Pitching)

Disabled list
‡ Inactive list
§ Suspended list

Roster updated August 29, 2019
Transactions

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References
  1. "Colombian Trio Of Former Stompers Taste Winter Success In Home Country". Sonoma Stompers. 15 May 2015.
  2. "In historic move, two female players signed by minor league baseball team". Washington Post. 30 June 2016.
  3. "'Spaceman' Lee rockets Stompers". Sonoma Index-Tribune. 11 August 2014.
  4. "The Only Rule is it Has to Work". Huffington Post. 13 May 2016.
  5. "First openly gay player K's 11 in Stompers' win". Major League Baseball. 26 June 2015.
  6. "Sonoma Stompers adding two women to roster". Press Democrat. 28 June 2016.
  7. "The Sonoma Stompers are set to make more history by signing two women to their roster". Major League Baseball. 29 June 2016.
  8. "Minor league baseball team to add third female player to roster". Excelle Sports. 15 July 2016.
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