The Hawks are making their way to the diamond after their move away from the Colorado Rockies organization to an independent league.
Pre-Season
The push to move the Hawks to the Pioneer League and keep professional baseball in Boise comes after 40 minor league teams were cut and after the Rockies chose Spokane as their High-A affiliate. This decision was also made after talks of the outdated facility that the Hawks continue to play in.
According to Boise Hawks president, Jeff Eiseman, the conversation of updating the venue and ballpark has been ongoing since the Hawks came to Boise. The ultimate goal of the Hawks is to build a facility that meets the requirements of Major League Baseball (MLB) and offers a Triple-A baseball program.
A former team, the Boise Pilots were one of the six founding members of the Pioneer League in 1939. The city of Boise and the Hawks look to return to their roots in the Pioneer League as an independent team.
For this upcoming season, the Hawks are taking on several former Boise State players.
Pitchers and Catchers
Four pitchers, Jay Baggs, John Boushelle, Matt Gabbert, and Mitch Lines are all former Boise State players that have signed with the Hawks for this season. Rookies Matt Dallas and Zach Penrod are also taking the mound in their first professional baseball season.
Dallas spent 2020 with the Jersey Wise Guys from the All-American Baseball Challenge and the Indiana Barn Owls of the Liberation League. Dallas is coming in with an ERA of 2.37 and had 14 runs in 52.3 innings. Dallas could also be a key to limiting base runs for the Hawks this season, in his last season Dallas gave up only 27 hits, walked 27 and struck out 87.
Other pitchers include Cannon Chadwick, Luke Dawson, Roby Eriquez, Lizardo Herrera, Jared Price, Eddy Reynoso, Jayce Vancena and Connor White.
Coming back for another season, catcher Hidekel Gonzalez returns to the Hawks for this third season. In 2017, Gonzalez batted .272, batted in 17 runs, and hit four home runs in 28 games. It’s also important to note that the other two catchers, Myles Harris and Cory Meyer are former Boise State players staying in town to start their professional careers.
Infield and outfield
For the infield you can expect to see Roby Enriquez, Wladimir Galindo, Christian Funk, Kolton Kendrick, Hunter Larson and Joshua Rivera. Enriquez will also be joining Bryce Brown, Myles Miller and Greg White in the outfield.
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Northwest Sports Desk 