Sonoma Stompers

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Sonoma Stompers Baseball Club
Sonoma Stompers Logo.png Sonoma Stompers Cap.png
Team logo Cap insignia
Information
LeagueCalifornia Collegiate League
LocationSonoma, California
BallparkArnold Field
Year founded2014
League championshipsPAPBC: 2016
Former league(s)Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs
ColorsNavy, orange, white
     
Retired numbersJayce Ray (99)
OwnershipJon Sebastiani
ManagerZack Pace
General ManagerBrett Creamer
Websitestompersbaseball.com

The Sonoma Stompers are an collegiate summer baseball team based in Sonoma, California. They are current members of the California Collegiate League. They began play as members 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.

History[]

The Stompers announced their first professional signing, Tommy Lyons, in March 2014, and shortly thereafter traded for local player, 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. Lee set a record with the win, becoming the oldest person (at age 67) to ever win a professional baseball game.[2] Lee pitched 5+2⁄3 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, published in 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 team, the two players, outfielder-pitcher Kelsie Whitmore and infielder Stacy Piagno, made the Sonoma Stompers the first coed professional baseball team since the 1950s.[6][7] The Stompers added catcher Anna Kimbrell in July 2016.[8]

In 2021, one year after the Pacific Association's season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Stompers left the professional ranks and joined the California Collegiate League. [9]

Season-by-season results[]

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

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)

Injury icon 2.svg Disabled list
‡ Inactive list
§ Suspended list

Roster updated August 29, 2019
 Transactions

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.
  9. ^ "Stompers Join California Collegiate League". Stompers website. 15 October 2021.

External links[]

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