Farmers roster taking shape as MSBL season nears

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Published on Monday, May 6, 2013

By: Lanny Stewart

myWestman.ca

The Manitoba Senior Baseball League season is just around the corner and the Neepawa Farmers are putting the finishing touches to their 2013 roster.

The Farmers will look a little different when they take the field this year as Isaac Rodriguez, last season's league MVP, along with Vince Luhan and Eddie Malone will not be returning to the club. All three American-born players played a key role in helping the Farmers win the regular season pennant and advance to the championship final last season. Tyler Reiner is another player who also won't be returning.

To make up for the players who are moving on, the Farmers have added a familiar face to the team in Fernando Rodriguez, Isaac's older brother. Fernando, a pitcher/utility player, spent time with the Farmers prior to last season.

Rodriguez is joined by Somerset product Bryan Evans, a pitcher, who is also a member of the University of Winnipeg Wesmen baseball team, along with Elie product Elliot Desilets, an infielder/pitcher, who also plies his trade with the Transylvania Pioneers university team in Lexington, Kentucky. The Reston Rockets added Desilets to their roster for the national senior AAA baseball championship last August.

"He's a pitcher, a good infielder, a good hitter and he's got lots of speed," said Neepawa manager Mike Levandosky. "Just a good all-around ball player."

The club also added catcher Rob Wilson, formerly from the Neepawa area who now lives in Brandon and it's expected the club will add another American-born player to the team as well.

The addition of Rodriguez, Evans and Desilets to a staff that includes returnees Josh Loewen, Greg Hockin and youngster Garett Rempel has Levandosky believing his pitching rotation could be better than a year ago, which had three players in the top 10 in the league in wins.

"We've got some good pitchers, so that's good," he said. I'm thinking we could be pretty strong."

Offensively, the team will have its top run producer back in the lineup as Cam Tibbett is expected to be back this year. Tibbett led the Farmers in RBI with 14 last season. The club also expects to have leadoff hitter Tory Scott return as well. Scott led the team with 13 stolen bases on the year.

Veterans Ian Hockin and Bryan White are two other players that should be back as well.

The MSBL regular season is expected to get underway Friday, May 24.

In photo: Farmers manager Mike Levandosky

File photo