Pit Spitters unveil 2022 roster
May 5—TRAVERSE CITY — About one-third of the 2021 Northwoods League championship squad is returning to Traverse City this season.
The Pit Spitters unveiled the team's initial roster Thursday, with 10 players back from a season ago.
"Having guys that have been around the league and are an extension of the coaching staff has been great for us," Pit Spitters field manager Josh Rebandt said.
Among those returning are outfielder Trey Truitt (North Carolina State), shortstop Camden Traficante (Stetson), catcher Colin Summerhill (Troy) and pitchers Morgan Lunceford (San Diego), Anthony Ramirez (Cal State Stanislaus), O'Kelly McWilliams (Wofford), Joe Horoszko (Wittenberg), Jeremy Neff (Richmond), Coby Greiner (Carl Albert State JC) and Aren Gustafson (Olivet Nazarene).
Gustafson is on a temporary contract after pitching in five games late last season with a 1.84 earned-run average and 14 strikeouts in 14.2 innings. NWL temporary contracts allow players to be on the team for at least 10 days but up to half the season. After that, the player would have to be converted to a full contract, much like the team has done with several players over the year, most recently pitcher Jon Beuckelaere.
Three players from in-state universities dot the roster, including left-hander Avery Goldensoph (Michigan), middle infielder Cody Hultink (Michigan) and lefty Derek Clark (Northwood).
Four more Power 5 conference players are on the team, including right-hander Easton Johnson (Creighton), infielder Sam Tackett (Virginia Tech), shortstop Aerial Garcia (University of Miami) and outfielder Brendan Summerhill (Arizona), the brother of catcher Troy Summerhill.
"We do like the blend of guys from well-known programs and players from places that aren't from big schools," Rebandt said.
Rebandt noted he can make an entire lineup of position players from Division 1 players. He said he expects the Spitters to field a top-tier offense with a lot of speed that can both steal bases and find a way to get extra bags on the basepaths.
"Speed is something we really went after this offseason," Rebandt said.
The rest of the pitching staff is made up of Jake Michel (Richmond), Duncan Lutz (Georgia State), Aaron Forrest (Doane), Chris Whelton (Belmont), Blake Ignaciak (Palomar College) and Jake Buxton (Cal Poly).
Marshall Toole (Wofford), Christian Beal (Richmond) and Brennan Dorighi (Wofford) join Truitt and Brendan Summerhill in the outfield, while Dallas Duarte (Hawaii) and Jake Smallwood (Montevallo) are the other catchers and Alec Atkinson (Yale) and Hunter Tabb (Southern) round out the infield.
The Spitters had a good number of three-year players last season, which isn't that common in the NWL, but the franchise doesn't have anyone left on the roster from the inaugural 2019 championship season.
"Josh has built an amazing culture with our teams, and it shows and more and more talented players from across the country are wanting to play in Traverse City," Pit Spitters general manager Mickey Graham said in a press release. "With the mix of returning players, strong pitching, and speed, this roster looks to make a name for itself and defend the title this summer."
In three seasons, Traverse City won the Northwoods League championship in the two full regularly-scheduled seasons in 2019 and 2021. In 2020, the Northwoods League divided up into regional pods because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with each team playing a limited schedule.
The Spitters' season starts May 30 at Battle Creek, with the home opener June 3.
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