River Riders announce 2022 roster; Brewer, Soto return

By Elizabethton River Riders | February 28, 2022

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. – The Elizabethton River Riders have named their 34-man roster for the 2022 Appalachian League season. The roster is composed of 17 pitchers and 17 position players, all college freshmen and sophomores across the nation. Pitcher Alex Brewer and catcher Pepe Soto return from the 2021 roster.

“I believe our community is in store for an action-packed summer of baseball,” said Elizabethton River Riders manager Jeremy Owens. “We have some of the youngest and greatest talent at the collegiate level coming to town.”

The infield for the River Riders will consist of Peyton Basler (Charleston Southern), Robin Fernandez (St. Thomas University), Alexander McCoy (Maryland Eastern Shore), Austin Roccaforte (Houston Baptist), Harrison Rodgers (Colorado Mesa), Marcus Sanders (Phoenix College) and Gilbert Saunders III (committed to Minnesota).

Playing the outfield will be Zachary Freeman (San Francisco), Ryan Gilbert (Indiana), John Herring (Rollins College), Brendan Jones (Kansas State), Avery Owusu-Asiedu (SIU Edwardsville) and Issac Williams Jr. (New Orleans).

Pitchers for Elizabethton are BJ Bailey (Spartanburg Methodist), Alex Brewer (Lincoln Memorial), Trevor Callahan (Morehead State), Baker Cox (Spartanburg Methodist), Avery Gabriel (St. Thomas University), Kannon Handy (Colorado Mesa), Jackson Holmes (Saint Louis), Evan Loeser (Lake-Sumter State College), Carter Lovasz (William & Mary), Dylan MacCullum (Pepperdine), Jess Miller (Centre College), Jace Miner (Wichita State), Maddox Pennington (Wabash Valley), Cole Rodriguez (Toledo), Collin Rothermel (Kansas State), Luke Scoles (Toledo) and Jacob Shapley (ECSJ - Cumberland).

Catching for the River Riders are Owen Carapellotti (Georgetown), Cayden Phillips (Kansas State), Connor Price (Long Island) and Pepe Soto (Rogers State).

The River Riders host their home opener against the Danville Otterbots on June 4. Additional information about the River Riders can be found at elizabethtonriverriders.com or by calling (423) 547-6443.