WINNIPEG GOLDEYES DAILY CLIPPINGS

SATURSDAY, JULY 10 th , 2021

- Goldeyes Sign Major League Arm—Winnipeg Goldeyes (Steve Schuster), 7/10/21 - RailCats Score Late to Beat Goldeyes—Winnipeg Goldeyes (Steve Schuster), 7/9/21 - July 9 th Game Highlights (Video Link)—Winnipeg Goldeyes (Jason Young), 7/9/21 - RailCats Fry Fish in Friday Opener—Gary SouthShore RailCats (Max Kelton), 7/9/21 - Jamie Samson Has Been Running Things in the Fish Clubhouse for 20 Years—Winnipeg Free Press (Taylor Allen), 7/9/21 - Goldeyes Sign College Standout—Winnipeg Goldeyes (Steve Schuster), 7/7/21

GOLDEYES SIGN MAJOR LEAGUE ARM STEVE SCHUSTER – WINNIPEG GOLDEYES – SATURDAY, JULY 10 th WINNIPEG, MB – The Winnipeg Goldeyes signed former Major League pitcher Bud Norris on Saturday.

Norris has 10 years of Major League experience, having pitched for the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Los Angeles Angels. The Greenbrae, California native compiled 67 wins, 47 saves, and 1,153 strikeouts in 1221.1 Major League innings from 2009-18. Norris saw time both as a starting pitcher and a reliever, making 188 trips through the rotation out of 355 total Major League appearances.

Norris twice won 10-plus games in the Majors, including a 15-8 mark with a 3.65 ERA in 2014 that helped the Orioles win the American League East. Norris then pitched to a 3.38 ERA in two playoff starts for Baltimore. Later in his career, the 36-year-old right-hander transitioned into a late-inning relief role, finishing 10 th in the American League with 19 saves for the Angels in 2017 and sixth in the National League with 28 saves for the Cardinals in 2018.

Norris was drafted by the Astros in the sixth round in 2006 out of California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo, California), and most recently pitched in the pop-up Constellation Energy League last summer where he made two scoreless relief appearances for the host Sugar Land Skeeters.

The 6-foot, 215-pound Norris is in his 15 th season of professional baseball, and is 82-118 lifetime with 49 saves and a 4.30 ERA in 443 appearances, 262 of them as a starting pitcher. Norris’ fastball averaged 94.4 mph with a spin rate of more than 2,400 rpms as recently as 2018.

Additionally, the Goldeyes placed infielder Wes Darvill on the Injured List, retroactive to July 5 th .

The Goldeyes play game two of a three-game series against the Gary SouthShore RailCats tonight. First pitch from The Ballpark at Jackson is at 6:35 p.m. All the action can be heard locally on CJNU 93.7 FM and worldwide at www.cjnu.ca

The Goldeyes will continue to monitor the reopening of the Canada/US border and assess a potential return to Shaw Park in 2021.

In the coming weeks, Winnipeg Goldeyes staff will contact ticket holders with more information and appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding.

RAILCATS SCORE LATE TO BEAT GOLDEYES STEVE SCHUSTER – WINNIPEG GOLDEYES – FRIDAY, JULY 9th JACKSON, TN – The Winnipeg Goldeyes (21-24) lost 8-1 to the Gary SouthShore RailCats at The Ballpark at Jackson on Friday night.

Winnipeg took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth when Kyle Martin tripled to right-centre and scored when Jesus Marriaga’s throw to third bounced into the Goldeyes’ dugout.

The RailCats (21-26) took the lead with a six-run top of the seventh. Raymond Jones led off with a single through the right side and scored the tying run when Alec Olund tripled to right-centre. Thomas Walraven lined a single to left that scored Olund to make it 2-1. After the RailCats loaded the bases with two outs, Ryan Cash singled through the right side to plate two more runs. Olund worked a bases loaded walk later in the inning to make it 6-1.

In the top of the eighth, Cash singled home Hayden Schilling, while Marriaga came home with the RailCats’ eighth run on a wild pitch.

Gary SouthShore starter Trevor Lubking (3-4) picked up the win, allowing one unearned run on two hits in six and one-third innings. Lubking walked five and struck out six.

Joey Gonzalez (2-4) started for the Goldeyes and took the loss, allowing three earned runs on four hits in six and one-third innings. Gonzalez walked two and struck out a career-high 10 batters.

Raul Navarro singled in the bottom of the second, and has hit safely in 12 straight games. Martin’s triple extended his hitting streak to 11.

The series continues Saturday evening at 6:35 p.m. Greg Harris (0-3, 11.25) faces right-hander Josh Vincent (1-0, 0.00). All the action can be heard locally on CJNU 93.7 FM and worldwide at www.cjnu.ca

The Goldeyes will continue to monitor the reopening of the Canada/US border and assess a potential return to Shaw Park in 2021.

In the coming weeks, Winnipeg Goldeyes staff will contact ticket holders with more information and appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding.

VIDEO: JULY 9 th GAME HIGHLIGHTS JASON YOUNG – WINNIPEG GOLDEYES – FRIDAY, JULY 9 th LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA7qqUZSlpU

RAILCATS FRY FISH IN FRIDAY OPENER MAX KELTON – GARY SOUTHSHORE RAILCATS – FRIDAY, JULY 9 th GARY, Ind.- In game one of a three-game series at the Ballpark at Jackson, the Gary SouthShore RailCats (21-26) gobbled the Winnipeg Goldeyes (21- 24) in an 8-1 flop in Jackson, TN.

Trailing 1-0 heading into the seventh, the RailCats erupted for six runs to burst this one wide open and take a 6-1 lead over Winnipeg.

‘Cats starter Trevor Lubking (3-4) threw his third quality start in a row with 6.1 innings, one unearned run, two hits, five walks and six strikeouts. The loss went to Joey Gonzalez despite tossing a one-hit gem through five. Gonzalez threw six innings on the bump, allowing three runs on four hits with two walks and ten strikeouts.

Down by one in the seventh, Ray Jones laced a lead-off single and came around to score on an RBI, Alec Olund triple to tie the game at one-a-piece. Tom Walraven brought home Olund on a base knock to left that gave the ‘Cats a lead, but the bats were rolling for the ‘Cats at that point.

Later in the inning, Ryan Cash deposited two more on a bases-loaded single, and then an infield base hit from Daniel Lingua added another.

The RailCats would take a 6-1 lead after seven and would tack on two more in the eighth to win 8-1 over the Goldeyes.

Tasker Strobel and Nick Garcia each combined for 2.2 scoreless innings out of the pen in relief for the RailCats.

Game two between the Gary SouthShore RailCats and the Winnipeg Goldeyes is scheduled for tomorrow, July 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Ballpark at Jackson in Jackson, TN.

JAMIE SAMSON HAS BEEN RUNNING THINGS IN THE FISH CLUBHOUSE FOR 20 YEARS TAYLOR ALLEN – WINNIPEG FREE PRESS – FRIDAY, JULY 9th Unbeknownst to him at the time, Jamie Samson was 12 when he sent an email that would shape the next 20-plus years of his life.

Without even telling his parents, the youngster from St. Andrews went online one day and looked up how he could become a batboy for the Winnipeg Goldeyes.

It turns out there was an opening, so the Goldeyes called his home phone to deliver the news. His folks, Karen and Cliff, were a little caught off guard at first, but Samson got them up to speed and they gave him the OK — even though Shaw Park is roughly 45 minutes away from St. Andrews.

"I was only getting paid $5 a game so I don't think it was even covering their fuel," Samson said with a laugh.

"And then on top of that, we'd be driving downtown during rush hour and they couldn't make any left turns so I'm sure they weren't too thrilled with it, but they were troopers and did it. I'm pretty appreciative that they did that."

All the money spent on gas ended up being a good investment. After four years of lugging bats back to the dugout, Samson's work ethic was noticed and he became the assistant clubhouse manager. He'd hold that position for two years before he got promoted to clubhouse manager in 2007 — a job he's held ever since.

Well, except for last summer.

The COVID-19 pandemic threw a knuckleball at the American Association and the Goldeyes had to play the entire 2019 season as a travelling team based out of Fargo, N.D. Samson was forced to stay north of the border and have a summer without Goldeyes baseball for the first time in 20 years.

"It was definitely weird having a summer off for sure, but it was nice at the same time... I actually went camping for the first time since I was in Cub Scouts," said the 32-year-old Samson.

Outside of the baseball season, Samson works for Sunwing Airlines as a flight attendant and cabin safety manager. It goes without saying, but the pandemic has prevented him from partaking in that gig as well. The last time Samson was in an airplane was on a rescue flight from Winnipeg to Vancouver at the end of March 2020.

Perhaps it's a good thing Samson had some downtime in the past year because he certainly doesn't have any this summer. He's back with the Fish for his 20th season in 21 years, but this one has been the most challenging yet. Shaw Park remains empty for a second straight summer as the Canada- U.S. border restrictions have led to the Fish playing out of The Ballpark in Jackson, Tenn. With the majority of the team's staff still in Winnipeg, Samson's long list of duties has grown even longer.

He's been doing all the laundry, fitting players for equipment, grabbing groceries, booking hotel rooms, finding host families, making travel arrangements, sending packages, cleaning the clubhouse, and even picking up cakes for players' birthdays. Other than getting on base and throwing strikes, Samson does it all.

"They don't have the help for us that we'd normally have in Winnipeg. It's definitely been pretty challenging down here... One day, (athletic therapist Evan Fehr and I) didn't leave the ballpark until 2 a.m. We got there at like 11:30 a.m. Then, we were in an Uber the next day on the way to the ballpark at nine o'clock in the morning," Samson said.

"Evan and I didn't get out of the ballpark until 1:20 that morning. So, that was a 16-hour day. So that was pretty tough, like I said, dealing with absolutely everything down there."

Luckily, he now gets paid more than $5 a game."I think with the hours that we're putting in, it might be five bucks an hour," Samson laughed. "But nah, it's been alright."

After going all of last year without him, no one is more appreciative of Samson being around this go around than Goldeyes manager Rick Forney.

"Jamie's a godsend," said Forney.

"He's an unbelievable worker. He's very organized, very thorough. Obviously he's been doing this for a long time so he knows exactly what needs to be done on a day to day basis. He's really good at planning and getting stuff done well in advance. He does just about everything for us."

Samson's contributions haven't gone unnoticed by the players, either.

"Jamie is more than a clubby. In my time here, he really is a part of the team," said infielder Wes Darvill, who is in his fifth season with the team.

"He gets along so well with the players and is able to level with them so well and earn respect by how hard he works and how good he is at his job. He's been in the wedding of so many players that have come through Winnipeg and is a huge part in what makes this place so special."

The American Association is nearing the midway point of the season and there's still no indication when the Goldeyes can return home. It would make Samson's job a heck of a lot easier if the border opened up, but in the meantime, he's not complaining. His career has given him the opportunity to make lifelong friends with players from across North America and he doesn't plan on slowing down anytime soon.

"I think just being able to make these guys' lives a little bit easier is what keeps me going every day," he said.

In the hunt The Winnipeg Goldeyes are starting to crawl back into the playoff race.

The Fish are officially out of the American Association North Division basement after going 8-5 in their last 13 games. Heading into Thursday night's series finale against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, the Goldeyes boast a 20-23 record on the year and find themselves 4.5 games out of a playoff spot.

While the team is starting to play some better baseball, the people of Jackson, Tenn., aren't coming out in droves to support the club. The Goldeyes sit at the bottom of the 11-team league in attendance with an average of 549 fans in the stands when they're playing at their temporary home, The Ballpark.

The lack of cheers isn't slowing down first baseman Kyle Martin, though, as he's leading the team with 12 home runs and 42 RBI. Infielder Raul Navarro has also impressed at the dish, he's batting .340 with one homer and 29 RBI.

But offence hasn't been the issue, it's pitching. Right before the season began, the Fish had their ace Mitchell Lambson retire and several important arms get signed by MLB clubs. They've been scrambling for pitchers since.

The Goldeyes have surrendered the third most earned runs in the league (258). Eduard Reyes leads the team with 10 starts and has a 4-4 record with a 6.45 ERA. Jorge Gonzalez has been their most reliable starter thus far at 2-2 with a 4.78 ERA in nine starts.

GOLDEYES SIGN COLLEGE STANDOUT STEVE SCHUSTER – WINNIPEG GOLDEYES – WEDNESDAY, JULY 7 th WINNIPEG, MB – The Winnipeg Goldeyes signed rookie right-handed pitcher Austin Henrich on Tuesday.

Henrich recently completed his college career at The University of Charleston (Charleston, West Virginia) where he was 7-0 with a 4.07 ERA in 12 starts for the Golden Eagles. The South Charleston, West Virginia native struck out 61 and walked 20 in 59.2 innings pitched as a fifth-year senior.

In five collegiate seasons, Henrich was a combined 31-8 (.795) with a 3.94 ERA in 58 games, 50 of them as a starting pitcher. The 23-year-old earned All-Mountain East Conference honours as a freshman in 2017 and again as a junior in 2019. Henrich was granted an extra year of college eligibility as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and enrolled in The University of Charleston’s Masters of Business Administration program during his final season.

Last Thursday, the Goldeyes placed right-handed pitcher Nate Antone on the Injured List, retroactive to June 26 th , and placed right-handed pitcher Mike Webb on the Inactive List.

The Goldeyes also claimed right-handed pitcher Greg Harris off waivers from the Chicago Dogs. Harris made one start and four relief appearances for Chicago, striking out six batters in seven innings. The Hyannis, Massachusetts native was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 17 th round in 2013 and is in his seventh season of professional baseball. Harris was 30-34 with a 3.77 ERA and 457 strikeouts across 493.2 innings pitched in the affiliated minor leagues. In 2018, Harris was ranked the 18 th best prospect in the Tampa Bay Rays’ organization by Baseball America.

Additionally, the Goldeyes released right-handed pitcher Jake Polancic .

The Goldeyes continue a three-game series against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks tonight at The Ballpark at Jackson. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. All the action can be heard locally on CJNU 93.7 FM and worldwide at www.cjnu.ca

The Goldeyes will continue to monitor the reopening of the Canada/US border and assess a potential return to Shaw Park in 2021.

In the coming weeks, Winnipeg Goldeyes staff will contact ticket holders with more information and appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding.