Image credit: Utah Valley University

By Jamie Shinkewski - Kamloops NorthPaws

NorthPaws sign first player

Kamloops Northpaws sign first player

Oct 27, 2020 | 10:48 AM

KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops NorthPaws are shaping their inaugural roster with strong defense and play calling behind home plate.

Trey Newman, a catcher from Utah Valley University, is officially the first player signed in NorthPaws history.

The 20-year-old from Phoenix, Ariz. brings elite defensive abilities as a catcher and will step to the plate as a right-handed hitter who hits for good average with emerging power.

“He has everything you look for in somebody you’re going to have behind the plate,” says head coach Cole Armstrong. “He’s really good defensively. He can really catch and throw the ball, and he works great with the pitching staff.”

The NorthPaws coach won’t be surprised if Newman becomes a fan favourite at Norbrock Stadium.

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“He’s always at the centre of the clubhouse, a guy everybody likes to be around,” Armstrong says. “He plays with a lot of energy and grit.”

Newman said his choice to play in Kamloops had much to do with the man at the helm. He has previously worked with Armstrong on multiple occasions, including during the Arizona Collegiate Wood Bat League season.

“The amount that he cares is crazy. He put in more hours than anybody in the player development side of it,” Newman said of Armstrong. “That’s a guy that’s been in baseball a really long time. He’s been through it and he’s going to have the players’ best interest in mind. He’s a great guy to play for.”

The Newman name may sound familiar to baseball fans. Trey’s grandfather, Jeff, played nine Major League seasons with the Oakland Athletics and Boston Red Sox before turning to coaching. His uncle Ryan is a manager in the Chicago White Sox minor league organization, following his minor league playing career.

The Kamloops NorthPaws are an expansion West Coast League franchise bringing the highest calibre baseball Canada’s Tournament Capital has ever seen.

The West Coast League, founded in 2005, has 15 teams across Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alberta featuring some of the top collegiate players during a 54-game summer season.

Find the NorthPaws online at www.northpawsbaseball.ca, @northpawsbaseball on Instagram and Facebook, or @northpawsbb on Twitter.