For the City Times

WISCONSIN RAPIDS –  The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters have added pitchers, Sam Hliboki, Brandon Siegenthaler, and Billy Black to the 2020 roster.

Vanderbilt righty Sam Hliboki is a highly accomplished pitcher from Los Angeles, CA. Entering the 2020 college baseball season, Hliboki was named the 35th-best freshman pitcher in the U.S. by D1Baseball.com. Hliboki lived up to the high expectations for his freshman year, allowing only two hits, two walks, and no runs in 15.2 innings pitched. His best game came versus No. 6 UCLA on March 6th, when Hliboki came out of the Commodores bullpen to spin five scoreless and hitless innings.

Hliboki starred at Harvard Westlake School in Los Angeles. As a senior, Hliboki was 9-1 with a 1.37 ERA in 72 innings and was named 2019 Daily News Pitcher of the Year.

“Sam is a very talented young arm who reminds me a lot of former Rafter and current Colorado Rockies RHP Garrett Schilling,” Rafters Head Coach Craig Noto said. “He logged an impressive amount of innings for a freshman in that program early in the season and was dominant. I believe his versatility is going to be a huge asset for this staff.”

Brandon Siegenthaler is a right-handed pitcher for the Villanova Wildcats. His freshman year, while short, was successful. The Montvale, New Jersey native took the mound in four games and allowed only four earned runs. Siegenthaler relies on control and movement to limit hard contact. Siegenthaler’s best college start came on March 8 against Bucknell, pitching six scoreless frames to get the win.

At Pascack Hills High School, Siegenthaler was a star on a team of stars. The Cowboys were 30-2 in Siegenthaler’s junior year and won the Group 2 State Championship. One year later, it was the same story with the Cowboys finishing the season with a 29-3 record and another state title.

Wilton, Connecticut native Billy Black is a junior right-hander for the Columbia Bears of the Ivy League. In 2020, Black was a starter for the first time in his college career, throwing 10.2 innings over two starts. Previously as a member of the Bears bullpen, Black appeared in 18 games in 2018 and 2019 for Columbia, striking out 19 opponents in 24.1 innings.

“Billy comes from a great program led by Head Coach Brett Boretti,” Nato stated. “As is commonplace with most of our staff on a yearly basis, command is a priority for us. We are excited to give him the baseball and watch him grow as a player.”