AppleSox Sign Chelan Lefty, Four Others To 2023 Roster

AppleSox head coach Mitch Darlington announced on Thursday the addition of five players to the AppleSox’ 2023 roster. Braiden Boyd, Ty Kennedy, Samuel Round, Carson Ohland and Austin Ohland are signed to play for the AppleSox this summer.

Boyd’s prior experience with the AppleSox is limited to one game but it was a memorable one as he made his collegiate debut on Aug. 1, 2022. The southpaw from Chelan struck out three hitters in two innings in a non-league game against the Cascade Collegiate League showcase team prior to beginning his senior year of high school a few weeks later. 

Boyd was part of Chelan’s fourth-place team at the 1A State Tournament prior to suiting up for the AppleSox three months later. He is committed to play at Washington State in 2024 following his graduation from Chelan High School this spring. 

“I’ve had a chance to get to see him a lot from just living in Chelan for the last few years,” Darlington said. “The big thing that jumps out is he is super projectability but he’s also got the right demeanor for a pitcher so there’s a lot of room to grow for him.”

Kennedy is in his freshman year at Washington State and is looking to make his season debut. The middle infielder from Parker, Colo. came to the Cougars with plenty of acclaim as he was rated the sixth-best overall prospect in Colorado and No. 92 shortstop prospect in the country by Perfect Game.

Kennedy shined in two years at Legend High School, batting .388 over 40 games. Kennedy hit .420 with eight extra-base hits in 2021 as a junior and then followed it up with a .371 average and 19 extra-base hits as a senior a year ago. He also proved to be a threat on the basepaths, stealing 20 bags over his two years of varsity. 

“He is one of those dark horse guys that you need to keep an eye on,” Darlington said. “He is the definition of a true utility guy. He's going to be out here opening day and he's slated to be our shortstop for opening week. He was recruited to Washington State as a shortstop and this fall has converted to a corner outfield type in practice and intersquads. He is a guy who it would not surprise me if he played six or seven positions over the summer.”

Round is a right-handed pitcher and an incoming freshman at Gonzaga. He was a Perfect Game Underclass All-American and Top-500 recruit while playing at Pinnacle High School in Arizona. Round was also a Prep Baseball Report Arizona Future Games Participant. 

He has a 4.89 ERA with 30 strikeouts and 15 walks in 24.1 innings over nine games (five starts). Round has recorded two saves and has also tossed a complete-game shutout. Perfect Game has listed his fastball as high as 91-miles per hour.

"Sam is going to be interesting for us,” Darlington said. “He is a sneaky one who might surprise some people. He has an upper-80's fastball, throws a changeup and a good breaker. Gonzaga just recruits talented arms, whether it’s on their staff right now or guys coming in. That's a credit to their pitching coach, Brandon Harmon. I always trust that what they are sending our way is going to be a good one."

The Ohland brothers will provide the AppleSox a ton of depth from behind the dish. Carson is regarded as one of the top catchers in the country in the Class of 2023. He was named a Preseason High School All-American by Collegiate Baseball and the second-best high-school prospect in Washington by BVM Sports.

The Washington commit is batting .480 with 10 extra-base hits in 17 games this spring as a senior at Tahoma High School a year after hitting .426 in 2022. The 12th-highest catching prospect in the country per Prep Baseball Report is two extra-base hits away from matching last season’s total. 

“He should see plenty of innings behind the dish if his bat os what we are expecting it to be he could see a lot of innings at DH. Definitely going to get some more action behind the dish catching some collegiate arms but is a guy who will be hard to keep out of the lineup on a nightly basis.  

Carson’s older brother, Austin, will also be joining the AppleSox this summer. Austin is a junior at Central Washington and is batting .253 with a team-best six home runs. His average was at .179 through his first 25 games but is batting .354 with eight multi-hit games since March 17. He just had a six-game hitting streak come to an end in the second game of a doubleheader this past Sunday against Western Oregon.

Ohland earned First Team All-GNAC in each of the two previous seasons with the Wildcats. The Maple Valley, Wash. hit .289 in 48 games last season after batting .347 in 27 games in 2021 when he was also GNAC Freshman of the Year. 

“The big thing Austin is going to bring is a power bat,” Darlington said. “He had four in this most recent series against Saint Martin’s. He’s a guy who, when he gets hot, can run them out of the yard. We didn’t have a ton of juice in our lineup last season and Austin helps provide some pop.” 

Listen now to the AppleSox Podcast to hear more of Darlington’s thoughts on the five players signed. You can listen to it and other previous roster-release episodes on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. 

Ticket packages for the AppleSox’ 23rd season are now on sale. Season tickets lock in your seats for all 31 home games and run as affordable as $145 for general admission bleacher seats while reserved premium seating is $245. Additionally, fans can get 10-ticket Double Play Ticket Packs for $60. These 10 general-admission ticket punches can all be used at once or spread out over the course of the season over multiple games. To purchase 2023 ticket packages please visit applesox.com/season-tickets call 509-665-6900 or email allie@applesox.com.