MANKATO, Minn. – The Mankato MoonDogs Baseball Club, a member of the Northwoods League is pleased to announce the addition of pitchers Rob Cerfolio, Kahana Neal and Bryan Bonnell to the MoonDogs’ roster for the 2013 season.
Cerfolio, a six-foot, 180-pound lefty has just completed his junior season with Yale. After 49 innings of work with the Bulldogs, Cerfolio has struck out 29 batters en route to accumulating a 2.94 ERA, third best on the Yale roster. The native of Birmingham, Ala. tossed 19 strikeouts over 47 innings in 2012.
“Rob is one of the most touted prospects coming from the Ivy League, and we’re excited to see what he can do in our league,” said MoonDogs Field Manager Mike Orchard. “He’s a big time strike thrower and should be a valuable asset in our pitching staff.”
Neal is a six-foot-three-inch, 195 pound junior from the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky. The right-hander from Pearl City, Hawaii has shown exceptional durability this spring for the Patriots, throwing four complete games and two shutouts on his way to building a 6-2 record and a 2.80 ERA in 11 starts. Neal is a transfer from Arizona Western College, where he earned First Team All ACCAC honors.
“Kahana is another guy who can pound the strike zone,” said Orchard. “He has a variety of different pitches he can use to beat opposing batters, look for him to get weak contact and early outs.”
Bonnell, a six-foot-five-inch, 200 pound freshman comes to Mankato from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The young right hander had a prolific career at Centennial High school before coming to UNLV, earning All-State, All-Region and All-Conference distinctions. In limited action this spring Bonnell notched three strikeouts in seven appearances, and also showed versatility at the plate adding three hits and two RBIs.
The Las Vegas native is a 31st round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs.
“In Bryan we receive another young draft pick with a ton of upside and good size,” Said Orchard. “He hasn’t gotten to play a lot this spring, so he should be fresh and ready to prove himself this summer.”
The MoonDogs home opener is scheduled for Wednesday, May 29th at 7:05 p.m. against the Rochester Honkers at Franklin Rogers Park. Jeff Reardon will be the Opening Night Guest presented by Wealth Enhancement Group, along with a fireworks extravaganza. Season tickets are now on sale at the MoonDogs office located at 1221 Caledonia Street. For more information, visit our website www.mankatomoondogs.com or call the MoonDogs office at 507-625-7047.
