HOT TOTS ADD ON TO OFFENSE
The Minot Hot Tots were one of the Northwoods League’s top power-hitting teams a season ago. With 56 home runs, the Hot Tots ranked sixth across the Northwoods and third in their Great Plains division. In an effort to keep that style of baseball, the Minot Hot Tots have signed some serious strength at the plate. Let’s introduce the latest Acme and Kubota Tools on the Field.
Tanner McMurray, Utility, Oral Roberts University
Hailing from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tanner McMurray brings a consistent bat and versatile defensive ability to the Hot Tots. McMurray has stayed close to home for most of his collegiate career. Currently a redshirt freshman at Oral Roberts, McMurray will set sail from Oklahoma and put on a Minot jersey this summer.
The utility man has gotten most of his in-game reps on the summer ball circuit. Last season, McMurray suited up for the Danville Dans of the Prospect League. There, he played in 37 games, hitting .254 with a .344 slugging percentage and 19 runs batted in.
McMurray has been part of the long-standing winning tradition of Oral Roberts baseball, a program that fell one win shy of an NCAA Tournament bid in McMurray’s redshirt season. In his Northwoods League debut season, Tanner won’t be the only Golden Eagle playing at Corbett Field.
Kole Dudding, Infielder, Oral Roberts University
An up-and-coming prospect for ORU, Kole Dudding is an extra-base hitting machine. With a powerful swing and smooth fielding, Dudding will vie for a middle-infield spot on the Minot Hot Tots this summer.
In three seasons at Oral Roberts, Dudding has recorded three home runs, two doubles and a .739 OPS in 60 at-bats. As a true freshman in 2024, Dudding suited up 17 times for the Golden Eagles before redshirting in his second year. Now, as a sophomore, the product of Amarillo, Texas has been a go-to option off the bench for head coach Ryan Folmar.
Summer ball is also no stranger to Dudding. In a small three-game sample size in the California Collegiate League, he went 3-for-10 with a double, home run and four runs driven in.
Hector Roca, Catcher, Seminole State College
To the middle of Oklahoma we go to find the next addition to the Hot Tots roster: Hector Roca. A sophomore catcher with a 6-foot-3 figure, Roca will be bringing an explosive bat to the Great Plains West this summer.
Out of Doral Academy, Roca was ranked as a top ten catching prospect in the state of Florida by Perfect Game. He committed to Wabash Valley College in Illinois, a leading junior college program across the country. In his freshman season, Roca played in just 12 games for the Warriors, but caught the attention of many four-year programs.
Originally committing to Bradley University, Roca made a switch to complete his junior college eligibility at Seminole State College in Oklahoma. While with the Trojans, he is batting .235 with a home run and 10 RBI.
Roca has Division I ability at the plate and behind it, something the Hot Tots will enjoy in 2026.
