The Rochester Honkers Baseball Club is excited to announce the signing of three right-handed arms out of Sacramento State. Eli Saul, Evan Gibbons, and Stone Churby will all be on the mound with the Honkers this summer.

Saul is a 6’5”, 215-pound right-handed pitcher from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Despite being drafted in the 29th round of the 2019 MLB draft by the Texas Rangers, he decided to go to college and attend Sacramento State. As a freshman at Sacramento State, Saul made five appearances in 2020, accumulating six strikeouts in 7.1 innings. In his first four appearances, he had given up just two runs on three hits. Before his short collegiate debut, Saul was a top-ranked player in British Columbia. Featuring a fastball that tops out at 95 miles per hour, he was named to the 2019 Canadian Junior National Team in 2018 while being rated the 2nd-best right-handed pitcher in the British Columbia by Perfect Game.

“[Saul} has a high baseball IQ and is driven to use this experience this summer in Rochester to help him progress as a pitcher,” Sacramento State Manager Reggie Christiansen said.

Gibbons is a 6-foot, 191-pound right-handed pitcher from Elk Grove, California. A sophomore at Sacramento State, Gibbons has made 16 career collegiate appearances. He has totaled 22.2 innings, with 19 strikeouts and a 7.94 ERA. His freshman season was highlighted by his work in the WAC tournament, where he threw five innings of two-run ball, giving up just two hits and striking out four. A two-way player, Gibbons also started in the field, seeing time at all four infield positions. He hit .187 with a .300 on-base percentage in 107 at-bats. Before Sacramento State, Gibbons was a star at Franklin High School in Elk Grove. He pitched in 13 games his senior year to a tune of a 1.41 ERA and seven wins. That year also included the first perfect game in his school’s history, where he struck out 15 in the performance. With the bat, he hit .389 with 16 extra-base hits, including two home runs.

“Evan has an elite spin on his breaking ball. This summer will be an important one for Evan’s progression as a pitcher,” Christiansen said.

Churby is a 6’3”, 188-pound right-handed pitcher from Brentwood, California. A junior at Sacramento State, Churby emerged as one of the most reliable options for the Hornets out of the bullpen, closing games out for them. He already tallied nine scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts in the shortened 2020 collegiate season. His sophomore year, he recorded the sixth-most appearances in Hornets history with 32 appearances, recording 46 innings in that span. His sophomore year was highlighted by an immaculate inning thrown against Nevada at home. Before college, Churby was a top-100 right-handed pitching recruit out of California, where he played at Granada High School. He had a 2.36 ERA in 56.1 innings, totaling 66 strikeouts.

“Stone has a high baseball IQ. And tremendous passion for the game. He is excited for his summer in Rochester,” Christiansen said.

The Rochester Honkers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college
baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 22nd season of summer collegiate baseball,
the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams,
drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A
valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 120 Northwoods
League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner
Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis
Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable
live via the Northwoods League Website.