The Danny Benedetti era has officially begun.
The latest Border Cats manger on Tuesday announced the first five players signed to the Northwoods League team’s roster, including a pair off the roster of the reigning College World Series champion Vanderilt Commodores.
Freshman infielder Penn Murfee and pitcher Ryan Johnson will be joined by pitcher Mitchell Kuebbing, catcher Eddie Posavec and infielder Justin Yurchak.
Murfee has suited up nine times for the Commodores this season and is hitting .321 with three doubles and six RBI.
Johnson has a 2.25 ERA in 12 innings, fanning eight.
Benedetti, an assistant at St. John’s University, turned to Viriginia’s Longwood University for Kuebbing, a 6-foot-4 right-hander who appeared in 22 games last season, recording a win, three saves and 36 strikeouts in 53.2 innings.
Povasec, a sophomore at Binghamton University, batted .309 last season with 10 doubles and 18 driven in, appearing in 45 games. Yuchak, a rookie at Wake Forest University, is off to a hot start, boasting a .345 average in 10 games.
The Border Cats open the 2015 season on May 26 at Port Arthur Stadium.