THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay Border Cats were well represented on the final day of the Major League Baseball Draft.
A total of five former Cats were selected, headed by infielder Andrew Fregia, who was grabbed in the 13th round, 385th overall, by the Baltimore Orioles.
Fregia was a defensive stalwart with the Border Cats in 2016, when he was the lone Thunder Bay player to get the call to the Northwoods League all-star game.
The shortstop hit .239 with five home runs and 19 RBI in his lone season north of the border.
Teammate Bobby Honeyman was next to hear his name called, going 868th overall in the 29th round to the Seattle Mariners.
The second baseman played in 63 games for the Border Cats in 2016, hitting .277 with six doubles and 21 driven in.
One-time Border Cat shortstop Penn Murfee, who played just nine games in 2015m was snagged in the 33rd round, 988th overall, by the Mariners. He had just five hits in 35 at bats with Thunder Bay, driving in three.
A pair of members of last year’s squad were also drafted on Wednesday.
Pitcher Brandon Williamson, who made eight starts and posted an 0-6 record and a 7.08 ERA, was taken in the 36th round, 1,095th overall by the Milwaukee Brewers, while fellow starter Jake Mielock went in the 40th and final round to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was 1-4 with a sparkling 2.09 ERA for the Cats in 2017.
Infielder Andy Weber was the sixth former Border Cats player chosen, going Tuesday in the fifth round to the Chicago Cubs.
Claw marks: Canadian hurler Andrew Nolan took a perfect game into the seventh inning Wednesday night and the Border Cats hung on to edge the visiting Willmar Stingers 2-1 to improve to 3-6. Nolan (2-0), gave up three hits and a run, striking out five in eight innings. Jaxon Hallmark broke up the perfect-game bid with a single to lead off the seventh. Brady Gulakowski and Billy Cook had RBI singles for Thunder Bay ... Attendance was 705.
