It doesn’t happen often, but every few summers the Thunder Bay Border Cats add a local player to the roster.
Count 2010 as one of those years.
On Tuesday the two-time Northwoods League champions announced the signing of pitcher Eric Brown, a graduate of both the Port Arthur Nationals and the Northwest Slam program.
Brown, who attended Hammarskjold High School, is currently in his junior season at the University of British Columbia, who play in the NAIA where they recently captured the loops western conference title. He’s 7-1 this season with an impressive 3.47 ERA. He also has 48 strikeouts in 62.1 innings.
Brown was one of four Canadians the Border Cats signed on the day. Also joining the squad are fellow right-handed pitchers Corey Pappel, Paul Barton and Nathan Kennedy.
Pappel, an ESPN the Magazine all-Ivy Leaguer, is 2-2 at Cornell with a 3.71 ERA
The Mississauga native checks in a 6-foot-6 and has 52 strikeouts in 51 innings.
Barton, who hails from Qualicum Beach, B.C., is a teammate of Border Cats infielder Evan Mistich at Panola Junior College in Carthage, Texas, where he has a 6-2 record and 3.29 ERA.
Kennedy, from Guelph, pitches at Grayson County College in Denison, Texas and has a 3-0 record, 3.39 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 24.1 innings.
The Cats home opener is scheduled for June 2 at Port Arthur Stadium against their cross-border rivals, the Duluth Huskies.
