— By Bill Cornwell
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The Tri-State Coal Cats roster is set for 2025 and features both a West Virginia flavor and some familiar faces.
The Coal Cats open their second Appalachian League season Thursday with a 6-4 win at the Elizabethton (Tenn.) River Riders, while the home opener is set for Monday, June 9 at 7 p.m. against Pulaski at Marshall University’s Jack Cook Field.
Three players who call Jack Cook Field home as Marshall players — pitchers Kenyon Collins and Branson McCloud and catcher Jackson Golden — are on the Coal Cats roster as are West Virginia University pitcher Tucker DeLisle and infielder Ryan Maggy.
Potomac State pitcher Aiden Sites is another Tri-State player with Mountain State ties.
There are six Coal Cats players back after being part of the the team’s initial roster — Collins, outfielder and 2024 Appalachian League All-Star Michael Rodriguez, infielder Jorge Gonzalez-Febo and pitchers Ryan Brown (from Boyd County, Kentucky), Kenneth Jackson and Joe Gomez.
Collins went 2-2 for Tri-State last summer with a 3.68 ERA. Brown had no record last season with a 1.72 ERA. Rodriguez had a solid 2024 season with a .312 average, two home runs and 11 RBIs. Gonzalez-Febo hit three home runs, drove in 15 runs while batting .261 last season for Tri-State.
Two Ohio State Buckeyes are also on the roster in pitcher Noah Lafine and outfielder Sal Mineo.
Joining Mineo and Rodriguez in the outfield is Luke Kosko, a University of Cincinnati signee.
Two Kansas State Wildcats — Chandler Murray and Ty Smolinski — are part of the Coal Cats infield as well as Boston College’s Julio Solier and Sam Winsett, who redshirted this season at Coastal Carolina.
Additional pitching staff members include Oklahoma State hurlers Kash Ferris and Jett Hope.
Manager Tommy Gregg is back to lead the Coal Cats this season, as are pitching coach Salomon Torres, hitting coach Roger Hill and bench coach Justin Gomez.
The Coal Cats finished 22-26 in their initial campaign.