SNOWMEN IN NEWPORT
Snowmen in Newport
Gulls Who Wore #8
NEWPORT, RI- Remember in Little League when each team had their own cheers for all aspects of the game. Each player had a chant as well. A popular reference is calling the player that wore number eight (8), snowman- makes sense..
With the recent snowstorm that swept through the Northeast, it got the Newport Gulls thinking about all the players that have donned the No. 8 jersey throughout the team’s history. Here is what we found in chronological order:
Unfortunately, information on player numbers is unavailable for the 2001 season, so the first snowman of record is Brigham Young University Infielder Ranger Wiens. Wiens started 29 games for the Gulls during their first summer in Newport, hitting .277 and finishing the year a perfect 12-12 on stolen base attempts, which was tied for third-most on the team. His college career was nothing short of outstanding as well. The speedy 6’ 3” native of Merced, CA had a .343 batting average when all was said and done, hitting over .400 the year after he was in Newport. Wiens is currently an attorney in the state of California.
Josh Sowers of Yale University was the second player to wear No. 8. He was a right-handed pitcher from Louisville, Kentucky that ultimately was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 10thRound of the 2005 MLB Draft. While in Newport, he appeared in eight games and started two. Over 18 innings of work, Sowers struck out 22 opposing batters and captured two wins. He was the 2005 Ivy League Pitcher of the Year and since his retirement from baseball has become the Finance Director for one of the world’s largest beauty companies, Coty.
Newport Gulls Hall of Fame Inductee Chris Stanton wore the number next. He was the NECBL MVP that summer, leading the league in hitting (.405), hits (60), and stolen bases (21), among other statistics. A rising senior at Virginia Tech during the summer he spent with the Gulls, Stanton went on to be drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 2005 and has etched his name in history as one of the best Gulls ever.
Stephen Douglas of East Tennessee State helped the Newport Gulls capture their third league championship in 2005. He was a staple in the Gulls lineup, starting 25 games and appearing in a total of 32. An outfielder from Smyrna, GA, Douglas had a professional career that spanned eight seasons, including a brief stint in the Mexican League in 2012.
No. 8 was then transferred to Washington State Infielder Jeff Miller. Most famously known for turning an unassisted triple play in the 2006 playoffs, Jeff was a fantastic player for the Gulls that summer. He trailed only Jim Murphy, the 2006 NECBL MVP, in batting average (.302) and was also second on the team in runs scored (23) while also demonstrating the ability to hit for power, blasting three home runs.
There were no snowmen in 2007 and 2008 but the number was passed off to another successful Gull in 2009 when Le Moyne College’s Sean Paino wore the number as the Gulls went on to capture their fourth NECBL Championship. Paino was a 6’ 1” outfielder from Wappinger Falls, NY that completed the summer hitting .314 in 24 games started, striking out just three times all summer.
2010 also went by without a snowman but in 2011 the jersey number was rocked by the league’s Relief Pitcher of the Year and Second Team All-NECBL Closer, Michael Dimock. A righty from Wake Forest University, Dimock appeared in 19 games, all in relief, which encompasses 19.1 innings. He struck out 23 batters and walked only four while allowing just two earned runs all summer, and his eight saves were tied for third-most in the NECBL. It is no surprise Dimock went on to be drafted by the Houston Astros in 2012 and rose all the way to Triple-A before retiring in 2018.
Adam Ravenelle of Sudbury, MA was the next snowman to play for the Gulls. Although he was selected by the New York Yankees in the 2011 MLB Draft, Ravenelle decided to attend Vanderbilt University before beginning a professional career. He worked primarily as a starter for the Gulls in 2012, appearing in a total of seven games and starting five. The right-hander struck out 37 batters he faced, including an 11 K performance against the New Bedford Baysox on July 28, a game in which he only threw five innings. Ravenelle’s Vanderbilt Commodores captured the 2014 National Championship and he was second on the team in appearances, working exclusively out of the bullpen. His 1.35 era was the lowest on the team and he was then taken in the Fourth Round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers. Ravenelle retired after the 2018 season, reaching the Double-A Erie SeaWolves.
Another decorated Gull and Washington St Infielder that wore No. 8 was Trace Tam Sing. Tam Sing finds himself in the Newport Gulls record books for his season in 2013, having started the most games in a single season (44) as well as having the most at-bats in one year with 186; both league records as well. An All-Star in 2013, the Gulls shortstop was slightly edged by his Washington State teammate Ben Roberts for setting the Gulls single-season record for doubles too. Roberts holds the record with 18, while Tam Sing smacked 17 two-baggers that summer. He led the team in hits and was second in batting average and stolen bases. This remarkable season ended with being named the All-NECBL First Team selection at shortstop and ultimately signing to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates after graduation. In 2017, he retired from baseball, but not before reaching the Pirates’ Triple-A affiliate in the International League.
Mason Richardson (Louisville) made six relief appearances in six games for the Gulls in 2014.
Stephen Sauter (Boston College) was a late addition to the Newport Gulls roster in 2015, joining the team at the end of July for the team’s playoff push. He caught a total of ten games, including five during the postseason, hitting a home run against the Ocean State Waves in Game 4 of the Divisional Series.
In 2016, it was Travis Young that wore No. 8. He came to Newport after a successful freshman season at Wichita State and played in 37 games, patrolling the Cardines Field outfield. He ranked second on the team in steals with five.
The Louisville Cardinals reached the College World Series in 2017. Once their phenomenal run came to an end, Shay Smiddy was able to join the Gulls and begin his term as a snowman. His first appearance came on June 30, proceeding to make nine total, including two starts. In 21 innings on the mound, Smiddy struck out 28 and allowed only four earned runs which resulted in a team-best 1.71 ERA. After making 15 appearances and two starts as a freshman in 2017 at Louisville, Smiddy became a key member of the Cardinals pitching staff the season after he came to Newport. In 2018, he made four starts and 25 total appearances, totaling 45.2 innings pitched. He finished that season with a 5-1 record and 2.96 ERA. He returned to school for his junior season in 2019 and then was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2019 MLB Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays.
David Stiehl followed Smiddy as another hard-throwing right-handed pitcher to wear No. 8 for the Newport Gulls. A decorated starting pitcher for Manager Mike Glavin’s Northeastern Huskies, Stiehl has won 14 games during his collegiate career and recorded 136 strikeouts. Stiehl’s bulldog mentality carried over into his summer with the Newport Gulls, taking time away from the team to deal with a minor illness before returning to finish out the year strong. When all was said and done, Stiehl started five games, including a must-win contest against the Sanford Mainers on July 31 in which he had six strikeouts in 4.2 innings of work.
Most recently, No. 8 was worn by Quinnipiac Catcher Colton Bender. The 2019 First Team All-NECBL selection, Bender hit an outstanding .339 while blasting 13 doubles which was tops on the team. He was equally successful behind the plate, serving as a reliable target for Gulls pitchers and throwing out an abundance of attempted base runners. He had been signed to play for the Newport Gulls again in 2020 but due to COVID-19 was unable to fulfill this commitment. 2019 All- MAAC and NEIBA All-New England performer, Bender heads into his senior year as one of the best catchers in the Northeast and is hopeful to hear his name called in the 2021 MLB Draft.
Only time will tell to see who the next snowman to make an impact on the Newport Gulls will be; there have certainly been some remarkable ones already.
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The Newport Gulls, members of the 13-team New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded as the Rhode Island Gulls in 1998 in Cranston, R.I., before moving to Newport in 2001. In addition to recruiting, fielding, and developing a team of the nation’s top collegiate baseball athletes and attracting 50,000 fans annually to Cardines Field, the predominantly volunteer organization strives to benefit the community of Newport County via summer camps, reading programs, fundraisers, scholarships, and charitable donations – totaling over $1 million since 2001. The Gulls are six-time champions of the NECBL – the winningest franchise in league history – and were ranked as the overall No. 1 summer collegiate baseball team in the country by Perfect Game USA in 2012.
For more information about the Newport Gulls, visit facebook.com/newportgulls, follow the Gulls on Twitter @NewportGulls or visit www.newportgulls.com.
