A1 Solar Signings
For Immediate Release Contact: Chuck Paiva
May, 19th 2024 President & General Manager
401-845-6832// gm@newportgulls.com
NEWPORT, R.I. - As the season gets even closer, it’s time to introduce two newcomers this summer. Today’s signings feature catcher Tyler Minnick (Georgia Tech) and infielder/pitcher Brock Murtha (Navy).
Tyler Minnick is currently a sophomore at Georgia Tech. Prior to playing for the Yellow Jackets, the Marietta, Georgia native was a standout at Mount Paran Christian. Minnick holds the Mount Paran single-season record for total hits and led his high school to a state title in 2021. Perfect Game rated him as a top-35 catcher nationally and the number 2 catcher in Georgia for the Class of 2023.
At Georgia Tech, Minnick made an immediate impact last year in his freshman season. The catcher made 27 appearances in 2023 and has played in 16 games so far this year as a sophomore. Minnick also comes into Newport with prior summer ball experience after playing for the Traverse City Pitt Spitters last year where he played 48 games, hitting two home runs and recording 19 RBI.
Brock Murtha is another exciting addition to the Gulls this summer. In what’s been a unique collegiate, the Sayville, New York native has found his home at Navy. However, Murtha’s college career started out in the ACC with Notre Dame where he played six games in 2021 but didn’t play in 2022.
After that, he transferred to Navy. Murtha was an important part of the lineup right away and throughout 2023. In his first year with the Midshipmen, he played in all 50 games, starting 49 of them. With Notre Dame, Murtha played as an infielder in the few games he appeared in but with Navy, he has been utilized as both an infielder and pitcher. Last year, Murtha finished third on the team with a .287 batting average and 27 RBI. He also made four appearances on the mound in relief, posting a 2.08 ERA. This season, the right handed batter and pitcher has only improved. Murtha has started all 51 games so far and leads the team with an incredible .345 batting average. He has also made seven appearances on the rubber, including two starts. The Long Island native might be new to Newport but is no stranger to the NECBL after playing for the Bristol Blues in 2021.
Minnick and Murtha both add even more depth to a talented Gulls roster with opening day right around the corner. Stay tuned for more Solar Signings as A1 Roofing continues to power the Gulls throughout the off-season and into their title defense this summer.
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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 via summer camps, reading programs, fundraisers, scholarships, and charitable donations – totaling over $1 million since 2001. The Gulls are seven-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, stay tuned to Gulls Social Media and Website
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