February 3, 2015 – As the 2015 Texas Collegiate League season draws near, the Victoria Generals continue to add players that will help them on their quest for another league championship. This week, the Generals have announced the addition of four players from The University of Texas at San Antonio. Nolan Trabanino, C.J. Pickering and Aaron Burns will return from the 2014 squad and Skyler Valentine will join the trio as the Generals continue their partnership with UTSA.
“We’re excited for the return of these players as they really proved their potential with us last Summer,” commented Mike Yokum, vice president and general manager for the Generals. “UTSA was the first team to reach out to us as we began to build our team and we expect them to be even better ball players with another season under their belt.”
Nolan Trabanino, a junior 6'-4" left-handed pitcher, was with the Generals for a short period to start the season going 2-1 with a 4.23 ERA in 17 innings. Trabanino made three starts for the team before having his Summer cut short due to a heavy workload in the Spring. For the Roadrunners in 2014, Trabanino was the team leader in wins (9) as he went 9-3 with a 2.43 ERA in 81.1 innings.
Trabanino, a native of Friendswood, Texas, has had a stellar career thus far at UTSA as he came out of the gates fast as a freshman where he was second on the team in innings pitched with 74 innings and compiled a record of 4-3 with a 4.38 ERA. Trabanino attended Clear Brook High School in Friendswood where he posted a 4-3 record as a senior with a 0.81 ERA with 86 strikeouts in 69.2 innings pitched.
Aaron Burns, a junior transfer from Temple College, was a late season acquisition for the Generals last season where he was stellar in two appearances in the post season. In his first appearance as a General, Burns came in relief in game 1 of the Championship series where he would allow no runs while striking out five in two innings of work. In the final Championship game, Burns would make another relief appearance where he would again not give up any runs in an inning of work.
Burns, a 6'-4" right handed pitcher, had a fine 2014 season for Temple making 14 appearances (12 starts) going 8-1 with six complete games. In 74.2 innings of work, Burns compiled a 2.65 ERA with 39 strikeouts and only 15 walks.
C.J. Pickering, a 6'-2" sophomore infielder, has a solid finish for the Generals last season as he led the team in hitting in the final month of the season. Pickering got off to a slow start but caught fire and help lead the team to the Championship series with clutch hitting down the stretch. Pickering finished up the season hitting .225 in 38 games with six doubles and a home run to go along with 12 RBI's. In the post season, Pickering was second on the team with a .364 batting average in four post season games.
As a freshman at UTSA, Pickering had a solid season starting in 60 of 61 games as a freshman and was solid defensively with a .970 fielding percentage. As a senior in High School, Pickering led his team with a .472 batting average with five home runs and was a Greater Houston Area All-Star selection. More impressive was his 4.4 GPA which earned him a National AP scholar and received the HISD Board of Education Award.
Skyler Valentine, a freshman from Pearland, Texas, will join this group of veterans this summer for the Generals. Valentine, an infielder from Pearland High School, finished up his senior season with a .450 batting average where he helped to lead his team to the State Playoffs.
"It is great to begin the season with a group of proven guys as a foundation as you build your team, " stated Yokum. " They will be great leaders for the younger players that may be playing their first year of Summer ball here in Victoria."
The Generals will begin their season on May 28, 2015 on the road against the Acadiana Cane Cutters in Lafayette, LA. The Generals will return home for their home opener on May 30, as they seek revenge against the Brazos Valley Bombers at 7:05pm at Riverside Stadium. Season tickets for all 30 of the Generals home games this season are on sale now. Fans can buy season tickets and team merchandise at the Generals team store located at 1307 East Airline Road, Suite H in the Town & Country Shopping Center, online at www.victoriagenerals.com, or by calling 361-485-9522.
