By Michael DiStefano

Canadian Baseball Network

Still six months away from its inaugural season in the Intercounty Baseball League, the Welland Jackfish have started making moves.

The first official signing made by the Jackfish was former IBL All-Star Vaughn Bryan last week. The 25-year-old outfielder had a .333 batting average last season with three homers and 15 RBI as a member of the Burlington Heard.

Jackfish general manager Jason McKay believes Bryan has five-tool potential in the IBL.

“Vaughn’s arm strength and fielding is what made him an “AA” professional centre fielder and being able to hit for average and power from both sides of the plate is what makes him even more of a threat,” McKay said in a press release.

Before joining the Heard last season, Bryan spent the previous four years in the St. Louis Cardinals organization eventually reaching the double-A level in 2017 but was let go after that season.

The next major signing made by the team was former Blue Jays prospect and Burlington, Ont., native Mattingly Romanin.

The 25-year-old infielder was a 39th round draft pick of the Jays back in 2015. Romanin spent three years in Toronto’s system before a cup of coffee with the Quebec Capitales of the independent Can-Am League last season.

The Canuck’s bat was never his best attribute, rather Romanin turned heads with his defensive tools posting a .966 career fielding percentage across Rookie, low-A, and high-A baseball. His stout defensive game and unwavering leadership are what excites the Jackfish.

“Mattingly is a player that we wanted to secure because he was a professional level shortstop and catcher with the Blue Jays organization,” said McKay. “Mattingly was always a leader amongst his peers, he has a unparalleled work ethic that helped him get to the levels he did, we are thrilled to have him apart of this new era of Welland baseball.”

The Jackfish made a pair of key signings this week to round out part of their coaching staff.

Brian Essery was announced as the team’s field manager, with Niagara native Ricky Pillitteri serving as his assistant for 2019.

Essery has a history with professional baseball and is extremely experienced in the local baseball circuit.

"Brian brings a professional atmosphere with him to the Jackfish along with a familiarity of this area and community" McKay stated in a press release. "He has played and coached at multiple levels of baseball, which our players can learn from. He will bring an atmosphere of professionalism, and most importantly, a winning attitude to the clubhouse."

Essery played three professional seasons, including a five-year stint on the Great Britain National Team. He later transitioned to a coaching role with the team and also served as the director of recruiting.

As for his local success, Essery played for the Niagara Expos Senior Baseball Club, leading to a call to the Metros hall-of-fame, and most recently served as an assistant on the staff.

There is still a lot of work to do before the Jackfish toss their first pitch next May, but the franchise has had a busy couple of weeks and is starting to form a good nucleus for their ball club.

Notes:

The Intercounty Baseball League has a strong 100+ year history.

This one-of-a-kind baseball league has franchises in eight different cities throughout Ontario (Barrie Baycats, Hamilton Cardinals, London Majors, Toronto Maple Leafs, Kitchener Panthers, Brantford Red Sox, and the Guelph Royals).

The league brings in talent from all over the world. International players, NCAA athletes, Usports athletes, local players, former and current minor leaguers and ex-professionals from the major leagues make up the leagues rosters.

The Welland Jackfish will be playing out of Welland Stadium. The ballpark currently seats 2,500 fans.