IBL's Kitchener Panthers sign quartet of Waterloo Warriors
The Intercounty Baseball League’s Kitchener Panthers have signed four players from the University of Waterloo Warriors. From left to right: Nolan Misa (Markham, Ont.), Spencer Voisin (Kitchener, Ont.), Jayden Kemp, and Carson Hepburn (Newmarket, Ont.) Photo: Waterloo Athletics
May 11, 2024
Official Kitchener Panthers News Release
KITCHENER, Ont. - This year’s edition of the Kitchener Panthers will have a heavy Waterloo Warriors influence.
Nolan Misa, Jayden Kemp, Spencer Voisin and Carson Hepburn, a quartet of players from the local OUA squad have signed on for 2024.
All four were part of Waterloo’s run to the OUA championship final last October, before losing to Toronto in extra innings.
All four bring their own style to the diamond.
Misa, an infielder and Toronto Mets alum, made one appearance for the Panthers in 2022. But it is his performance last fall that has Panthers brass excited. Misa posted a .349 batting average in 16 games, including 15 hits, 14 RBIs and was 10-for-11 stealing bases with the Warriors.
Kemp, another infielder, was one of the best hitters in Canadian university ball last fall, leading the Warriors with a .568 batting average and a .619 on-base percentage in 13 games. He was named an OUA first-team all-star as a designated hitter. A native of the Bahamas, Kemp is a Canadian citizen and counts as a domestic player.
Outfielder Voisin has competed in 20 career IBL games, as a member of the Brantford Red Sox in 2021 and 2023. In 2022, he played for the Brooks Bombers of the Western Canadian League, posting a .238 AVG in 29 games.
Hepburn has been a strikeout artist as a relief pitcher with the Warriors. In 2023, he made five appearances and struck out 13 batters in nine innings of work, walking only two batters in the process. In 2022, he made four starts and recorded a 3.79 ERA in 19 innings. He had 17 strikeouts to seven walks.
The Panthers begin their 105th IBL season at home to the Hamilton Cardinals on Thursday, May 16.