Ottawa Titans sign Sonnier, Burica

The Ottawa Titans have signed right-handed pitcher Gavin Sonnier. Photo: Ottawa Titans

February 10, 2022

By Davide Disipio

Ottawa Titans

Ottawa, Ont. - The Ottawa Titans have signed right-handed pitcher Gavin Sonnier and left-handed pitcher Chris Burica for the 2022 Frontier League season.

Sonnier, 24, puts pen to paper with the Titans after being acquired in a trade from the Sussex County Miners.

The Kinder, La., native went 5-2 with a 3.90 ERA in 57 2/3 innings, striking out 29 in his first professional season with the Miners in 2021.

After starting his collegiate career at McNeese State University (Lake Charles, La.), Sonnier transferred to Louisiana State University-Alexandria (Alexandria, La.) in 2019. A career 6-5 in 108 innings across 43 appearances in college, Sonnier finished with a .198 opponents’ batting average in his senior season in 2020.

The Ottawa Titans have signed left-hander Chris Burica. Photo: Ottawa Titans

Burica, 24, appeared in 10 games (five starts, five in relief) in 2021 under Bobby Brown with the Pioneer League-champion Missoula PaddleHeads.

A native of Anaheim, Calif., Burica pitched to a 1-3 record with a 9.09 ERA in 32 2/3 innings this past season. The southpaw tossed five seasons of collegiate baseball with Creighton University (Omaha, Nebraska) and California Baptist University (Riverside, California).

The 6-foot-6-inch lefty was acquired earlier this offseason from Missoula alongside C Zach Almond, INF Clay Fisher, INF Nick Gatewood, and INF AJ Wright.

Also, the Titans have acquired INF David Maberry from the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League in exchange for LHP Logan Lyle.

Further, the club has traded INF Kevin Rolon to the Sussex County Miners in exchange for future considerations.

The Ottawa Titans are scheduled to hit the field in late spring playing in the Frontier League, a partner league of Major League Baseball.