BARNSTORMERS ANNOUNCE FIRST 2 SIGNINGS FOR 2022 SEASON

BARNSTORMERS INK FIRST TWO FOR ‘22

Dugan Returns, Loehr Comes to Lancaster

Lancaster, PA — Signing season for the 2022 Lancaster Barnstormers has begun as returning first baseman Kelly Dugan and new infielder Trace Loehr have inked contracts for the upcoming campaign.

Dugan, 31, is coming off a stellar season in his first year with the Barnstormers.  The lefty first baseman hit a team-leading .326 with 15 homers and 88 RBI in 104 games.  He finished in the top ten in the league in batting average, on-base percentage (.427) and OPS (.968) as well as in the RBI category.

During a 16-game hitting streak, the club’s longest of the season, in August and September, the lefty batted .400 (24-60) with five doubles, five homers and drove in 21 runs batted in.  From July 23 through September 10, the Los Angeles area native knocked home 50 runs in 42 games.  He also topped the club with a .406 average with runners in scoring position.

Immediately prior to his arrival in Lancaster, Dugan had played for former Lancaster manager Butch Hobson with the Chicago Dogs (Rosemont, IL).  He had previously spent seven seasons in the Philadelphia Philles system, reaching Class AAA Lehigh Valley and was with the Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks organizations for one season apiece.

“We are very excited to have Dugan back,” said Peeples.  “He had a very good year for us offensively and got better and better at first base after mostly playing the outfield in his career.  Dugan is a good fit for the middle of our lineup and is the type of player who loves the game and comes to work every day.”

Loehr, 26, is coming to the Atlantic League for the first time, having spent the majority of the 2021 season in the Texas Rangers organization at Class AAA Round Rock and Class AA Frisco, batting a combined .245 in 50 games after beginning the year with a brief stint at Fargo-Moorhead of the American Association.

The native of Milwaukie, Oregon signed with the Oakland A’s as their sixth round draft choice in 2014.  He batted .286 with three homers and 22 RBI for Class A Beloit in 2018.  The following season, he hit .291 with three homers and 40 RBI at Class A+ Stockton.  He was promoted to Class AAA Las Vegas at the end of the campaign, hitting .333 with two homers in 15 games.

“Trace is a guy that can play all over the infield,” said Peeples.  “He loves to compete and is a lefty stick that our ballpark will be friendly to.”

The Barnstormers open their 17^th season of Atlantic League action on Thursday, April 21 at Gastonia, NC and will kick off the home schedule on Friday, April 29 against the archrival York Revolution.

The Lancaster Barnstormers are headed into their eighteenth season as a member of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.  Home games are played at Ballpark Digest’s two-time Best Ballpark in Independent Baseball – Clipper Magazine Stadium in downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Please call 717.509.HITS (4487) or visit www.lancasterbarnstormers.com for more information. 

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