Roster Total Increased to Eleven
The Lancaster Stormers have added former Detroit Tigers farmhand Cole Patten and collegiate catcher Evan Ulrich to contracts for the 2026 season, it was announced today by manager Ross Peeples.
They become the tenth and 11th players under contract for the upcoming campaign.
Patten, 26, joins the Stormers for the first time. The right-hander from New Jersey was Detroit’s 17th round draft choice in 2022. He appeared in 28 games, including nine starts, over his three seasons in the Tigers organization, posting a 2-5 record with one save. The right-hander fanned 79 and walked only 25 in 78.1 career innings.
He made seven appearances with the Frontier League’s New York Boulders in 2025.
Patten spent three years at Seton Hall and one at Villanova prior to being drafted.
“Cole is a guy who will start off in the pen,” said Peeples. “We liked what we saw from him, and we are looking forward to seeing what he can do here.”
Ulrich, 24, was a catcher and first baseman for the University of Charleston (WV) over the last four seasons. He hit .313 for his career with 14 homers and 81 RBI. The Ohio native saved his best campaign for last, hitting .362 with six homers and 28 RBI as a senior, carrying a .998 OPS for the 2025 season. Ulrich also threw out 38%
He has been serving as a graduate assistant coach for the Golden Eagles program while pursuing Master’s Degrees in Strategic Leadership and Business/Data Analytics.
“Evan is young, but he put up good numbers in college,” added Peeples. “He appears to be good defensively from what we have seen and takes pride in his craft.”
The Stormers open their 2026 season at York on Tuesday, April 21. Three days later, the club opens its home schedule against the Long Island Ducks at 6:45.