THREE PLAYERS, ONE COACH

Stormers to Appear in World Baseball Classic

The Lancaster Stormers will be well represented in the World Baseball Classic which will get underway in four cities around the globe beginning next week.

Two of last year’s biggest stars in Lancaster will be taking the field representing countries outside of the US.  Noah Skirrow, the defending Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year, will be on Team Canada for the second time.  The right-hander from the Toronto suburbs threw five shutout innings in the 2023 WBC in a contest against Colombia.  He went 15-3 for the Stormers in 2025, logging the most wins by a Stormer in 12 years.  The former Phillie farmhand

Third baseman Nick Ward, the first Stormer in 10 years to reach 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in one season, will represent Great Britain in the WBC.  Ward, whose mother hails from England, hit .329 and drove in 84 runs for the Lancaster in 2025, his ninth professional season.  He also represented Great Britain in the European Baseball Championships last fall.

New York Mets reliever Huascar Brazoban, who pitched for the Stormers in 2018, will pitch for his native Dominican Republic.  The right-hander has appeared in 168 Major League games, going 12-8 with two saves and a 3.57 ERA, over the past four seasons with the Miami Marlins and the Mets.  As a Stormer, he was 2-4 with four saves and a 1.99 ERA during the 2018 season.  He also pitched for High Point in 2021.

Blake Gailen, the Lancaster franchise’s all-time leader in several offensive categories, including home runs with 117, returns to the WBC, this time as a coach for Team Israel, for whom he has previously played in the global tourney.  Gailen, now 40, is presently the hitting coach for the LA Dodgers Class AA farm club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In addition to these four, Oscar De La Cruz, the MVP of the 2022 ALPB Championship Series, is slated to appear for the Dominican Republic in their pre-tournament tuneups against the Detroit Tigers, March 3 and 4.