Burlington Sock Puppets announce 2025 roster

BURLINGTON, NC. – With the 2025 Appalachian League season kicking off, the Burlington Sock Puppets officially announced their roster ahead of Thursday's Opening Night. This year's roster features six returning Sock Puppets from the 2024 roster and 24 D1 players (ten from P4 conferences). The Sock Puppets open the season with a three game homestand, June 5-7, against the Bluefield Ridge Runners, with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. The games feature a magnet giveaway on Thursday, specialty NC Strong jerseys presented by Glen Raven (proceeds benefiting the Salvation Army) and the first Visit Alamance Firework Fridays, with the final game of the homestand having a t-shirt giveaway to the first 1,000 fans presented by Labcorp on Saturday.

Tickets are available at www.gosockpuppets.com.

Pitchers

Ty Bradle – Florida Southern College

Scouting Report: The right-hander comes to Burlington following a strong season with the Mocs, where he emerged as a versatile weapon out of the bullpen and helped the Mocs host their first regional since 2018. The rising junior averaged more than 10 strikeouts per nine innings last season.

Haldon Craig – Cal State - Bakersfield

Scouting Report: The Victoria, British Columbia, native capped his redshirt-junior season with a strong finish, allowing just one run over his final five appearances. The 6-foot-3 right-hander began his college career at the University of Victoria before spending two seasons at Doane University, where he helped lead the Tigers to a pair of national tournament appearances.

Jack Feehery – Duke

Scouting Report: The freshman stays in the Tar Heel State after spending his first year in Durham with Duke. A left-hander, he averaged 1.25 strikeouts per inning at the prestigious Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., where he was ranked the No. 1 overall prospect in the area. After a season with a Blue Devils squad that reached the NCAA Tournament, Feehery brings postseason experience to Sockville.

Mekai Griffin – North Carolina A&T

Scouting Report: The Lady Lake, Florida, native finished his freshman season on a high note, allowing no runs and just one hit over his final 4.2 innings. The right-hander gained valuable experience as an underclassman, logging 16.2 innings in his debut campaign.

Jack Hedrick – Duke

Scouting Report: The Charlotte native heads from the Queen City to Sockville after one season at Duke. The Blue Devils turned to the right-hander against high-level competition, including appearances against Cincinnati, Northwestern, and in ACC play against California, where he served as a long reliever.

Ryan Hench – North Carolina

Scouting Report: After last summer in the Sock Puppet threads, Hench gained ACC experience last season with a clean 1-2-3 inning against Stanford, including a strikeout. Now, he enters postseason play with a Tar Heels team that earned the No. 5 national seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament after winning its first ACC title since 2022.

Hunter Howard – Radford

Scouting Report: Howard faced top-tier competition with an appearance against Tennessee in March and earned his first career win later that month against UNC Greensboro, tossing two scoreless, hitless innings with a strikeout. The freshman was a key piece of the Highlanders’ bullpen in his debut season, allowing just three extra-base hits over 12 innings.

Jason Johnson – Bryant & Stratton JC

Scouting Report: Johnson transitioned from the bullpen to a starting role at Bryant & Stratton, where he thrived. The right-hander features a four-pitch mix and plenty of swing-and-miss stuff, racking up 64 strikeouts in just 49 innings as a sophomore.

Tate Jones – East Tennessee State

Scouting Report: The hometown kid is heading to the NCAA Tournament with ETSU, part of a Bucs squad making its first appearance since 2013. Jones came out of the bullpen against No. 7 Georgia and kept the Bulldogs quiet, retiring two batters to keep ETSU within reach. He’s also shown he can go the distance, recording 15 complete games in high school at Walter M. Williams.

Gabe Magallan – Biola

Scouting Report: Magallan is back in Sockville for year two after showing his versatility on the mound for Biola. As a sophomore, the right-hander led the Eagles with seven saves and allowed no more than one earned run in over 80% of his appearances. He transitioned to a starting role as a junior, logging more than 61 innings and recording a career-high seven strikeouts against Chaminade.

Chris Massey – Central Missouri

Scouting Report: After spending last summer in Burlington, the sophomore was a bullpen staple for Central Missouri, appearing in 20 games and pitching 33.2 innings. The southpaw averaged 1.4 strikeouts per inning for a Mules squad that won more than 40 games and advanced to the NCAA Division II College World Series.

Tony Neubeck – Missouri

Scouting Report: Neubeck brings an abundance of experience to the Burlington pitching staff. The lefty from Minnesota has accumulated over 90 innings in the SEC while totaling more than 100 strikeouts and 31 appearances. This season, Neubeck started four games and averaged nearly a strikeout per inning.

Hector Noriega – Bryant & Stratton

Scouting Report: Noriega appeared in 19 games this season for Bryant & Stratton, collecting four wins and 42 strikeouts as a freshman. The Panama native also recorded seven scoreless outings.

Jobe Olson – Coppin State

Scouting Report: Olson returns for his second year in Sockville after a strong debut season with Burlington in 2024. The Coppin State right-hander posted a 3.32 ERA over 21.2 innings out of the bullpen The Golden State native made a solid impact recording 30 strikeouts for the Eagles this season.

Connor Osier – Houston

Scouting Report: The Rochester, New York, native wrapped up his freshman season with a few appearances for the Cougars. The right-hander allowed no extra-base hits and issued just one walk all year. In high school, Osier was a four-time first-team all-county selection.

Camron Poe – Georgetown

Scouting Report: Poe entered college with a standout high school résumé as a top-10 prospect in Missouri. The left-hander was a top performer in the MLB Dream Series, participating four times. After graduating from Christian Brothers College, Poe aims to carry his strong summer momentum into his second year with the Hoyas.

Andrew Steinhaus – Radford

Scouting Report: The righty is back in the 336 after being a workhorse for the Highlanders in his sophomore season, pitching 56.2 innings. He allowed just three hits over his final six outings, helping Radford secure a five-game winning streak in games he appeared in.

Catchers

Brian Carrothers – St. Bonnaventure

Scouting Report: Carrothers posted three multi-hit games during his freshman season with the Bonnies. The backstop showed power, hitting a double and a home run in his first year. The New York native had a .507 on-base percentage his senior year at Christian Brothers Academy.

Sam Laux – Millersville

Scouting Report: Laux hit .260 this season for Millersville, a team that notched 44 wins and captured the PSAC title. The Pennsylvania native started 31 games and recorded hits in eight of his last 11 contests. Defensively, Laux threw out six runners in 2025.

Avery Smith – Penn State

Scouting Report: The Penn State commit will join Sockville before heading to the Nittany Lions. Smith led Pennsylvania with a slugging percentage of 1.083, showing power with five home runs for the Perkiomen School as a rising freshman

Infielders

Caiden Combs – Auburn

Scouting Report: Combs is set to join War Eagle this fall for his freshman season after a standout career at Gardendale High School. The first baseman earned Jefferson County Player of the Year honors for the second consecutive year.

Orlando Fernandez – New Orleans

Scouting Report: Fernandez joined the Privateers after a standout career at South Fort Myers High School. The freshman earned MVP and first-team All-Area honors in his senior year and was named the school’s Athlete of the Year. In his first season at New Orleans, Fernandez helped the Privateers reach the Southland Championship Series.

DJ Merriweather – Austin Peay

Scouting Report: The utility man from Clarksville, Tennessee, finished his freshman year strong on the mound, at the plate, and in the field. The southpaw struck out 18 batters in 15.2 innings, allowing zero earned runs over his final 6.1 innings. Offensively, Merriweather showed a blend of speed and power, totaling three extra-base hits in just 18 at-bats. Defensively, he was flawless, committing no errors all season.

Jeter Polledo – Bethune-Cookman

Scouting Report: Polledo was a mainstay in the Wildcats’ lineup, making 48 starts as a redshirt freshman. The infielder from Hialeah, Florida, hit .329 with 22 extra-base hits and drove in 48 runs. Polledo is also a threat on the bases, stealing at a 70% success rate for Bethune-Cookman.

Brayden Smith – Oklahoma State

Scouting Report: Smith and the Cowboys are on the road to Omaha, with the Omaha, Nebraska native playing a key role in OSU’s journey. Smith hit .312 this season, starting 49 games and blasting 11 home runs.

Dusty Vela – Winthrop

Scouting Report: Vela hit .312 this season as a staple in the Eagles’ lineup. The California native tore through a stretch in March with hits in nine of 10 games. He showed elite plate discipline with a .440 on-base percentage and struck out just 16 times.

Outfielders

Zach Jackson – Duke

Scouting Report: Jackson collected hits in half of his at-bats this season as a freshman for the Blue Devils, appearing in 14 games. The Peach State native hit .370 with 15 home runs at Holy Innocents Episcopal, batting left-handed. Jackson is also a safety with Duke’s football program.

Chancellor Jennngs – Winthrop

Scouting Report: Jennings started the season strong for the Eagles, collecting five hits in his first three games. The sophomore finished hitting .375 with a .474 on-base percentage. Once on base, he stole three bases without being caught.

Wade Shelley – Auburn

Scouting Report: Shelley heads to Auburn this fall after a strong season at Headland High, helping the team to its first 20-win season since 2022. The right-handed hitter is a top-10 prospect in Alabama.

Bromley Thornton – UNC-Wilmington

Scouting Report: Thornton is back in the Burlington threads after a strong sophomore season as a utility player for the Seahawks. The right-hander struck out 16 batters in 16.1 innings, appearing in 10 games on the mound and making four starts for UNC-W. Offensively, he hit .267 with extra-base power and drove in 11 runs.