Cipriano Highlights New Offensive Additions to Pippins Roster

YAKIMA, Wash. – Montana State Billings’ Daniel Cipriano, the 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year, highlights the newest group of position players added to the 2019 Yakima Valley Pippins roster, head coach Marcus McKimmy announced Tuesday.

A transfer from Moorpark College in California, Cipriano made an immediate impact for the Yellowjackets in his first year on campus, capturing the GNAC Triple Crown after leading the league in batting average (.405), home runs (18), and RBIs (52). He also set a school record by reaching base in 41 consecutive games between February and May.

The 6-foot-3, 245-pound right-handed hitting Cipriano is a native of Agoura Hills, California, northwest of Los Angeles. An infielder, he was also named the GNAC Newcomer of the Year, and was a unanimous 1st team All-GNAC selection.

Joining Cipriano on the Pippins’ roster of position players this summer is catcher Spencer Bramwell, and infielders Owen Cobb and Connor Gurnik.

Bramwell, a 5-foot-11, 210-pound right-handed hitter, joins James Bell and Korrey Siracusa as catchers for the Pippins this summer. After playing sparingly as a freshman, he has had a breakout sophomore season as the Maverick’s everyday catcher. Entering play of Colorado Mesa’s NCAA D2 Super Regional against Angelo State this upcoming weekend, Bramwell, a native of San Clemente, California, leads the team with a .383 batting average to go with 11 doubles, 7 homers, and 44 RBIs.

Cobb, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound right-handed hitter, will join the Pippins this summer before he begins his freshman year at Stanford this fall, where he will be teammates with fellow 2019 Pippin Henry Gargus. Cobb attends Garfield High School in Seattle, where he was named a second-team All-USA Washington as a junior in 2018.

Gurnik, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound right-handed hitter, will play his second season in the West Coast League this summer, and his first with the Pippins. A redshirt freshman at Cal Poly, the Naperville, Illinois native has seen consistent playing time on the infield after taking a redshirt year in 2018. Gurnik played for the Kelowna Falcons during the summer of 2017, appearing in 21 games.

 

By Miles Klotz

May 21, 2019