YAKIMA, Wash. – Just more than a month away from the start of the 2023 season, the Pippins have added a pair of left-handed hitters — Tommy Eisenstat of Gonzaga and Maxim Fullerton of Regis University — to the roster.

“They are both extremely hard workers,” Pippins skipper Kyle Krustangel said. “These are two guys that I don’t think will just ‘show up.’ We have 8-9 weeks to develop and get better, and we want to see how much better these guys can actually get in that span.

“Both are exceptional players with loads of talent, putting in the work early and often should get them both plenty of looks to be on lineup cards during the summer.”

Eisenstat is in his first full season with Gonzaga. Before that, the Menlo Park, California, native was the Bay Area’s Offensive Player of the Year his senior season in high school. He hit .506 with eight home runs, 45 RBIs, and 15 doubles in 27 games. Eisenstat continued his hitting dominance during his freshman year at a junior college, hitting .331 with three home runs and 34 RBIs.

That led Eisenstat to Gonzaga, where he has been a mainstay in Zags manager Mark Machtolf’s lineup. So far this season, the 6-foot-2 infielder continues to be productive at the plate. He has a .286 average and has appeared in all but two games this season. When talking about his commitment to play for Gonzaga, Eisenstat mentioned the importance of a great environment to play the game he loves.

“I find GU very exciting because of its sense of community within the baseball team and as a whole,” he said. “The baseball team has been a top program in the country the last few years and I’m excited to be a part of that.”

The Regis University Rangers currently sit alone in third in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. A big part of that success this year for the Rangers comes from Fullerton.

Fullerton has been raking — and then some — for Regis. In his sophomore year, the Steamboat Springs, Colorado, native is batting .352 with four home runs and 23 RBIs. This has helped Regis climb to a 13-7 conference record along with an eight-game conference winning streak.

Before playing at Regis, Fullerton spent his freshman season with Northeast Community College. After hitting .488 his senior season of high school, he continued to see the ball well in college, hitting .271 in 39 games for the Hawks. He also added three home runs and 22 RBIs.

The former three-sport star at Steamboat Springs High School is eager to start the next chapter of his baseball career in Yakima this summer.

“For me playing summer ball with the Pippins is a great opportunity,” Fullerton said, “Continuing my growth as a ball player (in Yakima) and enjoying a new state and new stadium in the process.”