Six Players From Astros 2024 Signing Class Join Woodpeckers

Fayetteville, NC - The Fayetteville Woodpeckers, in conjunction with the Houston Astros, have made a series of roster moves on Tuesday, adding six position players from the Houston Astros 2024 signing class to the active roster. The group includes infielders Trevor Austin, Max Holy, Caden Powell and Drew Vogel, along with outfielder Lucas Spence and catcher Jason Schiavone.

Austin signed as an undrafted free agent with the Astros out of Mizzou where he batted .297 with 13 HR and 33 RBI over the 2024 college season. The Jefferson City, Missouri native led Tigers in average (.297), home runs (13), hits (57), runs scored (51), doubles (11), walks (27), total bases (109), slugging percentage (.568), and on-base percentage (.433).

Holy signed as an undrafted free agent out of Central Missouri, the alma mater of both Woodpeckers manager Ricky Rivera and Astros owner Jim Crane. In 2024 with the Mules he slashed .365/.478/.659 with 14 HR and 75 RBI, plus stole a team-high 33 bases in 35 attempts. The Clinton, Iowa native helped lead CMU to top seed in the Division II College World Series.

Powell was drafted in the sixth round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Astros out of Seminole State, becoming the first player taken out of the program since 2019. He was named 2024 NJCAA DI Baseball Player of the Year after batting .502 with 32 home runs and 104 runs batted in, led the nation in HR, RBI, and SLG%. The Clinton, Oklahoma native was signed to continue his college career at Oklahoma State before going pro.

Vogel was drafted in the 15th round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Astros out of Murray State after hitting 20 home runs this season for Racers, two shy of the single-season program record. He was named to the All-MVC First Team, finishing top five in OBP (.441), runs (62), hits (77), RBIs (61), and total bases (153). Vogel is originally from White House, Tennessee.

Spence signed as an undrafted free agent out of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and was a two-way player with SIUE. He batted .385 with five home runs and 36 RBIs in addition to tossing 18.2 innings on the mound. Prior to SIUE, Spence played at Black Hawk College in Moline, Illinois and hit .380 with five home runs and 54 RBIs as a sophomore. He is originally from Beecher, Illinois.

Schiavone was drafted in the 11th round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of James Madison University, one of three Dukes selected this year. Over this college season Schiavone slashed .284/.400/.620 with 18 HR and 51 RBI. He helped lead the Dukes to a regional final and was on the Buster Posey Catcher of the Year Watch List. Shiavone is originally from Laytonsville, Maryland.

Fayetteville’s new-look lineup takes to the diamond at Segra Stadium this week, playing host to the Lynchburg Hillcats for a six-game series.