Chanclas Load Up on Local Talent

San Antonio, TX – The Flying Chanclas de San Antonio announced today four more signings, all with deep local ties, for the upcoming 2020 Texas Collegiate League season.

McDonald, currently at Mississippi State University, is well known in San Antonio for his tremendous career at Antonian College Preparatory High School. The speedy outfielder lettered four times and led the Apaches to four straight District and Area titles. A well-rounded athlete, McDonald also lettered four times in football and three times in track and field.

Joining McDonald in the San Antonio outfield during TCL play will be Jordan Thompson. A former star at Boerne-Champion, Thompson had a highly productive 2020 season at Grayson College (Denison, TX), batting .435 (27-for-62) with six doubles, two triples, five homers and 21 RBI in 19 games. Shortly after the completion of the season, Thompson announced his intentions to continue his college career at Texas A&M University.

Tyler LaRue fills one of the catcher spots on the Chanclas roster. LaRue, son of former big leaguer and Smithson Valley alum Jason LaRue, was a 2019 graduate of Blanco High School. He was selected by Washington in the 38th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, but opted to attend Rice University, where he played in 10 games this season. LaRue will continue his career at Grayson next fall.

Jaime Ramirez Jr., a Holy Cross of San Antonio graduate, will be added to the Chanclas pitching depth. The southpaw pitched to a 3.21 ERA in seven games this season for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, striking out 18 in just 14 innings of work. Seven of those punchouts came in a March 7 contest against the University of the Incarnate Word.

The Flying Chanclas full roster will be announced early next week.

San Antonio will open the 2020 TCL season in Amarillo with a three-game set from June 30-July 2. The club’s home opener is slated for Friday, July 3 vs. Acadiana.

Social distancing protocols will be in effect during all games at The Wolff. For more information on Wolff Stadium’s COVID-19 Readiness Plan and protocols, click https://bit.ly/2BRnd40.

Fans can purchase TCL tickets at www.samissions.com or at the Wolff Stadium Box Office. For TCL questions or more information, please call 210-675-7275.

ABOUT THE TEXAS COLLEGIATE LEAGUE

The TCL is currently represented by 250-plus players from 91 different colleges and universities. Some of the more nationally-recognized schools sending their standouts to the TCL include Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Cal State Fullerton, Dallas Baptist, Houston, Long Beach State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oral Roberts, Pacific, Rice, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas-Arlington, Texas State, Texas Tech, and Wichita State, among others.

The formation of the Texas Collegiate League was announced on September 24, 2003. The league is owned and operated by the Haddock Foundation, a section 501(c)3 organization. Gerald Haddock, a minority owner and General Counsel of the Texas Rangers from 1989-98 and a passionate baseball fan, became the league's Chair and CEO. Since the league was established, 88 alumni with ties to the Texas Collegiate League have been drafted by Major League teams or signed by professional independent baseball squads. Notable alumni include Paul Goldschmidt, Hunter Pence, Jake Arrieta, Matt Carpenter, Chris Davis and Brandon Belt.

The Texas Collegiate League exists to provide the best summer league experience for the best professional prospects from colleges throughout the country. The league will allow those players with eligibility remaining to showcase and improve their skills in a wholesome, minor league-type atmosphere using wooden bats. The league is committed to providing quality, inexpensive entertainment in a small-town, intimate atmosphere that is distinctively Texan, while helping promote the game of baseball in the communities involved. For more information, visit www.texascollegiateleague.com.

The league comprises 10 total teams made up of active college players (rising sophomores to seniors) from different colleges and universities across the nation. Four teams already affiliated with the TCL include the Acadiana Cane Cutters (Lafayette, LA), Brazos Valley Bombers (Bryan-College Station, TX), Texarkana (TX) Twins and Victoria (TX) Generals. Joining the league in 2020 are five MiLB organizations, including Double-A Amarillo (two teams), Frisco and Tulsa, and Triple-A Round Rock and San Antonio.