Oakland Ballers Re-Sign Fan Favorite and Former USC Catcher

The Oakland Ballers have begun announcing their roster for the start of the 2025 Pioneer League season, and the first two that have been unveiled are both players that were with the club in its inaugural campaign. The Ballers began the week by announcing the return of the "Slim Reaper," Connor Sullivan.

Their most recent re-signing is catcher Tyler Lozano, or "T-Lo."

ohhhhhhh, Ty-ler Lo-zaaaaa-no -- he's back for 2025! pic.twitter.com/1xopIRv6zS
— Oakland Ballers (@OaklandBallers) January 17, 2025

Lozano, a Stockton native, quickly became a fan favorite at Raimondi Park in 2024. He made the most
starts behind the plate among Ballers catchers, and in his 48 games he batted .231 with 4 HR and 27
RBI. In Oakland’s three-game playoff series, Lozano had a solo home run and caught a shutout in the two games he started.

VP of Baseball Operations and former Seattle Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu said of bringing Lozano back, "Tyler really made some big strides over last season and I was impressed by his leadership qualities, which is something you have to have as a catcher.

"He was a first time professional and the way he handled himself particularly with an in-season injury shows the resilience he has. Those are all the types of things you need if you want to move up and have a long career and I’m excited to see him continue that this season.”

Wakamatsu is a former catcher himself, playing in 18 games in the big leagues with the Chicago White Sox in 1991, but he also spent 12 years playing in the minor leagues from 1985-1996.

Lozano spent four seasons at USC, including the 2020 campaign which consisted of just 15 games for the backstop. He transferred to Creighton as a graduate student in 2023 and had his best offensive season, batting .268 with a .348 OBP and 40 RBI in 47 games. His career high in homers, 12, came in 2022 with USC after he'd hit just one the previous three seasons combined.

T-Lo is coming back to Oakland! The Stockton kid will suit up for the Ballers again in 2025 after his first pro year behind the plate. Tyler Lozano had the most starts of any catcher last year and was a fan favorite during the season. Welcome back T-Lo! @Tyler_lozano_11 pic.twitter.com/9I6K8uBalY
— Oakland Ballers (@OaklandBallers) January 16, 2025

The Oakland Ballers season begins on May 20 at home against the Ogden Raptors. In fact, the Ballers will be home for the first two series of the season, so they will be at Raimondi Park from May 20-June 1, with Monday, May 26 as the only off-day.

The team is currently offering a "Ballers Love Bundle" for Valentine's Day, which includes two flex tickets, two special t-shirts, and two Valentine's Day cards. The first 50 people to buy the pack will also get a four-pack of Almanac Ballers Love Hazy IPA.

The Ballers will continue to announce roster additions in the coming weeks as they build up for the 2025 campaign. The initial group of announcements is expected to be the players that will be re-signing, followed by the new additions to the roster.