Oakland Ballers Re-Sign Righty Acquired in Big Trade

The Oakland Ballers have been rolling out their roster for the 2025 season in recent weeks, re-signing righty Connor Sullivan, catcher Tyler Lozano, outfielder Tyler Best, and right-hander Connor Richardson. They have even brought in Bay Area sports legend Casey Pratt to serve as the team's Vice President of Communications and Fan Entertainment.

Now it's coming out that the Oakland Ballers are re-signing right-handed pitcher Kyle Pijaszek (pee-AH-zjick) to a contract for the 2025 season. He will attend the club’s upcoming spring training in May.

Pijaszek was a first-time pro in 2024, having only finished his college career at the University of Toledo in May. He signed with the Rocky Mountain Vibes in June and was later acquired by Oakland with Brett Carson and Stephen Wilmer in a blockbuster trade in July with the Vibes.

Pijaszek featured in only six games as an Oakland Baller in the regular season after the trade, but went 2-0 with a 5.26 ERA overall in 2024 in 39.1 innings in 27 games. He picked up a mid-season Pioneer League All-Star 2nd Team Selection while still a member of Rocky Mountain.

Pijaszek finished the year as a the youngest member of the Ballers, being the only 22-year-old on the team. Originally from Grand Blanc, MI, Pijaszek spent all four of his college seasons with the Toledo Rockets, pitching in a total of 67 games with a 4.40 ERA.

As a member of the Ballers, Pijaszek had a bit of an issue with walks, issuing 24 in those 39.1 frames, giving him a 5.5 walks per nine rate, which was a touch above where it had been in college. One part of his game that Oakland is likely hoping to see more of is his strikout rate bumping up to where it was when he was with Toledo.

In his final year of college, Pijaszek struck out 9.7 batters per nine innings, and with the Ballers that rate was cut in half at just 4.8 per nine. He walked more batters (24) than he struck out (21). But he's back for another season in the Pioneer League, which means that the coaching staff has to see something in him.

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.