WELLAND - The Welland Jackfish, members of the Intercounty Baseball League (IBL), are pleased to announce the signing of Mattingly Romanin for the 2019 season.

Romanin, 25, joins the Jackfish after being selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 39th round of the 2015 MLB Draft. Spending the 2018 season with the Burlington Herd, Mattingly would quickly become a defensive powerhouse at short stop. In 128 at bats, Mattingly would six doubles, two home runs and eleven RBI. Splitting the 2017 season with the Blue Jays’ Single-A affiliate clubs the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League and the Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League, Romanin collected 36 hits, 13 doubles, 17 RBI, and two stolen bases over 57 games played, winning the Northwest League Championship with Vancouver.

“Mattingly is a player that we wanted to secure because he was a professional level short stop and catcher with the Blue Jays organization” said Jackfish General Manager Jason McKay. “Mattingly was always a leader amongst his peers, he has a un paralleled work ethic that helped him get to the levels he did, we are thrilled to have him apart of this new era of Welland baseball.”

The Burlington, ON product graduated from Notre Dame High School in Burlington and spent time with the Ontario Terriers before committing to Chicago State University. In his time at the NCAA Division-1 school from 2012-15, Romanin became the team’s all-time leader in hits (224), RBI (118), and doubles (41), while also earning 2013 All-GWC (Great West Conference) First Team and 2014 All-WAC (Western Athletic Conference) Second Team All-Star honours.

Slated to primarily play shortstop for the Jackfish, the 5-foot-10, right-handed infielder returns to the IBL for his fourth season. In his previous appearances in the league, Romanin had a .304 AVG while registering 17 hits, three doubles, six RBI, and 14 runs scored over 15 total games played.

The Welland Jackfish take to the field at Welland Stadium in May 2019. Season Memberships are now on sale for as low as $5 per ticket. To purchase visit www.wellandjackfish.com.

The Welland Jackfish are a member of Ontario's most elite baseball league, the Intercounty Baseball League. The 100-year old summer league is one of the oldest baseball leagues in the world, with the league established in 1919, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. For more information, visit www.wellandjackfish.com or follow the Jackfish on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @wellandjackfish