FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                             Contact: Tom Lima

July 22nd, 2025                                                          Director of Media and Broadcast Operations

                                                                                   By Matt Benestad- Analyst

                                                                                    (401) 824-6314 - broadcast@newportgulls.com

One of the key phrases in the NECBL is “Keeping your eyes on the dream.” Every collegiate baseball player has the dream of getting their name called on draft day and making  it to the top of the baseball world. This past week six former Gulls dreams came true as they heard their name called on draft day. 

Getting called on draft day is a very special event that only happens to a select few. To achieve this accomplishment, it takes many successes and failures and lots of challenges along the way. Baseball is a tough sport and it is a game of failure. There are so many little things that could happen in this game and players need to overcome all of them to get to the top and get their name called at the draft. For these former Gulls, they did not just get their name called because they play baseball, they got their name called for specific reasons. Those reasons could be about their work ethic, a special thing that they did in their career, or it could be something else that a Major League team sees in the players. Each and every player gets drafted because of something that is seen by teams that they like and think the player can bring to that team. 

These former Newport Gulls got their name called for one of those specific reasons. 

The first former Gull that was drafted was left handed pitcher JD Thompson. Thompson is out of Vanderbilt University and was on the Newport Gulls team during the magical summer of 2023 being part of the championship team. JD pitched for Vanderbilt for three years and had high praise from his head coach Tim Corbin. Corbin was asked about Thompson and he said that “JD is a winning ball player who has learned how to navigate early challenges in his life and grow in the most responsive way. He is a bulldog and will help lead our staff this year.” Thompson got the ball and delivered whenever the team needed something big on the mound and was both a reliable starter and bullpen arm. 

Thompson played for the Gulls after his Freshman season at Vanderbilt where he threw 22 innings with 23 strikeouts for the Commodores, which led him to Newport for the summer. His success at Vanderbilt continued for the Gulls as he was named Pitcher of the Week once and was up there with the number of strikeouts he threw that 2023 summer. 

JD Thompson was drafted in the second round and picked number 59 to the Milwaukee Brewers in this year's MLB Draft. 

The next former Gull is Caleb Leys out of the University of Maine. Leys was the hometown hero from Middletown, Rhode Island when playing for the Gulls in the summer of 2023 where he was on that championship team and the same pitching rotation as Thompson. Leys has gone through the ups and downs throughout his baseball career as he battled injuries and obstacles but persevered through all of them to make it to this moment of hearing his name called. 

Leys, a strong left handed pitcher from Maine, continued that here in Newport for the Gulls in 2023 and made it to the top as Caleb Leys was drafted this past weekend in the fourth round and picked 129 to the Detroit Tigers in the 2025 MLB draft. 

The next former Gull to be drafted this year is 2024 Newport Gull and player at East Carolina, Dixon Williams. 

Dixon Williams, an infielder out of East Carolina and a member of the 2024 Newport Gulls, was drafted to the Atlanta Braves in the fourth round, pick number 136 in this year's draft. 

Williams was a huge player for the Gulls last summer as he played a huge role in Game 3 of the championship series, helping Newport to a walk off win in extra innings that game. Dixon was one of the key players on this championship team that really stepped up for the Gulls the entire 2024 summer. 

Williams’ power and skill was not just on the Gulls as he showed his promise on the field with East Carolina both with his bat and with his glove. He was an over .300 hitter in college and played very consistently throughout his years as a Pirate. 

With the skill that Dixon Williams showed both at East Carolina and in Newport, it paid off when he got drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 4th round this summer. 

The next former Newport Gull is Slate Alford, from the University of Georgia and was part of the Gulls during the summer of 2023. Alford, the former Bulldog and Gull was drafted in the 9th round and picked 263 to the Los Angeles Angels. No matter what round or pick a player is, every player gets chosen and drafted for a specific reason and has earned their way to that position and that level in their amazing careers. This is no different with Alford. Alford has had a fantastic career with the Georgia Bulldogs over the last few years as he posted a .314 career average and played in all of the 120 games there. The work ethic and skill shown by Alford is what got the Angels to give him that call on draft day. 

That skill and power did not happen only for the Bulldogs, it made its way to Cardines Field and Alford definitely used it to help bring home a championship for the Gulls in 2023. Alford was a man with many talents whether it was on the field or off of it. He was the starting quarterback for his high school football team but made the decision that baseball was going to be his sport and that was the right choice and it all paid off when that phone rang on draft day. 

Slate Alford, out of Georgia and the 2023 Newport Gulls was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in the 9th round in the 2025 MLB draft. 

The next Gull in the Pro is Chase Renner, the 2022 Newport Gull and a member of the Penn State Nittany Lions baseball program. Renner, the pitcher out of Penn State, had a sub 3 ERA over his years as a Nittany Lion. The dominance on the mound did not just happen at Penn State but was carried over to the mound at Cardines for the 2022 summer. A reliable arm either to start the game or to come out of the bullpen, Renner was there for whenever the Gulls needed him to throw. That type of work ethic and skill, just like every other Gull in the Pro mentioned in here, is how each and every one of them was drafted in this year's MLB draft.  

Chase Renner, Newport Gull of 2022, was drafted in the 13th round and picked 378 to the Miami Marlins this summer. 

The last Newport Gull to be drafted this summer was Aiven Cabral, a strong right-handed pitcher out of Northeastern posted a 2.92 ERA this past spring in 89 innings of work for the Huskies. Cabral was a dominant pitcher on the mound and it showed for both the Northeastern Huskies for the last few years and for the Newport Gulls in the magical summer of 2023, helping Newport to a championship season. 

Aiven Cabral was drafted in the 18th round and picked 547 to the Atlanta Braves in this year's MLB draft.  

All of these Gulls in the Pros earned their way with no shortcuts. They proved themselves and overcame obstacles to get to the position they are as of this summer. Every baseball player that gets their name called on draft day gets it called for a reason and these 6 fine players had that reason and earned that call to the big leagues. They all “kept their eyes on the dream” their entire career and now they are living those dreams they once dreamt.