The Gateway Grizzlies added three players to their roster for spring training at the 2022 Frontier League Draft on Tuesday, picking left-handed pitcher Anthony Arias first overall in the first round while selecting right-handed pitcher Matt Reitz in the second round, and outfielder and St. Louis-native Brandon Gutzler in the third round.
Arias has already seen action in the Frontier League with the Evansville Otters in 2019 and 2021. The southpaw from Fairfield, California made three starts for the Otters last season, striking out 14 batters against 12 walks while also allowing only nine hits in 11 innings. In 2019, Arias posted a 2-2 record and a 4.56 ERA in nine games (four starts) in his professional debut season, striking out 31 and walking 15 in 25 2/3 innings. A graduate of Campbellsville University in Kentucky, the left-hander went 6-4 with a 3.78 ERA in 12 starts as a senior before joining Evansville, striking out 80 batters and walking only 26 while surrendering only 46 hits in 64 1/3 innings pitched, taking home First Team All-American honors from the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA).
Reitz comes to Sauget after pitching in three games last season for Équipe Québec, striking out and walking two batters each in four and two-thirds innings. The Jacksonville, Florida native played in the Battle of the Bourbon Trail (Florence) and Yinzer League (Washington) during the pandemic in 2020 after beginning his career with the Tucson Saguaros in the Pecos League in 2019, where he posted 15 strikeouts and 10 walks in 18 2/3 innings. Reitz played collegiately at Covenant College in Georgia, making 14 appearances and 10 starts as a senior with 42 strikeouts and 26 walks in 54 innings pitched in 2019.
Gutzler joins the Grizzlies after playing with the Saranac Lake Surge in the Empire League in 2021, batting .269 with three homers and 28 RBIs along with 12 doubles in 39 games. The switch-hitter from St. Louis played overseas for the Hamburg Stealers in Germany in 2019 following a standout college career that was finished at Murray State University. Gutzler was a Second Team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection as a graduate student in 2018, batting .351 with 10 home runs, 51 RBIs, 12 doubles, and 67 total hits in 46 games. As a senior, he was named First Team All-OVC and Second Team All-American by the NCBWA, batting .352 with 16 homers, 71 RBIs, 17 doubles, and 84 hits in 58 games. Gutzler also was a standout at St. Louis Community College, where he was the Region 16 Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2015 before transferring to Murray State.
The Grizzlies begin spring training in Sauget tomorrow, April 28, and will play four preseason games against the Evansville Otters in total, with home contests on Wednesday, May 4 and Saturday, May 7. The 2022 regular season begins on Friday, May 13 at 6:45 p.m., when Gateway takes on the Empire State Greys at GCS Credit Union Ballpark.
For more information, including the Grizzlies’ full schedule and to purchase tickets, visit gatewaygrizzlies.com or call (618) 337-3000.
Jason Guerette is the Grizzlies' Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations and the "Voice of the Grizzlies." 2023 will be his second season with the organization, handling lead broadcasting duties on the Grizzlies Media Network as well as being in charge of all team press releases and game-day media materials.
2023 will also be Jason's ninth season in the Frontier League after spending 2014-21 in the same role with the Southern Illinois Miners. Overall, he has broadcasted close to 800 games in the league, including playoffs. During the baseball offseason, he serves as a play-by-play broadcaster for Manhattan College and the New Jersey Institute of Technology, with games being seen on ESPN+ among other platforms.
In addition to broadcasting, Jason works as a public address announcer for Seton Hall University women's basketball as well as Columbia University men's and women's basketball. He also spent nine years working "behind the scenes" as a freelance board operator and highlight editor at Westwood One for their coverage of the NFL, NCAA football, and NCAA basketball.
Jason graduated from Seton Hall in 2012 with B.A. in Communication Studies and a minor in Broadcasting & Visual Media.
