Former Vista Murrieta baseball standout and Utah Valley University catcher Drew Sims signed a professional contract last week with the Glacier Range Riders of the Pioneer League. The Range Riders are located in Kalispell, Montana and are a Major League Baseball partner league with teams in Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Utah. The Pioneer League rosters have 25 players with under three years of professional baseball experience.
Sims started for five years at catcher for UVU and leaves with the record for runners caught stealing with 62, a record that was broken on Senior Day this year. Sims hit .210 on the year with two home runs, nine RBIs and six doubles. A solid backstop for the Wolverines, Sims had a career fielding percentage of .980 and in 2021 had a career-high .993 fielding percentage.
Head Coach Eddie Smith said, “We are so excited for Drew Sims to get this opportunity in professional baseball. He has been a stalwart for our program at the catching position and became the first person to ever lead the team in games played and games started at catcher for five consecutive seasons in program history, likely a record that will never be broken! He is a great player and teammate and has worked so hard to get this opportunity and he will make the most of it.”
Sims hit an opposite-field double in his first professional at-bat Tuesday, July 26, and then drilled a three-run home run to left for the Range Riders later in the game. Fans can follow the action for Sims and the Glacier Range Riders online at www.gorangeriders.com.
JP Raineri can be reached by email at sports@reedermedia.com.
