GASTONIA, N.C. – The Ghost Peppers have signed pitchers Ryan Hennen, Kevin Smith and Nick Snyder for 2025, announced by general manager Brady Salisbury on Friday.
Hennen and Smith are both lefties who reached Triple-A Norfolk in the Orioles system, while Snyder is a right-hander who pitched for the Rangers for parts of two seasons.
Hennen, 27, attended UNC Greensboro before signing with the Royals organization in 2022. The southpaw then joined the Orioles system later that season and pitched in the organization for three seasons, reaching Norfolk last year. In two relief appearances for Triple-A, Hennen allowed one run in 4.2 innings, striking out four.
Smith, 27, went to the University of Georgia before being drafted by the Mets in the seventh round of the 2018 draft. After spending two seasons in the Mets system, Smith was traded to the Orioles in 2020, along with a PTBNL, for RHP Miguel Castro. The lefty pitched for Norfolk in 2022, posting a 4.66 ERA and fanning 44 batters in 48.1 innings. Smith pitched for the Charleston Dirty Birds last season, recording 64 strikeouts in 12 starts.
Snyder, 29, was drafted by the Rangers in 2017 and spent six years in the organization, making the big leagues in 2021. The right-hander from Palm City, Florida, made six appearances for the Rangers between 2021 and 2022. While in the bigs, Snyder’s arsenal consisted of a four-seam fastball, slider and changeup, with his four-seamer averaging 97 miles-per-hour.
With the addition of these three arms, the Ghost Peppers have now signed 15 players for the 2025 season.
The players who have signed so far are:
RHP Jimmie Sherfy
RHP Parker Kruglewicz
RHP Ryne Inman
RHP Matt Hartman
RHP Nick Snyder
LHP Nick Horvath
LHP Ryan Hennen
LHP Kevin Smith
C Gavin Stupienski
C Luis Aviles
INF Jake Hoover
INF Alan Alonso
INF Ethan Skender
INF Braxton Davidson
OF Eric De La Rosa
The team will complete the player signing announcements over the next two weeks.
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Gastonia Ghost Peppers begins its second season of operations with Zawyer Sports & Entertainment – a sports ownership group with professional teams operating in the U.S. and the fifth season for the franchise at CaroMont Health Park in the FUSE District of Gastonia. The Ghost Peppers have made the ALPB Playoffs for three consecutive seasons, setting the league record for highest win percentage in a three-year span (.651 from 2022-2024.)
In their inaugural season, the Ghost Peppers had seven players with contracts purchased by other leagues, whether that be MLB-affiliated clubs or leagues outside the country. They also had two former players make their MLB debuts in 2024 — Spencer Bivens (Tigers) and Bryan Sammons (2024.) Bivens is on the Giants’ 26-man roster in 2025. J.C. Escarra, who played for Gastonia in 2023, is currently on the Yankees’ 26-man roster.
The Ghost Peppers open the 2025 season on Friday, April 25 against the York Revolution. Game time is set for 7 p.m. Single game tickets are currently on sale. Contact the Ghost Peppers office at 980-415-2255, or visit www.ghostpeppersbaseball.com for more information.
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About the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) – Celebrating its third decade, the Atlantic League is Major League Baseball’s first Professional Partner League, a player gateway to the major leagues, and a leader in baseball innovation. Over its 26-year history, the ALPB has sent over 1,400 players to MLB organizations while drawing over 47 million fans to its 10 family-friendly ballparks that stretch from New York to North Carolina. Please visit www.AtlanticLeague.com.