SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 817.739.3693
Website: xsbaseball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2024
EXPLORERS ADD FORMER CREIGHTON TEAMMATES
SIOUX CITY ADDS LEFTY AND RIGHTY
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Sioux City Explorers look south to Omaha to add pitching depth for the 2024 season. The X’s have signed left-hander Denson Hull and right-hander Evan Johnson, both former teammates with the Creighton Bluejays. The pair were members of the Creighton squad in 2018 and 2019.
Denson Hull was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 28th round in 2019 after his second season at Creighton. The native of Texas would reach AA with the Arizona organization and then spend the last two seasons with MLB Partner Atlantic League. In 2023, Hull appeared in 26 games, making five starts for York. He went 1-5 with a 7.74 ERA and one save while surrendering 37 earned runs in 43 innings with 37 strikeouts. York would release Hull on July 31, but he would later sign with Spire City also of the Atlantic League. He would not pitch the rest of the season after being placed on the temporary inactive list.
In 2022 Hull would begin the season with Southern Maryland in the Atlantic League. While with the Blue Crabs, Hull made 13 starts and went 2-5 with a 4.97 ERA. He tossed 63.1 innings, allowing 67 hits and giving up 35 earned runs. Hull struck out 50 batters and carried a 1.532 WHIP until he was released on July 3. The Charleston Dirty Birds would pluck Hull off the free agent list a day later where he would make 11 starts the rest of the season. Hull threw 57 innings, striking out 45 while giving up 45 earned runs on 90 hits with a 1-6 record for the Birds. He would post a 2.053 WHIP while with Charleston. Hull would go a combined 3-11 at both stops, pitching in 120.1 innings with 95 strikeouts for the season.
Hull spent two seasons in the Diamondbacks organization, the final of the two being 2021 before his release. He would make three stops in the system that year beginning the season at High A Hillsboro. Hull made 19 appearances out of the pen, going 0-3 with one save. He logged 21 innings, adding 21 strikeouts while giving up 20 hits and 14 earned runs with a 6.00 ERA and a 1.714 WHIP. Hull would have his time at High A split into two segments. He began the season with Hillsboro then was assigned to Low A Visalia on May 12 then returned to High A on June 22. In 10 games at Visalia, Hull went 2-3 in 10 games out of the pen for the Rawhide. He struck out 20 in 16.2 innings, surrendering five earned runs to go with a 2.70 ERA before the move back to High A. Hull would earn a late season move to AA Amarillo to close out the season. The lefty pitched in four games out of the pen, earning one save in seven innings. Hull added a 5.14 ERA with five strikeouts for the Sod Poodles.
Prior to the 2020 season cancellation, Hull spent his first season with the Diamondbacks at rookie-level Missoula of the Pioneer League. He made 16 appearances in relief and added two starting nods in his first professional season. He threw 29.2 innings while striking out 42 batters, going 2-2 with a 7.89 ERA.
The Diamondbacks called Hull’s name in the 28thround in 2019 after he went 5-4 in his final season at Creighton, appearing in 19 games and making 18 starts for the Blue Jays. Hull would work in 72 innings, giving up 65 hits and 46 earned runs with a 5.75 ERA and a 1.444 WHIP. He added 58 strikeouts and finished third on the team in innings and strikeouts. Hull appeared in 12 games during the 2018 season, starting five contests. He posted a 1-0 record with a 4.26 ERA in 25.1 innings with 22 strikeouts. Hull would earn a win in the second game of a doubleheader against Georgetown on May 3. He retired 15 of 16 batters before the game was suspended in the sixth. That effort would earn him Big East Pitcher of the Week.
Hull spent his freshman year at Incarnate Word, coming out of the bullpen tossing 26.2 innings with a 8.10 ERA. He then transferred to Temple Junior College the following year where he compiled a 5-4 record over 13 starts, adorned with a 3.99 ERA while notching 55 strikeouts. Hull was born in Missouri City, Texas and grew up in San Antonio where he graduated cum laude from San Antonio Churchill High School. He earned five letters at Churchill, earning three in baseball and one each year in football and basketball. Hull was a First Team All-6A Pitcher as a junior and senior and claimed team MVP honors as a senior.
Right-hander Evan Johnson born in Ames, Iowa and raised in Gilbert comes home to his native state after spending 2019-2022 with the Seattle Mariners organization. The Mariners inked Johnson as a non-drafted free agent after his 2019 season at Creighton. He would begin his professional career in 2019, making three stops in the Mariners system. Johnson made nine starts at Low A West Virginia where he went 2-4 with a 4.70 ERA in 38.1 innings. He would strike out 21 while giving up 35 hits and 20 earned runs with a 1.461 WHIP. In 14.2 innings at short-season A Everett, he would go 0-1 with a save, adding 14 strikeouts in five games. Johnson would appear in one game at High A Modesto, pitching three innings and giving up five earned runs.
Johnson did not play in 2020 due to the world-wide pandemic but would see time during the 2021 season at High A Everett and one game at AAA Tacoma. He made 17 appearances out of the pen at Everett with one start, putting up a 2-0 record with one save. Johnson tallied 26.2 innings with 42 strikeouts and a 2.70 ERA. He allowed just eight earned runs on 19 hits with a 1.312 WHIP with the Aqua Sox.
Johnson returned to High A in 2022 and was third out of the bullpen in appearances for Everett. He went 3-0 with a 4.70 ERA with a pair of saves on the season. He would pitch in 27 games totaling 38.1 innings. The righty would punch out 52 batters while giving up 20 earned runs on 29 hits for Everett.
Johnson went 8-2 while pitching in 17 games and making 14 starts his final season with Creighton, helping the Blue Jays win the Big East title. He finished second on the staff in innings pitched with 77.1, and his 74 strikeouts also placed him second on the team. His eight wins tied the team lead while he went 8-2 with a 3.26 ERA. Johnson‘s ERA was the lowest among the qualified starters for Creighton. He surrendered 28 earned runs on 56 hits with a 1.267 WHIP. Johnson capped off the season being named All-Big East Second Team and saved one of his best games for the NCAA Regionals. He would help the Bluejays eliminate the defending national champion Oregon State Beavers on their home field with 5.1 innings of one-run ball.
In his first season at Creighton in 2018, Johnson appeared in 13 games as a Bluejay, coming out of the bullpen in each contest. He would work in 13.1 innings, striking out eight with a 6.08 ERA. Johnson spent the 2017 and 2018 summer season in the Northwoods League. He would go 2-0 in 2017 with a 4.99 ERA with Thunder Bay and 5-0 the next summer with St. Cloud. He would put up a sparkling 1.80 ERA, the lowest on the team, and his five wins was also first on the club. Johnson would spend 2016 and 2017 at Iowa Central Community College. There he would appear in 27 games over the two seasons. He was 7-4 for his career with 61 strikeouts in 60.1 innings. Johnson earned four letters in baseball at Gilbert High School in Gilbert, Iowa and was named All-State Second team as a senior.
The X’s now have 18 pitchers and 9 position players signed for the 2024 season.
2024 Players signed:
LHP Denson Hull
RHP Evan Johnson
LHP Justin Kelly
RHP Luis De La Rosa
RHP Rayne Supple
RHP Ángel Nesbitt
RHP Sergio Morillo
OF Daniel Montano
RHP Oswald Medina
RHP Nico O’Donnell
RHP Jasseel De La Cruz
LHP Javier Reynoso
RHP Santiago Flores
INF/OF Nick Shumpert
INF Delvin Zinn
LHP Jared Wetherbee
RHP Pedro Gonzalez
INF/OF Brennen Dorighi
RHP Heitor Tokar
RHP Braunny Munoz
RHP Kyle Bloor
C Jake Ortega
C Wilfredo Gimenez
OF Scott Ota
INF Daniel Lingua,
INF Daniel Pérez
RHP John Sheaks
The Explorers are set to open their 31st season in the Siouxland at home Friday night, May 10th at 7:05 p.m. against the Kansas City Monarchs. Ticket packages for the 2024 season are on-sale now, including Full and Half-Season Tickets as well as 10, 15 and 25 game Flex Packs. More information is available by calling the Explorers front office at 712-277-WINS. Stay tuned to the Explorers social media channels and the club’s website xsbaseball.com for off-season news and updates.