SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 712.277.9467
Website: xsbaseball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 28, 2025
EXPLORERS IGNITE HOT STOVE FOR 2026
SIOUX CITY ADDS BUFFORD AND MATLON
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Sioux City Explorers have announced that the team has signed infielder Cameron Bufford and catcher Caden Matlon to contracts for the 2026 season. The pair are the first offseason acquisitions for the Explorers and Manager Steve Montgomery as the club focus turns to roster construction for the 2026 American Association season.
Cameron Bufford brings a big stick to Siouxland in 2026. Bufford hit 21 home runs for Oakland in the Pioneer League in 2025, good for third on the team, and he led the club with a .349 average at the plate. He slashed a line of .349/.403/.597–while also leading the team in hits with 121–and finished third in stolen bases on the team with 27.
Bufford has hit for power over the course of his playing career. He played for four years at Grambling State University (Louisiana) where the right-handed batter holds the program record in home runs with 46. In his four years at Grambling, Bufford never had fewer than 10 home runs in a season. Bufford broke a 37-year-old record, hitting his 38th home run on March 5, 2024, against Florida A&M in the Tigers 3-2 win. He would add another eight long balls to cement his legacy in the Grambling record books.
In his final year at Grambling, Bufford helped lead the Tigers to the SWAC Baseball Tournament Championship and to an appearance in NCAA Regional at Bryan-College Station. Bufford slashed .345/.474/.553 with 10 HR and 56 RBI his last season in college. He would lead the team in RBI, finish second in average, and his 68 hits tied him for second on the team. The Illinois native would be named the Preseason Player of the Year and All-SWAC First Team following the season. Bufford would spend the following summer in the MLB Draft League with the State College Spikes, hitting .285 with 2 HR, 37 RBI, and 20 SB in 45 games.
In 2023, Bufford played in 52 games, hitting 12 home runs with 68 RBI to go along with a .330 average for Grambling. He would post a slash line of .320/.410/.617, finishing second on the club in average and RBI in 2023. After the season, he played for State College in the MLB Draft League, hitting .275 with three homers and 17 RBI in 22 games. His sophomore season of 2022 saw Bufford play in a college-career-high 57 games with a line of .324/.421/.567. He would lead the team with 12 home runs and finish third with 54 RBI. In Bufford’s first season at Grambling, he hit .319 with 12 home runs and 40 RBI in 44 games. He finished the season with a .319/.389/.573 slash line, leading the team in home runs and finishing second with 43 RBI on the season.
Bufford finished his career at Grambling with 207 games with 46 home runs and 218 RBI and hit .327 over his four years on campus. Defensively, Bufford will bring a versatile resume as well to the Sioux City roster. He played 100 games at third base in college, another 84 at shortstop and 15 at first base. In his career, Buford has played 148 games at third, 105 at short, 35 at first and added an additional 20 games in the outfield in the Pioneer League and in summer ball. Bufford hails from South Holland, Illinois where he graduated from Marian Catholic High School in the Chicagoland area.
Caden Matlon, a native of Grain Valley, Missouri, comes to Sioux City as a true rookie after playing his final year in 2025 at the University of Akron. He played in 48 games while making 47 starts for the Zips last season. Matlon hit .290 with three home runs and 27 RBI while adding five stolen bases for Akron. He would slash a line of .290/.384/.432 with 47 hits, scoring 30 runs and 10 doubles and two triples. Matlon recorded 10 multi-hit games during the season in his only season at Akron.
Matlon spent his 2024 season at Abilene Christian University (Texas) where he played in 24 games and started in 19. He would hit .194 with 13 hits, nine runs, three doubles and eight RBI for the Wildcats in his only season at ACU. Matlon spent two seasons at Dodge City Community College (Kansas) in 2023 and 2022. In 2023 he hit .295 in 48 games with seven home runs and 29 RBI. In his first season at Dodge City, he would start 31 games and play in 36. He hit .366 with 10 homers and 40 RBI. He would begin his college career at Johnson City College (Kansas) but did not see any action on the field in 2021.
The right-handed batter was a three-year starter at Grain Valley High School, graduating in 2020. He was named the Kansas City Suburban White Conference second-team as a sophomore and junior in high school. Matlon would also earn second team All-District honors as a sophomore and first team as a junior. A two-sport standout on the basketball floor, Matlon would pick up All-District accolades as a senior at Grain Valley and was named to the KMZU Dream Team his senior season on the hardwood. In the classroom Matlon earned Academic All-Conference while in high school.
The X’s have two players signed for the 2026 season.
2026 Players signed:
INF Cameron Bufford
C Caden Matlon
The Explorers are set to open their 33rd season in Siouxland on the road on Friday night, May 15, against the Chicago Dogs. The club will celebrate opening night at Lewis and Clark Park on Friday night, May 22, against the Lincoln Saltdogs. Ticket packages for the 2026 season along with sponsorship and partner opportunities are available now by calling the Explorers front office at 712-277-WINS. Follow the Explorers social media channels and the club’s website xsbaseball.com for off-season news and updates.
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