Crushers Sign Royals Farmhand Fraynel Nova, Nathan Shinn, and Nick Chavez

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Zane Bloom, zbloom@lakeeriecrushers.com

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Crushers Sign Royals Farmhand Fraynel Nova, Nathan Shinn, and Nick Chavez 

Crushers Roster Updates Presented by BCT Alarm Services, Inc.

Avon, OH - March 31, 2026 - Three more new faces are joining the Lake Erie Crushers roster: LHP Nathan Shinn, RHP Fraynel Nova, and C Nick Chavez. Crushers roster updates are presented by BCT Alarm Services, Inc.

LHP Nathan Shinn is a 5’10”, 195lb southpaw from Pleasanton, California and a graduate of San Francisco State University (DII). He sported a 4.71 ERA in four college seasons in a hybrid starting/relieving role, displaying great control with just 2.2 walks per nine innings. He also missed plenty of bats, striking out almost exactly a batter per inning in his 273 ⅓ collegiate frames. Shinn finished his collegiate career in 2025 with his best season to date - a 3.65 ERA with 83 strikeouts (5th most single-season in school history) to just 18 walks in his largest career workload, 86 ⅓ innings, which led SFSU. 

He was given All-CCAA First Team honors and was named ABCA, D2CAA, and NCBWA All-West Region Second Team. Shinn signed his first professional contract right out of college with the Idaho Falls Chukars in the Pioneer League last year and will enter his sophomore professional season with Lake Erie in 2026. Shinn has a very connected and compact lefty delivery with a firm fastball that sits in the low 90s. He also features a solid changeup, a slider, and just added a curveball this offseason.

RHP Fraynel Nova is a former Kansas City Royals farmhand from the Dominican Republic. Signed as a 20 year-old, Nova worked his way through rookie ball for three seasons before cracking into Low-A Columbia in 2025, where he posted a 3.77 ERA in a whopping 62 innings exclusively out of the bullpen. He posted a sub-3 BB/9 in all but one minor league season paired with a respectable career 8.3 K/9.

Nova’s fastball sits in the mid-upper 90s with lots of swing-and-miss prowess up in the zone. He pairs it with a changeup that dives down and in to the back foot of right handed hitters and a slider to generate strikeouts. Nova’s father is a Lorain County resident, giving him ties to the local community. Nova has experience as a starter and as a bullpen arm, though he is looking to crack into the Lake Erie rotation in 2026.

C Nick Chavez was signed as the third catcher for the upcoming 2026 roster, a much-needed depth piece behind veteran Alfredo Gonzalez and second-year Crusher Derek Vegas. Chavez played four seasons with Oklahoma Wesleyan, a top-tier NAIA program, from 2020-2023. The switch hitting catcher hit .353 with 28 doubles, 10 home runs, and 99 RBIs in 147 games with OKWU and helped them to a trip to the NAIA World Series in 2021. He transferred closer to home to Texas A&M International University to finish his collegiate career as a graduate student in 2024. 

Chavez caught for Jared Lemieux in the California Winter League and appeared in 33 Pecos League games in 2025, slashing .364/.443/.442 with 28 RBIs and 14 walks to just 13 strikeouts, receiving Pecos League All-Star honors. Lemieux speaks very highly of his defensive capabilities as well, saying, “Chavez has a cannon for an arm.” Backstop defense has been a point of emphasis for Lake Erie over the past two seasons, and Chavez adds another tool to an already strong toolkit.

Single-game tickets are on sale now! Pick your games and buy your tickets at lakeeriecrushers.com/2026-schedule. Or, just pick all the games with the brand-new Ballpark Pass. Information at lakeeriecrushers.com/lec-ballpark-pass.

The Lake Erie Crushers will open their 17th season at ForeFront Field in Avon on Friday, May 8th, 2026 presented by VacationLand Federal Credit Union in a playoff rematch against the Schaumburg Boomers. Join us for postgame fireworks and the first Dollar Dog Night as we kick off the 2026 season! For information on season ticket memberships visit lakeeriecrushers.com or call (440) 934-3636, and be sure to follow our socials @LECrushers on Instagram/Facebook/X.

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About the Lake Erie Crushers

The Lake Erie Crushers are a professional baseball team based in Avon, Ohio, just 18 miles west of Cleveland at ForeFront Field. They compete in the Frontier League, a proud MLB Partner League, and have brought a family-friendly, fan-oriented baseball experience to Northeast Ohio since 2009. As Lorain County’s only professional sports franchise, the Lake Erie Crushers are the largest economic driver in Lorain County, hosting more than 200 events per year that include over 50 baseball games, concerts, charity functions, and other events that bring the community of Avon together. Len Komoroski is the Crushers Chairman and Managing Partner, and the team is led by President Vic Gregovits. Jared Lemieux, a Maine Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, is in his fourth season as field manager.