Sports stats



AtL Lexington Legends

Lexington Legends Begin 2025 Roster Assembly

February 21, 2025 - Atlantic League (AtL)
Lexington Legends News Release


LEXINGTON, KY - Two top players of the Atlantic League will be returning to Lexington to help spearhead the Legends into the 2025 season.

Nic Laio was one of the best starting arms for Lexington in 2024. The Western Michigan alum started 15 games, leading the team with 7 wins and 93 strikeouts, and led all starters with a 4.09 ERA. His best start came on August 14th, where he pitching 7 innings and allowed no runs and just 5 hits, striking out 9 batters. Just six days later he'd have another start where he would strike out 11 batters in just 5 innings. The 2024 season marked Laio as a top 10 starter in the Atlantic League, and he'll look to improve on that impressive work this season.

Brady Whalen will be returning to Lexington for another season in a Legends uniform. Whalen, a dynamic player able to play any position in the field, was a key piece of the first half of the Legends season. Through just 16 games, Whalen had a batting average of .472 with 4 home runs and 12 RBIs. He was one of four Legends to have their contracts purchased by an MLB club in 2024, after being picked up by the San Francisco Giants organization in May.

These are just the beginning of the roster signings already announced by the club as the season looms on the horizon. These singings include:

EJ Cumbo will be returning to Lexington. The 25 year old native of Queens, NY attended the University of Tampa, where he set the all the D2 NCAA record for career hits. He joined the Legends in 2024 but unfortunately was injured before being able to make an impact.

Julio Dilone, a 24 year old from the Dominican Republic, will be joining the Legends bullpen. Dilone has spent the last 4 years in the Seattle Mariners farm system.

Dalton Ross will also be joining the bullpen. The Statesboro, GA native is a former teammate of Cumbo at the University of Tampa. After college the sidearm pitcher played for the Savannah Bananas and Northern Colorado Owlz.

Jimmy Loper will be another arm in the bullpen. Hailing from Honolulu, he was drafted in the 16th Round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the New York Mets after 3 seasons at Duke University. At Duke he held a 3.62 ERA with 118 strikeouts over 102 innings pitched out of the pen.

Connor Denning will be joining the Legends after spending two seasons with the Billings Mustangs. The 26 year old outfielder from Phoenix, AZ boasts a career .305 batting average with 277 RBIs.

Wilton Castillo will be joining the bullpen as well. A native of Havana, Cuba he signed with the San Diego Padres organization in 2021 and played in their farm system for 3 seasons. ï‚· Xane Washington, also of Houma, LA, will join the outfield. After five seasons at Nicholls State, Washington spent two seasons with the Great Falls Voyagers. He touts a .327 career batting average with 262 RBIs and 112 stolen bases.

Jonathan Haab will be another arm for the Legends. The 25 year old out of Norcross, GA played college ball at Oglethorpe University and Georgia Gwinnett College before joining the Billings Mustangs (where he played with Connor Denning). He finished the season in Billings with a 4-1 record and a 2.21 ERA, striking out 61 batters.

Andy Atwood will be joining the Legends' infield. Hailing from Everett, WA, Atwood played two seasons at Oregon State (2017 Pac-12 Champions) and three seasons at Texas-Rio Grande Valley. After a collegiate career with a .307 batting average, Atwood signed with the Chicago White Sox organization, where he spent two seasons. In 2024 he helped the Glacier Ridge Riders reach the Pioneer League Championship.

Ryan McCarthy will be in the Legends outfield. From Conyers, GA, McCarthy played college ball at The Citadel for five seasons. After college he spent two season in Single A, with the Kannapolis Canon Ballers (White Sox) and Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (Twins). He's driven in a career 225 runs with a .282 batting average.

Robb Paller will be in the Legends outfield. From Brooklyn, NY, he played at Columbia University for four seasons. He was instrumental in three straight Ivy League Championships (2013-2015) and played in three straight College World Series. He was named to the All-Ivy League team twice. He brings a career batting average of .285 and 395 RBIs.

Victor Capellan will be returning to the Legends uniform. A professional baseball veteran entering his 18th season, Capellan appeared in 23 innings in relief for Lexington. He notched a 2-1 record and struck out 24 batters. With a career ERA of 3.55, the Dominican Republic native is ready for another successful season.

Will Carsten will be joining the Legends bullpen. Playing his college ball at the University of Oklahoma, Carsten has won two Big 12 Championships and pitched twice in the College World Series. The San Antonio native will be starting his journey of professional baseball right here in Lexington.

You can catch all these Legends and the rest when Opening Day comes to Lexington on April 25th, 2025. Join the Lexington Legends for their 25th Anniversary Season, presented by Lexington Clinic, when they take on the Charleston Dirty Birds. First pitch will be at 7:00 PM. You can get tickets to the entire Opening Weekend now at LexingtonLegends.com.

Check out the Lexington Legends Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Atlantic League message board...

Atlantic League Stories from February 21, 2025


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent Lexington Legends Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central