Hot Rods host media day ahead of opening series

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Bowling Green Hot Rods held their annual media day on Tuesday as the team gears up for opening day next week, beginning a six-game series with the Rome Emperors on April 8th.

The Hot Rods are coming off another victorious year, clinching the South Atlantic League Championship in September and bringing home the team’s third title in four years.

Rafael Valenzuela is in his third season as the manager of this group and spoke on how he plans to keep up the success of the organization.

“ I’m very confident that the team that we have this season, just by looking at the roster, that it’s going to be similar to last year’s,” Valenzuela said. “Obviously the goal is always to turn the roster over by the all-star break, if not a little bit later, but I’m very confident that the group from this season will be about as good, if not a little bit better than last year’s group.”

This year’s roster features an array of new faces who are excited to get to meet the bowling green community, and today two of those new faces introduced themselves: Gary Gill Hill, a pitcher called up from the Charleston RiverDogs and Emilien Pitre, a second baseman from the University of Kentucky, drafted in 2024 by the Tampa Bay Rays.

“ I’m very excited, honestly, from playing my first full season last year in Charleston and making a jump up play here,” Gill Hill said. “I’m just excited play in a new town and a new city.”

It’s always been in my values to win,” Pitre said. “I preach ‘whether it’s college or professional baseball, I love to win.’ I’m excited to be a part of an organization that preached that, whether it’s High A, Low A, or all the other levels. I’m just excited.”