Navigators sign local players

LYNN – The North Shore Navigators signed four local players for the upcoming summer season. Kyle Gauthier, Alex Markakis, Kyle Devin, and Ryley MacEachern have all agreed to suit up for the Navigators. Head coach Jon Cahill made the announcement Friday at Fraser Field.Gauthier, of Lynn, is a 2012 graduate of Classical High School. He currently attends the University of Hartford, where he majors in health science. Gauthier is a right-handed pitcher whom the Navigators will look to as a strong arm on the staff.Hartford coach Justin Blood said Gauthier has a couple of above-average pitches to work with already, and he only expects those to continue to develop.”We believe Kyle will be a major contributor on our pitching staff for the coming years,” Blood said.Markakis, a Lynnfield native, will be returning to the Navigators for a second season. Markakis is currently a junior at St. Joseph’s College in Maine, where he is studying finance. Last season, Markakis batted .300 for the Navigators, including five doubles, 15 RBI, and a triple. Markakis followed that impressive regular season by hitting .333 in the playoffs. Last season at St. Joseph’s, Markakis hit .308, including 44 total bases and a slugging percentage of .411. The Navigators will look to Markakis’ big bat to help produce runs this season.Devin, of Lynn, will be entering his freshman year at Stony Brook University in the fall. He’s currently a senior at Classical, where he has a GPA of 3.7. Devin is ranked as the third-best high school player in Massachusetts, as well as the 31st-ranked catcher in the US. Devin, at 6-1, 225 pounds, can also hit for power and average.MacEachern, a Saugus native, will be entering his freshman year at Stony Brook in the fall. He is currently a senior at Salisbury Prep in Connecticut. MacEachern, a right-handed pitcher, is currently ranked as the top prospect in Connecticut. His fastball is consistently in the upper 80s and tops out at 90 miles per hour. Last spring, he went 6-0 with a sub-2.00 ERA.Stay up-to-date with the latest Navigator news, including the hiring of new players for the 2013 season, by “liking” the team on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/nsnavs) and following the Navs on Twitter (https://twitter.com/NSNavigators).