DiGiacomo joined the Otters after a stint with Missoula in the Pioneer League in 2023 and the start of 2024. Prior to his rookie campaign in Missoula, DiGiacomo played collegiately at LSU from 2019-2022. He concluded his college career at Duke in 2023 with a .268 batting average across 61 games, putting up 51 hits and 36 RBI.
Duncan Hewitt, from Indianapolis, IN, also joined the Otters mid-season last year, serving as the team’s bullpen catcher for most of the season. Prior to joining the Otters, Hewitt spent time in the United Shore League and American Association from 2021 to 2023.
Hewitt was signed by the Minnesota Twins in 2023 and ended the season with the Twins Rookie League team in Florida. Prior to his professional career, Hewitt played college ball at Butler University from 2017 to 2021, collecting 78 hits in his college career.
Clayton Keyes, originally hailing from Calgary, Ontario, Canada, signed with Evansville prior to the 2024 season. Due to VISA delays, Keyes was unable to join the team until August. Though he only appeared in 10 games, Keyes added a nice spark to the Otters’ outfield defense. Offensively, he collected four hits, four RBI and five walks.
Before joining the Otters, Keyes played his final season of college ball with Southeastern University in Lakeland, FL. A member of the 2022 NAIA World Series Championship team, Keyes played 34 games for the Fire, recording 10 hits, 18 walks and seven RBI.
Finally, Alex Valdez, a native of Las Matas de Farfán, Dominican Republic, joins the Otters for his second season in Evansville. Valdez also had his 2024 season start late due to VISA delays. After being activated on July 30, Valdez provided solid relief to the back end of the bullpen. In 12 games for the Otters in 2024, he put up a 1.26 ERA across 14.1 innings. He allowed just nine hits, two runs and struck out 17 batters.
Valdez was a four-year farmhand for the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2018 to 2022. He made appearances in Single-A in both 2021 and 2022 and spent time each year with the Diamondbacks Rookie League team. Valdez transitioned into the American Association in late 2022, joining the Kansas City Monarchs. After posting a 1.08 ERA in his seven appearances in 2022, Kansas City re-signed him for the 2023 season, where he played in 28 games, recording 37 strikeouts in 28 innings of work.
The Evansville Otters are excited to welcome fans back to Bosse Field in 2025 for the 30th season of Otters baseball! More information on the upcoming season schedule is available here.
Season ticket and group ticket packages are on sale now. Call (812) 435-8686 for more information. Individual game tickets will go on sale in the coming months.
The Evansville Otters are the 2006 and 2016 Frontier League champions.
The Otters play all home games at historic Bosse Field, located at 23 Don Mattingly Way in Evansville, Ind. Stay up to date with the Evansville Otters by visiting evansvilleotters.com, or follow the Otters on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
