SAUGET, Ill. – Former Oregon Tech pitcher Bronson Chapple has signed a professional baseball contract with the Trois-Rivieres Aigles (Three Rivers Eagles) of the Frontier League.
 
The right-hander is the first Hustlin' Owls player to earn a professional contract since 2019 (John Schulz with the Pecos League's High Desert Yardbirds) and will join the team in Kinston, N.C., where the squad is set to open a series against the Down East Bird Dawgs.
 
Chapple was pitching for the Medford Rogues in the Pacific Empire League, posting a 5-0 record with a 2.13 ERA before his contract was tendered.
 
The 2024 Cascade Conference Pitcher of the Year established the OIT single-season strikeout record two seasons ago, while this spring, finished 4-2 with a 3.27 ERA and two saves, helping the Hustlin' Owls reach their first-ever NAIA national tournament.
 
The Frontier League is one of four Major League Baseball Partner Leagues established (joined by the Atlantic League, American Association and Pioneer League), consisting of teams from Illinois to the East Coast.
 
Located in Trois-Rivieres, Quebec (halfway between Montreal and Quebec City along the St. Lawrence River), the Aigles are one of three teams in the Atlantic Conference North Division in Canada – and one of six Canadian professional teams (joined by the Toronto Blue Jays – MLB, Vancouver Canadians – Northwest League, Winnipeg Goldeyes – American Association, Ottawa Titans – Frontier League, Quebec Capitales – Frontier League).
 
The last OIT player to play in affiliated baseball was John Jefferson with the Boston Red Sox Gulf Coast League team in 2005, with the last Hustlin' Owls player drafted coming in 1992 (Donnie Bellum in the ninth-round by the St. Louis Cardinals).