Ottawa Titans sign Alkire, Loopstok, Navigato

The Ottawa Titans have signed right-hander Jack Alkire. Photo: Ottawa Titans

April 20, 2022

By Davide Disipio

Ottawa Titans

Ottawa, ON - The Ottawa Titans have signed right-handed pitcher Jack Alkire, along with infielders Sicnarf Loopstok and Luke Navigato for the 2022 Frontier League season.

Alkire, 24, comes to the nation’s capital after spending the 2021 season with the Gary SouthShore RailCats of the American Association. The Hyattsville, Md., native started in 17 games, going 6-7 with a 4.88 ERA across 99 2/3 innings.

A graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, Va.), Alkire will enter his fourth season of professional baseball in 2022. The 5-foot-11 righty is a lifetime 7-11 with 147 strikeouts in 41 appearances.

Loopstok, 28, comes north of the border after spending the 2021 season with the Amsterdam Pirates in the Dutch Major League. The Oranjestad, Aruba native hit .356 with one homer and 16 RBIs in 19 games.

Selected by Cleveland in the 13th round of the 2013 MLB draft, Loopstok reached double-A before his release in 2019. A career .244 hitter in affiliated ball, Loopstok provides extensive versatility to the 2022 Titans roster, having the ability to play third base, first base and catcher.

Loopstok’s best season came in 2017 at high-A Lynchburg, where he hit a career-high 17 home runs and added 65 RBIs in 119 games. That year, he was named a mid-season and post-season all-star.

Navigato, 26, appeared in 43 games last season for the Pioneer League champion Missoula PaddleHeads, hitting .340 with six homers and 39 RBIs.

A graduate of California Baptist University (Riverside, Calif.), Navigato hit .316 and drove in 116 during his 196-game collegiate career.

Prior to collegiate ball, Navigato was named Inland Valley League MVP and was a member of the championship Riverside Poly High School team in 2014. That season, the Riverside, Calif., native amassed a .467 batting average, two home runs and 18 RBIs.

The Ottawa Titans are scheduled to hit the field in late spring of 2022 playing in the Frontier League, a partner league of Major League Baseball.