Ghost Peppers add arms to roster

GASTONIA, N.C. – The Ghost Peppers have signed pitchers Ryan Hennen, Kevin Smith and Nick Snyder for 2025, announced by general manager Brady Salisbury on Friday.

Hennen and Smith are both lefties who reached Triple-A Norfolk in the Orioles system, while Snyder is a right-hander who pitched for the Rangers for parts of two seasons.

Hennen, 27, attended UNC Greensboro before signing with the Royals organization in 2022. The southpaw then joined the Orioles system later that season and pitched in the organization for three seasons, reaching Norfolk last year. In two relief appearances for Triple-A, Hennen allowed one run in 4.2 innings, striking out four.

Smith, 27, went to the University of Georgia before being drafted by the Mets in the seventh round of the 2018 draft. After spending two seasons in the Mets system, Smith was traded to the Orioles in 2020, along with a PTBNL, for RHP Miguel Castro. The lefty pitched for Norfolk in 2022, posting a 4.66 ERA and fanning 44 batters in 48.1 innings. Smith pitched for the Charleston Dirty Birds last season, recording 64 strikeouts in 12 starts.

Snyder, 29, was drafted by the Rangers in 2017 and spent six years in the organization, making the big leagues in 2021. The right-hander from Palm City, Florida, made six appearances for the Rangers between 2021 and 2022. While in the bigs, Snyder’s arsenal consisted of a four-seam fastball, slider and changeup, with his four-seamer averaging 97 miles-per-hour.

With the addition of these three arms, the Ghost Peppers have now signed 15 players for the 2025 season.

The players who have signed so far are:

The team will complete the player signing announcements over the next two weeks.