KINSTON, North Carolina (March 17, 2025) - The Down East Bird Dawgs, along with the Frontier League, an MLB Partner League, have signed four new players and made a trade, as they continue to build their 2025 roster.

The latest signings by the Bird Dawgs include RHP Drew Durst, SS Jelani Hamer, RHP Ian Lawson, and 1B Joe Johnson. The Bird Dawgs also traded SS Elvis Peralta to the Gary SouthShore RailCats in the American Association League for a player to be named later. These recent moves bring the roster to 26 players with less than two months until Opening Night on May 9, 2025!

Durst began his collegiate career as a first baseman at Division I Stephen F. Austin, where he played in 17 games and hit .192 in 2021. He then transferred to Howard Community College in Big Spring, Texas, for his sophomore season in 2022, playing in 33 games and batting .299 with 23 RBIs and four home runs, while also pitching one inning. Durst completed his collegiate career at Division II Cameron University from 2023 to 2024, playing as both a pitcher and an infielder. In his two seasons at Cameron, he appeared in 78 games, hitting .335 with 20 home runs and 62 RBIs, while pitching 65 innings with a 7.34 ERA. In 2024, he excelled on the mound, throwing 56.2 innings, striking out 51 batters, and posting a 4.76 ERA, earning third-team all-Lone Star Conference honors as a starting pitcher. After college, Durst signed with the Guelph Royals of the Intercounty Baseball League midway through the season as a two-way player. He hit .217 in seven games and pitched in 10 games, making three starts. He struck out 33 batters in 31.1 innings, earning three saves and maintaining a 2.30 ERA.

Hamer began his collegiate career at Division II College of St. Rose where he spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He played in a total of 23 games at St. Rose, making 17 starts, while holding a .237 batting average with one homer and eight RBI. He spent the 2022 summer playing for the Oneonta Outlaws of the New England Collegiate Baseball League where he bat .261 in 27 games with two home runs and 21 RBI. Hamer then transferred to Division III SUNY Oswego where he found his stride. He bat .315 in 2023 while hitting five home runs, knocking eight doubles, and snatching 29 RBI earning a spot on the 2023 SUNYAC All-Conference First Team. He exploded in 2024 as he held a batting average of .437 while smacking 21 doubles, launching 7 bombs, and bringing in 39 RBI. He was named the SUNYAC Bob Wallace Player of the Year, D3Baseball.com Region 3 Player of the Year, and ABCA/Rawlings Second Team All-American.

Lawson graduated high school as the fifth-best prospect in Oregon and committed to play college baseball at Oregon State, where he spent his entire collegiate career. As a freshman in 2021, Lawson made seven appearances on the mound, pitching nine innings while delivering 10 strikeouts and maintaining a 2.00 ERA. He spent the 2021 summer in the West Coast League, playing for the Portland Pickles and posting a 1.84 ERA. Lawson doubled the number of games he played as a sophomore at OSU, making 14 appearances while striking out 19 batters in 19.2 innings pitched. During the summer of 2022, he returned to the West Coast League, playing for the Corvallis Knights and recording a 3.48 ERA. Lawson played in 19 games as a junior at OSU in 2023, spending 36 innings on the mound while posting a 3.50 ERA and holding opponents to a .203 batting average. He finished his Oregon State career strong during the 2024 season, maintaining a 4.07 ERA in 24.1 innings pitched over 12 games. Across his four seasons of college baseball, Lawson pitched in 52 games, totaling 89 innings on the mound, striking out 98 batters, and holding a 4.15 ERA while maintaining an undefeated record with nine wins and no losses.

Johnson spent five years playing baseball at the collegiate level at NAIA Vanguard University from 2018 to 2022. He played 241 games in college, batting .304, launching 44 home runs, and recording 196 RBI. Upon graduation, Johnson was picked up by the Monterey Amberjacks of the Pecos League, where he played in 13 games, batting .583, hitting eight home runs, and recording 30 RBI. During the same season in 2022, he made the jump to the American Association, playing for the Cleburne Railroaders for four games, where he had 15 at-bats and one hit. Johnson found a consistent home for the 2022 season, playing in 62 games for the Grand Junction Rockies of the Pioneer League. He bat .320 for the Rockies in 2022, hitting 10 home runs and recording 41 RBI. He returned to Grand Junction for the 2023 season, where he was the only player to participate in all 96 games. Johnson had his best professional season to date, hitting .370, with 35 doubles, 22 home runs, and 106 RBI. After a remarkable 2023 season, Johnson moved to the Frontier League for 2024, playing in 92 games for the Windy City ThunderBolts. While in Windy City, Johnson bat .230, hitting six home runs and recording 48 RBI.