Veteran minor leaguer, Nick Akins, who has 148 career home runs, signed with the Gateway Grizzlies on Monday. (Photo courtesy: Vallejo Admirals)
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
As the first day of spring training nears this week, the Gateway Grizzlies added a new slugger to their roster.
Gateway signed former Los Angeles Dodgers draft pick and minor leaguer, Nick Akins, to a contract for the 2022 season.
Akins, a 6-foot-1, 220-pound Los Angeles native, was actually drafted twice by the Dodgers. First, coming out of high school in 2006. Then again, after leaving Vanguard University in California, in 2009.
A corner outfielder by trade, Akins has also played a number of games in centerfield as well. He played two seasons for the Dodgers’ rookie league team, where he hit 32 home runs and drove in 120 RBIs.
He was then sent up to L.A.’s single-A affiliate in Michigan – the Great Lakes Loons – where he played two seasons and hit 24 homers and drove in 83 RBIs.
In 2013, after being sent up to the Dodgers’ double-A affiliate, Akins was released and played the rest of that year in the Frontier League – first, with the Washington Wild Things and later, with the Joliet Slammers – before suffering a series of injuries that forced him to miss the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
Akins returned to baseball in 2016, where he played for the Texas Airhogs of the American Association, and the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs of the Atlantic League. During that season, Akins sturggled a bit and hit just .209, with six homers and 14 RBIs, in 62 combined games played for the two clubs.
Following that season, Akins moved on to the Vallejo Admirals of the Pacific Association, where he played three seasons and was an all-star each year, with a combined 65 homers and 181 RBIs in 196 games played.
Covid issues forced the slugger to sit out the 2020 and 2021 seasons, which also made him consider retirement. But the Grizzlies were able to get Akins to give it one more shot, and he’ll do it in 2022 for a Gateway team in desperate need of veteran leadership after finishing in last place for the second straight season.
The Grizzlies’ spring training workouts are closed to the public, but Gateway will play four exhibition games that fans can attend. Those four games will all be against the Evansville Otters, with two games scheduled to be played in Evansville and two set for GCS Credit Union Ballpark.
The games at GCS will be played on Wednesday, May 4, and Saturday, May 7. First pitch on May 4 is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., while the May 7 game will begin at 6:45 p.m.
| 2022 Gateway Grizzlies Schedule | ||
|---|---|---|
| DATE | TIME | OPPONENT |
| MAY | ||
| Tue. 3 | 10:05 AM | at Evansville Otters # |
| Wed. 4 | 10:30 AM | Evansville Otters # |
| Fri. 6 | 6:35 PM | at Evansville Otters # |
| Sat. 7 | 6:45 PM | Evansville Otters # |
| Fri. 13 | 6:45 PM | Empire State Greys |
| Sat. 14 | 7:05 PM | Empire State Greys |
| Sun. 15 | 1:05 PM | Empire State Greys |
| Tue. 17 | 6:45 PM | Trois-Rivieres Aigles |
| Wed. 18 | 6:45 PM | Trois-Rivieres Aigles |
| Thu. 19 | 10:05 AM | Trois-Rivieres Aigles |
| Fri. 20 | 6:05 PM | at New Jersey Jackals |
| Sat. 21 | 5:05 PM | at New Jersey Jackals |
| Sun. 22 | 1:05 PM | at New Jersey Jackals |
| Tue. 24 | 6:05 PM | at Quebec Capitales |
| Wed. 25 | 6:05 PM | at Quebec Capitales |
| Thu. 26 | 6:05 PM | at Quebec Capitales |
| Fri. 27 | 5:30 PM | at Ottawa Titans |
| Sat. 28 | 5:00 PM | at Ottawa Titans |
| Sun. 29 | 12:00 PM | at Ottawa Titans |
| Tue. 31 | 6:45 PM | Windy City ThunderBolts * ^ |
| JUNE | ||
| Wed. 1 | 6:45 PM | Windy City ThunderBolts * ^ |
| Thu. 2 | 6:45 PM | Windy City ThunderBolts * ^ |
| Fri. 3 | 6:45 PM | Evansville Otters * ^ |
| Sat. 4 | 6:45 PM | Evansville Otters * ^ |
| Sun. 5 | 5:45 PM | Evansville Otters * ^ |
| Tue. 7 | 6:30 PM | at Schaumburg Boomers * ^ |
| Wed. 8 | 6:30 PM | at Schaumburg Boomers * ^ |
| Thu. 9 | 6:30 PM | at Schaumburg Boomers * ^ |
| Fri. 10 | 6:35 PM | at Evansville Otters * ^ |
| Sat. 11 | 6:35 PM | at Evansville Otters * ^ |
| Sun. 12 | 5:05 PM | at Evansville Otters * ^ |
| Tue. 14 | 6:45 PM | Florence Y’alls * ^ |
| Wed. 15 | 10:45 AM | Florence Y’alls * ^ |
| Thu. 16 | 6:45 PM | Florence Y’alls * ^ |
| Fri. 17 | 6:45 PM | Joliet Slammers * ^ |
| Sat. 18 | 6:45 PM | Joliet Slammers * ^ |
| Sun. 19 | 1:05 PM | Joliet Slammers * ^ |
| Tue. 21 | 6:45 PM | Schaumburg Boomers * ^ |
| Wed. 22 | 6:45 PM | Schaumburg Boomers * ^ |
| Thu. 23 | 6:45 PM | Schaumburg Boomers * ^ |
| Fri. 24 | 6:03 PM | at Florence Y’alls * ^ |
| Sat. 25 | 5:36 PM | at Florence Y’alls * ^ |
| Sun. 26 | 12:07 PM | at Florence Y’alls * ^ |
| Tue. 28 | 7:05 PM | at Windy City ThunderBolts * ^ |
| Wed. 29 | 7:05 PM | at Windy City ThunderBolts * ^ |
| Thu. 30 | 7:05 PM | at Windy City ThunderBolts * ^ |
| JULY | ||
| Fri. 1 | 6:45 PM | Evansville Otters * ^ |
| Sat. 2 | 6:45 PM | Evansville Otters * ^ |
| Sun. 3 | 6:45 PM | Evansville Otters * ^ |
| Mon. 4 | 6:45 PM | Evansville Otters * ^ |
| Tue. 5 | 6:35 PM | at Joliet Slammers * ^ |
| Wed. 6 | 6:35 PM | at Joliet Slammers * ^ |
| Thu. 7 | 6:35 PM | at Joliet Slammers * ^ |
| Fri. 8 | 6:05 PM | at Lake Erie Crushers * ^ |
| Sat. 9 | 5:05 PM | at Lake Erie Crushers * ^ |
| Sun. 10 | 4:35 PM | at Lake Erie Crushers * ^ |
| Tue. 12 | 6:45 PM | Washington Wild Things * ^ |
| Wed. 13 | 6:45 PM | Washington Wild Things * ^ |
| Thu. 14 | 6:45 PM | Washington Wild Things * ^ |
| Fri. 15 | 6:45 PM | Schaumburg Boomers * ^ |
| Sat. 16 | 6:45 PM | Schaumburg Boomers * ^ |
| Sun. 17 | 5:45 PM | Schaumburg Boomers * ^ |
| Fri. 22 | 6:00 PM | at Tri-City ValleyCats |
| Sat. 23 | 6:00 PM | at Tri-City ValleyCats |
| Sun. 24 | 4:00 PM | at Tri-City ValleyCats |
| Tue. 26 | 6:45 PM | Sussex County Miners |
| Wed. 27 | 6:45 PM | Sussex County Miners |
| Thu. 28 | 6:45 PM | Sussex County Miners |
| Fri. 29 | 6:45 PM | New York Boulders |
| Sat. 30 | 6:45 PM | New York Boulders |
| Sun. 31 | 5:45 PM | New York Boulders |
| AUGUST | ||
| Tue. 2 | 6:05 PM | at Washington Wild Things * ^ |
| Wed. 3 | 5:05 PM | at Washington Wild Things * ^ |
| Thu. 4 | 6:05 PM | at Washington Wild Things * ^ |
| Fri. 5 | 6:35 PM | at Evansville Otters * ^ |
| Sat. 6 | 6:35 PM | at Evansville Otters * ^ |
| Sun. 7 | 12:35 PM | at Evansville Otters * ^ |
| Tue. 9 | 6:45 PM | Lake Erie Crushers * ^ |
| Wed. 10 | 6:45 PM | Lake Erie Crushers * ^ |
| Thu. 11 | 6:45 PM | Lake Erie Crushers * ^ |
| Fri. 12 | 6:45 PM | Washington Wild Things * ^ |
| Sat. 13 | 6:45 PM | Washington Wild Things * ^ |
| Sun. 14 | 5:45 PM | Washington Wild Things * ^ |
| Tue. 16 | 6:35 PM | at Joliet Slammers * ^ |
| Wed. 17 | 6:35 PM | at Joliet Slammers * ^ |
| Thu. 18 | 6:35 PM | at Joliet Slammers * ^ |
| Fri. 19 | 6:45 PM | Windy City ThunderBolts * ^ |
| Sat. 20 | 6:45 PM | Windy City ThunderBolts * ^ |
| Sun. 21 | 5:45 PM | Windy City ThunderBolts * ^ |
| Wed. 24 | 6:45 PM | Florence Y’alls * ^ |
| Thu. 25 | 6:45 PM | Florence Y’alls * ^ |
| Fri. 26 | 6:30 PM | at Schaumburg Boomers * ^ |
| Sat. 27 | 6:00 PM | at Schaumburg Boomers * ^ |
| Sun. 28 | 1:00 PM | at Schaumburg Boomers * ^ |
| Tue. 30 | 7:05 PM | at Windy City ThunderBolts * ^ |
| Wed. 31 | 7:05 PM | at Windy City ThunderBolts * ^ |
| SEPTEMBER | ||
| Thu. 1 | 7:05 PM | at Windy City ThunderBolts * ^ |
| Fri. 2 | 6:45 PM | Lake Erie Crushers * ^ |
| Sat. 3 | 6:45 PM | Lake Erie Crushers * ^ |
| Sun. 4 | 6:05 PM | Lake Erie Crushers * ^ |
#-Exhibition *– Conference ^– Division Bold – Gateway Grizzlies Home Game