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‘Keeper Watkins and local lad Kramer sign for Capitals

Local defender Trey Kramer and up-and-coming goalkeeper Michael Watkins have joined Baton Rouge Capitals. The acquisition of the pair is a further major coup for coach Stuart Hayers as he prepares the Capitals’ squad for its championship push in the upcoming season.

Both players join Capitals from NCAA II and play for Lincoln Memorial and University of West Florida respectively.  Both schools have become a force in NCAA II in recent years with several conference titles and National Tournament appearances.

Under Coach Bill Elliott, UWF had great success winning the GSC regular season titles and tournament titles for the last few years.  Lincoln Memorial had four back-to-back final appearances in 2006 and 2007 under former Capitals coach Helio D'Anna.  Both programs are well known to Capitals’ Head Coach Stuart Hayers as he both played and coached at the NCAA II level. "These are two of the best programs in the nation at any level and produce players of great quality consistently," said Hayers.

Trey Kramer (below) is a Baton Rouge local and played high school soccer in New Orleans for Jesuit High School.  He flourished with a soccer scholarship at UWF Pensacola under the tutelage of Bill Elliot and Eduardo Oliveira at University of West Florida, Pensocala, garnering all GSC  first-team honors, GSC defender of the week, and a GSC

“I am excited to play for a team that has its standards set high, I am ready to begin playing and start my first PDL season for the Capitals".

Goalkeeper Michael Watkins (above) recently completed his sophomore year for the Lincoln Memorial Railsplitters this year, and signs for Capitals after a year at PDL team Reading Rage, where he gained valuable experience as the team advanced to the playoffs.

Shutouts
A native of North Carolina, Watkins earned a name for himself with a 0.82 goals-against average, including seven shutouts during the season.  Watkins was part of the US Soccer Development Academy, was All-State during his high school career, and was recently named to the SAC first team.

Said Stuart Hayers: "Michael has come highly-recommendedand, once I saw him for myself, it was a no-brainer to bring him in.  Michael joins us as the most experienced ‘keeper and the Capitals will look to him to claim the number -one jersey. However he will have some great young goalkeepers pushing him all the way, ‘keepers the Capitals are hoping will learn from Michael.”

Hayers is keen for Watkins to take the PDL by storm at Capitals, saying, "He has all the attributes to be one of the best goalkeepers in the PDL: his previous coaches have attested to the level of professionalism he brings saying he is always first to training and last to leave. That is what I am looking for from all my players".

Michael explained that he is very excited to be joining Capitals this summer: “When I saw the club’s expectations for the season, I knew that I wanted to play my part in achieving the club’s ambitions. Playing with Reading Rage last year for my first year of PDL I experienced and grew a lot as a player, and I expect to bring everything I have to the Capitals this season".

title during a season in which he helped anchor a defence that had one of the hardest schedules in the country and kept opponents to scoring just over one goal a game, while also scoring a goal himself.

On signing Kramer, Stuart Hayers commented, "Trey is another example of the high level of player that the state of Louisiana is producing and I am delighted to have again signed such high-quality local talent. 

“His college coaches are some of the best in the business and, having started 16 of 17 games for UWF as a freshman, I expect him to impact our squad from day one".

Kramer was quick to compliment his new teammates on signing for the club, and he ready to take on the challenge of earning a spot on a team filled with talent.

"I hope to learn from the quality players as well as contribute my skill and ability so that we can bring a championship to Baton Rouge,” he said.