SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — A Midwest League All-Star in 2011 while a member of the Kansas City Royals farm system, Old Dominion standout shortstop Gerard Hall and Cumberland University catcher/infielder David Fanshawe have agreed to terms with the Schaumburg Boomers, Manager Jamie Bennett announced today.

Hall, 23, spent the last two seasons in the Royals organization after signing as an undrafted free agent out of Old Dominion University near the end of the 2009 season. After appearing in two games with the then Rookie League Burlington Royals in the Appalachian League, Hall returned to Burlington in 2010 and got his first taste of regular playing time as a professional, this time in the Low-A Midwest League. Hall batted .224 in 121 games, splitting time at both shortstop and second base.

Hall once again began the season in the Midwest League in 2011, this time with the Kane County Cougars who became the Low-A affiliate of the Royals in the offseason. Hall had an outstanding first half and earned an All-Star selection after batting .280 with 14 doubles and four triples in 157 bats before the break. Hall moved up to the Class-A Advanced Wilmington Blue Rocks to finish the 2011 campaign and batted .255 in 32 games, adding 6 doubles and a triple.

A Second Team All-Colonial Athletic Conference selection as a senior at Old Dominion, Hall appeared in 149 games during his tenure as a member of the Monarchs Baseball Team. A career .304 hitter, Hall collected 26 doubles, 6 homers and 73 RBI in addition to 31 stolen bases over the course of his three seasons at ODU. Hall’s best season came in 2008 as a sophomore when the fleet-footed shortstop batted .361, was a perfect 13-13 in stolen base attempts and was second on the Monarchs with a .435 on-base percentage.

Prior to attending Old Dominion, Hall earned All-Metro honors and was a three-time All-Conference selection at Gonzaga College High School in Washington D.C., where he also served as a team captain as a senior.

Fanshawe, 23, has won at every level, including a Florida High School Athletic Association State Title (FHSAA) in 2006 and a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) National Championship in 2010, and he looks to continue his winning ways with the Boomers in 2012.

A Miami, Fla. native, Fanshawe is a recent graduate of Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tenn. where he was a First-Team All-TranSouth Conference Selection in both of his seasons as a member of the Bulldogs Baseball Team. A career .316 hitter, Fanshawe collected 19 homers and 88 RBI to go along with 62 walks and just 57 strikeouts over the course of his 116 games behind the plate for Cumberland.

A huge piece of the 2010 Bulldogs squad which captured the NAIA National Championship, Fanshawe put up stellar numbers to help lead Cumberland to a remarkable 58-9 record. The right-handed slugging catcher batted .342 with 13 homers and 49 RBI as a junior with a .586 slugging percentage and a .428 on-base percentage, which is good for a staggering 1,014 OPS.

Fanshawe was equally as impressive behind the plate in 2010, catching nearly 90% of his team’s innings and throwing out an impressive 34% (19 out of 56) of runners attempting to steal against him. Fanshawe was responsible for calling his own game behind the plate at Cumberland and handled a pitching staff that posted an ERA of 3.76, good for 10th in the nation in 2010.

A four-year letter winner at Brito Miami Private School, Fanshawe was selected to the All-Dade County Second-Team and the All-State First Team as a senior for the FHSAA’s 7A State Champions. After High School, Fanshawe saw action in 27 games at St. Thomas University, including 16 starts before transferring to Broward Community College for his sophomore season where he batted .303 with 24 RBI in 42 games.

With the addition of Hall and Fanshawe, the Boomers now have 18 players signed to a contract for their Inaugural Season. Both players join infielders Andrew Cohn, Brandon Hairston, Drew Heithoff, Ellis Lowe and John Wagle; pitchers Matt Collins, Wally Goodline, Vinny Lally, Patrick Mincey, Joe Parsons, Robbie Penny and Andy Weeks; catchers Brad Hawn and Mike Valadez; and outfielders Nate Baumann and Raphael Turner. The Boomers up to 34-man Spring Training Roster will be trimmed to a maximum of 24 players by Opening Day.

The Boomers open the 2012 campaign on the road against the Lake Erie Crushers on May 18 but return to Schaumburg, Ill. on Friday, May 25 at 6:30 p.m. for the first home game in the franchise’s short history. For season tickets, group outings and other information, be sure to visit www.boomersbaseball.com or give us a call at 847.461.3695.