UAlbany’s Mariano signs with Gastonia Ghost Peppers in Atlantic League

Matthew Mariano landed with the Gastonia Ghost Peppers, giving the Atlantic League another college arm with a clear pro-ready profile as UAlbany pushed two more players into the professional game. The University at Albany said Mariano and Dylan Banner officially signed pro contracts on July 14, but the two paths split immediately: Mariano went to Gastonia in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, while Banner headed to the Williamsport Crosscutters of the MLB Draft League.

That split matters. Williamsport is built around draft visibility; Gastonia is asking for outs, innings and immediate value. Mariano gives the Ghost Peppers a right-handed relief pitcher who already looks like a bullpen piece, not a project. Baseball-Reference lists him at 6-foot-0 and 205 pounds, batting and throwing right-handed, with a birth date of April 9, 2003, in Clifton Park, New York.

Mariano’s route has been local to the Capital Region and direct from there to pro ball. He attended Shenendehowa High School in Clifton Park before SUNY Albany, and now he goes to a Gastonia club that is playing in the South Division and entering its fifth Atlantic League season while still chasing its first championship.

That is the Atlantic League’s draw for college players who are ready to skip the slow grind of the traditional draft path. Clubs in this league can buy into a skill set they know how to use right away, and Mariano fits the mold: a right-handed reliever with size, a clear role and a college resume that should translate fast in independent ball. Gastonia is not waiting on projection here. It is taking a pitcher from SUNY Albany who already has the frame and the profile to handle a pro bullpen.

Banner’s move to Williamsport shows the other door open after college, but Mariano’s landing spot says just as much about the Atlantic League. Gastonia is making room for a player it believes can help now, and that is exactly how independent clubs keep turning college arms into professional options.