The two time defending New York Collegiate Baseball League champion Amsterdam Mohawks have announced the first of their signings for the 2011 season. The chance for a "three-peat" will not be possible as the Mohawks and seven other teams have left the NYCBL and joined forces with Perfect Game USA (the world's leader in scouting and player showcase services) to form the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.

The Mohawks have signed three catchers for the 2011 season. Mike Lubanski, a sophomore at Wake Forest , junior Bryan Bleakley from New Jersey Tech, and Josh Nethaway, a red-shirt freshman at UAlbany will share time for the Mohawks behind the plate this summer.

Lubanski, a native of Collegeville , PA will be Wake Forest's starting catcher this season after playing a reserve role last spring. He is the brother of Chris Lubanski, a pitcher in the Kansas City Royals system and the fifth overall pick in the 2003 Major League draft.

Bleakley, who also can play first and third base, was New Jersey Tech's leading hitter last spring. The 6'2, 225-pound lefty, hit cleanup for the Highlanders and ended the season with a .319 average and 6 homeruns.

Nethaway, a Fonda, NY native, was UAlbany's starting catcher a year ago as a true freshman, but tore his ulnar collateral nerve in his elbow during the first weekend of the season and was lost for the season. The 6'3, 220-pound slugger will be UAlbany's cleanup hitter this spring and will also see time at first base and in right field for the Great Danes.

The three 2011 backstops will have big shoes to fill as the 2010 Mohawk catchers were quite talented. Lost are Brown's Matt Colantonio (a two-year Mohawk) who was in many ways the glue of the team over the past two seasons and the super talented University of Kentucky starting catcher Luke Maile.

The Mohawks open their season on Thursday June 9 against the Albany Dutchmen. They will have an opening weekend fireworks extravaganza after their second home game on Saturday June 11.