Archive for January, 2010
Friday, January 29th, 2010
Waterloo, IA – The Waterloo Bucks have announced that outfielder Willie Argo will return to play for the Bucks in 2010. Currently, Argo is a sophomore at the University of Illinois studying Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Last season for the Bucks, Argo appeared in 64 games. The outfielder finished the season with a .214 average with 25 RBI, three home runs, and led the team in runs and stolen bases with 38 and 29, respectively.
During his freshman year at Illinois, Argo hit .355 with 21 home runs, 10 stolen bases, and a .421 on-base percentage. The 6′1″, 210-pound right-handed hitter was drafted in the 44th round of the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Originally from Davenport, Iowa, both the Des Moines Register and Quad City Times named Argo the 2008 Male Athlete of the year. A four-sport athlete who was named an Elite All State Outfielder in 2006 through 2008, Argo was named captain of 2008 All-State Team after leading Davenport Assumption High School to the Class 2A state title. Born on October 15, 1989, Willie is the son of Billy and Kathleen Argo.
The Bucks will open the 2010 season at home on Wednesday, June 2 at 6:35 pm versus Wisconsin Rapids. Season tickets and single-game tickets are currently on sale. Fans are encouraged to stay in touch with the Bucks in the off-season by utilizing their website at www.waterloobucks.com.
Tags: Argo, Bucks, Illinois, Waterloo
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Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
Waterloo, IA – The Waterloo Bucks announced James Lally will be joining the Bucks staff as the team’s Pitching Coach. Lally is currently serving in his first season as an Assistant Coach at Hofstra University. Lally spent the 2008-’09 academic years at Archbishop Molloy High School in Middle Village, New York as a teacher and also assisted the baseball and basketball team in his coaching abilities.
“I couldn’t be more excited about this summer with all of the great things I have heard about the Waterloo Bucks,” said Lally. “I am anxiously looking forward to the upcoming season and I am proud to join Jason Nell and his staff along with the entire Waterloo Bucks team for what should be another great season for the Bucks.”
Graduating from St. John’s University in 2007, Lally pitched three seasons for the Red Storm, appearing in 59 games from 2005-’07. Lally also was part of two NCAA tournament teams while attending St. John’s and was also a 3-time Big East Conference Academic All-Star.
Lally resides in Floral Park, New York and is currently working towards a master’s degree in secondary education with an emphasis in social studies at Hofstra.
The Bucks will open the 2010 season at home on Wednesday, June 2 at 6:35 pm versus Wisconsin Rapids. Season tickets and single-game tickets are currently on sale. Fans are encouraged to stay in touch with the Bucks in the off-season by utilizing their website at www.waterloobucks.com.
Tags: Bucks, Hofstra, Lally, Waterloo
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Monday, January 25th, 2010
Wausau, WI – Former Stevens Point Area Senior High (SPASH) Panther and current UW-Stevens Point shortstop Eric Fritz has signed on for his second summer with the Wisconsin Woodchucks. The 5’11” righty has a reputation for being a team player with a top-notch work ethic and approach to the game. “I feel like I improved tremendously as a player and a leader over the summer playing with the type of competition that the Northwoods League provides,” Fritz said. “The direction Coach had the team going towards the end of the summer has me already looking forward to next summer.” In limited playing time with the ‘Chucks last summer, Fritz posted an impressive .281 BA with a .343 OBP. Fritz was originally a 10-day contract player who was signed on to the permanent roster when a spot opened up late in the season. “When we made that run at the end of the summer, he was solid at short for us, stabilized the infield, got hot at the plate, and always gave us his best effort,” said Woodchucks manager Guido Aspeitia. “I think Fritzy’s work ethic, tenacity and overall grittiness symbolize not only our mascot, but the city of Wausau, the surrounding communities, and the state of Wisconsin as a whole.” Local prep followers may remember Fritz’s exploits on the diamond (and gridiron) while playing for the SPASH Panthers, where he made the 2007 WBCA All-State third team. He currently plays his college ball for the UWSP Pointers where he “feel[s] like we have a strong team that could very well contend for a national championship this year – which is our ultimate goal. With the youthful team we had last year gaining experience during the spring and summer baseball seasons we have very high expectations as always.” In Fritz’s second season with the Pointers last spring, he started every game he played while posting a .297 BA with a .846 OPS, while going 17 for 17 on the basepaths. “We are grateful to the Woodchucks and their staff for allowing Eric the opportunity to compete for another summer in the Northwoods League. He gained valuable experience and skill advancement from his opportunity last season, and we look for him to be a significant contributor to our ballclub this spring,” said UWSP Head Coach Pat Bloom. “Eric was one of three Pointer players to play in Wausau last summer, and we look forward to the possibility of more Pointers earning the chance to wear the Woodchuck uniform in the future.”
The Woodchucks 2010 home opener is on Thursday, June 3rd as they take on the Madison Mallards. For group outing/ticket information contact the Woodchucks office at 715-845-5055 or visit the Woodchucks website at www.woodchucks.com.
Tags: Fritz, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Woodchucks
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Friday, January 22nd, 2010
Waterloo, IA – The Waterloo Bucks have announced that outfielder Pat Stover will return to play for the Bucks in 2010. Currently a freshman at Santa Clara University, Stover was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 17th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Stover will join fellow Broncos Paul Twining and Ryan Rieger on the Waterloo roster.
Joining the Bucks in early-July last year, Stover played in 26 games. In 105 at bats, the Rocklin, California native hit .265 with one home run, 14 RBI, and a .373 slugging percentage.
Bucks’ Manager Jason Nell believes Stover will be a crucial part of Waterloo’s lineup this summer.
“Pat is an unbelievable athlete with a great make-up,” said Nell. “He’s a young talent who should be able to use his freshman season at Santa Clara as a bouncing board to step in right away and help us in the outfield in Waterloo. Pat has the ability to run downhill and go get the balls in the gap. We’ll need him and his intelligence on the base paths to produce runs for us.”
The 6′4″, 210-pound right-handed hitter led Rocklin High School to the 2009 CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II baseball state title. Stover led Rocklin with a .451 average and slugged .756 as a senior.
Then Bucks will open the 2010 season at home on Wednesday, June 2 at 6:35 pm versus Wisconsin Rapids. Season tickets and single-game tickets are currently on sale. Fans are encouraged to stay in touch with the Bucks in the off-season by utilizing their website at www.waterloobucks.com.
Tags: Bucks, Santa Clara, Stover, Waterloo
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
(LA CROSSE, WI) – The La Crosse Loggers added another pair of teammates Wednesday as the team announced the signings of right handed pitcher Dan Langfield and outfielder Derrick Thomas, both freshman at the University of Memphis.
Langfield is expected to take on a significant role this upcoming season at Memphis after completing an oustanding career at Somerset High School in Massachusetts. Langfield picked up an astounishing 192 strikeouts in just 101 innings in his junior and senior seasons. The right handed power pitcher also helped lead his high school team to the Division 2 State Title in 2006.
Perfect Game and Rawlings selected Langfield as a top prospect and also selected Langfield as a member of the Perfect Game Northeast All-Star Team. Langfield also received a 9 out of 10 grading by Perfect Game indicating him as a top-10-round Major League draft pick or a high division 1 prospect after his fastball was clocked at 94 mph during a session at Memphis University.
The apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree in Langfield’s case as his father, Paul, was also a talented pitcher back in his playing days. Paul Langfield was a pitcher at Providence College before playing in the minor leagues with both the Toronto Blue Jays and the Detroit Tigers.
Joining Langfield this summer in La Crosse will be Memphis teammate Derrick Thomas. Thomas, 6-3, 210, was a 44th round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2009 but decided instead to join the Memphis Tigers. Ranked as a top-40 outfield prospect in 2009 by Perfect Game, Thomas was a four-year letter winner at Roswell High School where he posted a .347 average with 43 stolen bases and 11 home runs.
Prior to committing to Memphis, Thomas played summer ball with Danny Pralgo’s 6-4-3 DP Cougars Baseball Academy. Thomas racked up a .431 batting average, a .521 on-base percentage, and accounted for 122 RBI’s. In 2008 he earned All-Tournament recognition as the Cougars finished runner-up in the CABA 16U Ultimate World Series Tournament.
The 2010 Northwoods League schedule was released earlier this month which has the Loggers starting out the season with a home and home series against the Eau Claire Express with the first game being held at Copeland Park in La Crosse on Wednesday, June 2, 2010. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.
Tags: La Crosse, Langfield, Loggers, Memphis, Thomas
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Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
(Mankato, MN)–The Mankato MoonDogs Baseball Club is proud to announce the return of Jason Belk of St. Ambrose University (Davenport, IA). Belk was an assistant last year for the MoonDogs under Mike Orchard.
“I am happy to have Jason back,” Mike Orchard said. “I know his attention to detail and his commitment to make pitchers better. He was very professional and the players responded well to him last season.”
Belk is a 2008 graduate of the University of Iowa, and a former pitcher for the MoonDogs during the 2006 season. He had a 1-1 record in 20 appearances with a 2.33 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 38.2 innings pitched in Mankato. Belk is currently finishing up his Masters Degree at St. Ambrose and will graduate in May of 2010.
“I am excited to be back in Mankato for another season. I have been around the town and the people for over two seasons and feel comfortable here,” Belk said. “We had a great pitching staff last year and I am looking forward to another great season in 2010.”
In 2009 with Belk’s help the MoonDogs cracked the Top 10 in three single season pitching categories. The 2.50 ERA marked the best ERA in MoonDog history and was fifth place on the NWL list. The Dogs tied for eighth all-time in strikeouts with 519 and tied for ninth in shutouts with eight. Also, the MoonDogs pitching staff allowed a franchise-low 228 runs and 176 earned runs. The Dogs finished second in the league in strikeouts, but their mark of 519 on the year was also a franchise best.
The MoonDogs open the 2010 season on June 2 against the Honkers. Season tickets are now on sale at the MoonDogs baseball office located at 1221 Caledonia Street. For more information visit the MoonDogs website at www.mankatomoondogs.com or call the MoonDogs Office at 507-625-7047.
Tags: Belk, Mankato, MoonDogs
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Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
(Waterloo, IA) – The Waterloo Bucks have announced that first baseman/outfielder Ryan Rieger will return to play for the Bucks in 2010. Currently a redshirt freshman at Santa Clara University, Rieger (pronounced REE-gur) is the fourth player to be signed by Waterloo for the upcoming season and will join fellow Bronco Paul Twining on the Bucks’ roster.
Last season for the Bucks, Rieger played in 13 games before an injury cut his summer short. In limited action, Rieger hit .256 in 39 at bats with four RBI and a .442 slugging percentage.
The Roseville, California native redshirted last year for Santa Clara. Prior to joining the Broncos, Rieger played high school baseball at Woodcreek High School in Roseville where Baseball America and Rivals.com ranked him as one of the nation’s Top 50 prospects. Rieger hit .472 as a senior with 34 hits and 24 RBI in 27 games.
Bucks’ Manager Jason Nell is eager to see what Rieger can do this spring for Santa Clara.
“I look for Ryan to have a solid freshman year at Santa Clara and to continue to bring his talent, both offensively and defensively, to Waterloo,” said Nell. “He’s got a great frame and good make-up, and hopefully the more he plays the better he will get. He could hit in the middle part of the lineup for us if he has the right approach.”
The 6′1″, 200-pounder is a left-handed hitter and left-handed thrower. Born on August 10, 1990, Ryan is the son of Jerry & Nancy Rieger.
Then Bucks will open the 2010 season at home on Wednesday, June 2 at 6:35 pm versus Wisconsin Rapids. Season tickets and single-game tickets are currently on sale. Fans are encouraged to stay in touch with the Bucks in the off-season by utilizing their website at www.waterloobucks.com.
Tags: Bucks, Rieger, Waterloo
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Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
(Brainerd Lakes Area) – The Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers of the Northwoods League announced today that St. Cloud State University pitcher, and Brainerd native, Nick Anderson signed a contract to play for the Lunkers this summer, according to team owner and general manager Joel Sutherland.
Anderson, a 6-foot 4-inch, 185 pound sophomore who graduated from Brainerd High School in 2008, is looking forward to playing in the Lakes Area after missing much of his senior season due to an injury. “Losing my senior season to injury was a tough thing to swallow,” Anderson said. “I can’t wait to put my Lunkers uniform on and get a chance to represent my hometown again.”
Last season for the Huskies, Anderson worked mostly out of relief recording a 2-2 record and a 4.45 ERA in 13 appearances out of the bullpen. This year, things should be a little bit different for him as he will be working as a starter for the first time since his junior year at BHS. “This is a big step for me and an opportunity I will embrace with open arms,” Anderson said.
Lunkers’ field manager Ryan Levendoski has been impressed with Anderson’s career thus far at St. Cloud State. “Nick is a guy who can really bring the heat,” Levendoski said. “He has the tools to become a fixture in our rotation and the fact he grew up in the Lakes Area makes him a perfect fit for this organization.”
Levendoski and Sutherland will continue to build the roster until the season begins on June 2nd. The Lunkers home opener, presented by Cub Foods, is Thursday, June 3rd against the Alexandria Beetles at Stewart C. Mills Field. Game time is 7:05. For more information call the Lunkers office at 218-824-3474 or visit www.lunkersbaseball.com.
Tags: Anderson, Brainerd Lakes Area, Lunkers
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Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
LA CROSSE, WI – Brad Jesernig and Alex Najera will soon be spending a lot of time together as the La Crosse Loggers announced today the signing of the two pitchers out of Pepperdine University for the upcoming 2010 season.
Brad Jesernig (So. – Pepperdine) returns to Pepperdine University after posting a 6.94 ERA in seven relief apperances last season after being redshirted in his true freshman season. The 6-5 right handed hurler totaled 11 strikeouts and limited opposing batters to a .244 average while finishing 5 of the 7 games he appeared in.
Jesernig took some advice from this pitching coach at Pepperdine this past summer as he changed his delievery to a sidearm motion and actually added some heat to his fastball which was clocked at 92 mph. While pitching for the Saratoga Phillies of the New York Collegiate Baseball League this past summer, Jesernig, and his new sidearm motion, earned a 3.14 ERA in 15 appearances as a closer and held opposing batters to a .206 average. He was named to the all-league first team.
Along with Jesernig comes freshman left hander Alex Najera (Pepperdine) who will look to carry over his successful high school career to Pepperdine University this spring. Najera was a four-year letter winner at Canyon High School in Anaheim, California where he was named to the All-Century League team and received the school’s Comanche Award following his senior year where he posted an earned run average under 1.00 and hit .325.
Before joining the Loggers, the two hurlers will be trying to help the Waves of Pepperdine improve on their third place West Coast Conference finish of last year when the team finished 12-9 in conference play and 31-23 overall marking the teams 32nd straight 30-plus win season.
The 2010 Northwoods League schedule was released earlier this month which has the Loggers starting out the season with a home and home series against the Eau Claire Express with the first game being held at Copeland Park in La Crosse on Wednesday, June 2, 2010. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.
Tags: Jesernig, La Crosse, Loggers, Najera, Pepperdine
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Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
Waterloo, IA – The Waterloo Bucks have announced the signing of pitcher Kyle Kramp for the 2010 season. Currently a freshman at Butler University, Kramp is the third player to be signed by Waterloo for the upcoming season and will join fellow Bulldog Jared Wagoner on the Bucks’ roster.
The San Francisco Giants drafted the right-handed pitcher in the 45th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft last year. As a senior at Westfield High School in Westfield, Indiana, Kramp was named the 2009 Indiana Baseball Coaches Association Player of the Year, the Indianapolis Star All-North Player of the Year, and earned All-State and All-Conference honors. Kramp finished his final prep season with a 10-2 record, a 1.79 ERA, and 101 strikeouts.
Bucks’ Manager Jason Nell is eager to see what the hurler will bring to the Bucks this summer.
“Kyle had an unbelievable high school career as a starter, so he has the potential to either start or come out of the pen for us. It will depend on Butler’s plans for him,” said Nell. “Whatever situation, he has good stuff to compete and win games at a high level. He’s a freshman who we will count on. I’m very interested to see him play this spring and help Butler win a lot of games.”
The 6′3″, 195-pound Carmel, Indiana native was born on December 12, 1990. Kyle is the son of David & Lisa Kramp.
Then Bucks will open the 2010 season at home on Wednesday, June 2 at 6:35 pm versus Wisconsin Rapids. Season tickets and single-game tickets are currently on sale. Fans are encouraged to stay in touch with the Bucks in the off-season by utilizing their website at www.waterloobucks.com.
Tags: Bucks, Kramp, Waterloo
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