Posts Tagged ‘Nebraska’

Express Secure Four More Commitments

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Eau Claire, Wis. – The Eau Claire Express roster continues to develop, as the team announced four more commitments to the 2010 roster today. University of Illinois-Chicago teammates Steve McGuiggan and Nathan Orf join the Express along with Nebraska Cornhusker teammates Josh Scheffert and Chris Williams. Field Manager Dale Varsho’s roster now stands at seven.

McGuiggan is a 5-foot-11-inch, 210-pound outfielder for the UIC Flames. The junior from Apple Valley, Minn. began his career with a bang, batting .370 while leading the team in hits (85), triples (5) and multi-hit games (27). His outstanding freshman season earned him several postseason honors, one of which was being named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Team. McGuiggan experienced a slight drop off as a sophomore, finishing with a .254 batting average and team-leading totals in stolen bases (18) and runs scored (37). In seven games this spring, McGuiggan has collected ten hits in 29 at-bats, good for a .345 batting average.
  
Orf is a 5-foot-8-inch, 165-pound sophomore at UIC. The catcher had a standout freshman season, collecting 48 hits in only 36 games. His .429 batting average contributed to his various postseason honors, which included being named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American Team. Orf has a double in his only at-bat early on this season.

Scheffert, a 6-foot-2-inch infielder and pitcher, was a dominant two-way player at Lincoln (Neb.) Southeast High School. He pitched and played shortstop, collecting a 6-2 record and a 0.96 earned run average on the mound while batting .416 and driving in 32 runs as a batter. Scheffert has appeared in five of the Cornhuskers’ seven games early on this season, driving in six runs in 16 official at-bats.

Williams, a 6-foot-2-inch freshman pitcher, is a native of Omaha, Neb. The right-hander led his high school team to a state title as a senior, winning nine games with an impressive 1.63 ERA. Williams is likely to work out of the Huskers’ bullpen with the opportunity to work himself into a setup role. He has yet to appear in a game early on in Nebraska’s season.

The Express will open their 2010 season in La Crosse on June 2. The following day, the Loggers will travel to Carson Park for the Express home opener. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 and the game is sponsored by Maverick Media. Continue checking the www.eauclarieexpress.com in the coming weeks as the 2010 roster will continue to develop.

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Touted Husker to Rejoin Woodchucks

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Wausau, WI – University of Nebraska second baseman and Plano, Texas native Kale Kiser has signed on to play his second season of Wisconsin Woodchucks baseball.  The switch hitting Kiser, 19, stands 5’10” tall at 180 lbs.  Kale is regarded as a hard-nosed, high baseball IQ guy with an advanced offensive approach for his age.  Playing for the Woodchucks last summer Kale posted a .252 BA and 6 RBI with a .659 OPS in an injury-shorted season.   Said Woodchucks skipper George “Guido” Aspeitia, “Kale did a good job for us until he had to have surgery on his knee; he’s going to help us in the infield.  [He] was really swinging the wood bat well when he left, and his departure left a hole in our offense, so having that bat and his experience in the lineup should help us a lot.” As a true freshman at the University of Nebraska, Kiser posted a .208 BA and 9 RBI with a .661 OPS in limited playing time.   “Kale gained a lot of experience last year, and has put himself in position to earn a starting spot at second base this year,” Nebraska Head Coach Mike Anderson said. “He is much improved defensively and gives us someone who can switch hit with some power from the left side. We are excited to see what Kale can do for us this year.” Kiser boasts a prolific prep career at Plano West High where he finished his senior season with a .423 batting average while leading his team to a Class 5A Texas State Championship and a Max Preps #1 national team ranking.  He would go on to be named an honorable mention All-American by Collegiate Baseball to go along with making the ’08 Texas All-State team.  Kale had previously helped out his summer ball team, the Dallas Baseball Academy of Texas, to a 2006 Mickey Mantle World Series title. 

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.

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Boomer Collins & Blair Moore Set to Return in 2010

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

LA CROSSE, WI – With an entire coaching staff back and a hometown two-way athlete already returning for 2010, the La Crosse Loggers baseball announced the return of two more key cogs from the 2009 club. Outfielder Boomer Collins (Nebraska) and infielder Blair Moore (San Diego State) will both dawn Logger uniforms again next season, team officials announced today.

Collins, a sophomore from Waxahachie, Texas will join sophomore Tony Mueller in the Logger outfield to form a very athletic duo. The 6-0, 185 pound right-handed hitter appeared in 60 games for the Lumbermen in 2009, hitting .180 with three homer and 18 RBI’s. Perhaps his biggest hit came in Game #2 of the NWL Championship Series when he drove in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning in the Loggers 5-4 victory. Collins was also honored as a Rawlings Finest in the Field award recipient this past summer as he did not commit a single error in 60 games played.

Freshman Blair Moore will also be returning for his second season in La Crosse, following a summer in which he became the first high school senior ever to play for the Loggers. Moore joined the Lumbermen in late July and appeared in 17 games hitting .204 over 49 at-bats with 5 RBI’s during the regular season. The 6-1, 180 pound left-handed hitter really grew up in the 2009 post-season as he led the Loggers in hits (7) over the five post-season games with one home run, two RBI’s and he hit at a .333 clip during that span.

Moore was also highly recruited out of Riverside Poly High School (Riverside, Calif.) as he earned honorable mention all-American honors from Collegiate Baseball this past spring.

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