KALAMAZOO, MI – The Growlers are proud to announce the signing of two players from MAC conference schools. Luke Schaefer, a right handed pitcher from The University of Toledo, and Tyler Drabick, a right hand pitcher from Kent State University.

Luke Schaefer: 6’3”, 210 Ibs, (So.), RHP, Portage, Michigan, University of Toledo

Schaefer was a standout pitcher in high school at Portage Central.  He was a three-year letterwinner in baseball and one in basketball, and sported 6-2 record with one save and 0.84 ERA as a senior. Schaefer pitched 50 innings and struck out 41 batters, good enough to be named all-district and all-conference. In his freshman season at Toledo he appeared in 14 games as reliever. Schaefer pitched 22.2 innings with a 6.75 ERA. This year in limited action he has appeared in two games for a total of one inning and hasn't allowed a run. Luke is also the younger brother of Cole Schaefer, who played for the Growlers in 2015 and went on to win the College World Series with the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. Schaefer has the talent to be an effective pitcher, and he will look to gain valuable experience in the Northwoods League this summer.

Tyler Drabick: 6’3”, 185, (Fr.), RHP, North Canton, Ohio, Kent State University

Drabick had a stellar high school career at Hoover high in North Canton. Drabick was named First Team All-League, All-District, All-County and All-State as a senior and was named to the Rawlings Preseason All-Midwest Team. His senior season Drabick went 5-2 on the mound with a 1.47 ERA while hitting .360 with 16 RBI. Drabick’s dad pitched at Mount Vernon Nazarene University and his mom played basketball there, his uncle Jim Barton pitched at Akron and played professionally in the Chicago White Sox organization. Currently Drabick hasn't recorded any statistics on the year so he will be ready to gain some innings this summer against next level competition in the Northwoods League. Drabick is used to success and has all the tools to develop into an effective pitcher for the Growlers.

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The Kalamazoo Growlers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 160 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM).  All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.growlersbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Growlers as your favorite team.