Grafton, WI – Eddy Morgan has announced a completely new coaching staff for the 2017 as three new faces will join him in the dugout.  As much as the Northwoods League is intended for player development, the opportunity for younger coaches to gain valuable experience is a hallmark of the league. This season Mike Frank (Eastern Michigan University), John Hasser (Carthage College), and Jake Ratz (Ellsworth Community College) will bring valuable experience to assist Chinook players.

Mike Frank will serve as Lakeshore’s pitching coach after his second season as an assistant coach for EMU where he works alongside Head Coach Mark Van Ameyde with the EMU pitchers. As the assistant pitching coach, EMU's pitchers improved their team ERA from 5.98 to 4.80 in 2016, the best ERA since 2011. Frank joined the program after spending the previous season as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Rochester College in Rochester Hills, Mich. While there, he helped guide the team to the 2015 United States Collegiate Athletic Association Small College World Series. His team was the fourth seed out of ten teams in the tournament. Prior to coaching, Frank was a student-athlete at Bowling Green State University where he graduated in 2014. While a member of the Falcons, the Maumee, Ohio native finished his career with over 300 innings pitched, the only pitcher in BGSU history to do so, and recorded 221 strikeouts, which is second in program history and only 11 shy of the all-time record.

John Hasser will serve as the team’s bench coach at the conclusion of his sixth year as a part-time Carthage assistant coach in 2017 after playing his senior season with the Red Men in 2011. Hasser has Northwoods League experience as a member of the 2010 Green Bay Bullfrogs. John also has managed youth teams for the Hitters Academy out of Racine. He has worked with many players at Hitters that have gone on to play Division 1 college baseball. A native of St. Louis, Mo., Hasser attended Wisconsin-Parkside for three years before transferring to Carthage, where he graduated in 2011 with a bachelor’s in public relations.

Jake Ratz has been tabbed as the Chinooks’ hitting coach Jake Ratz after a second season on the Ellsworth staff, having played for the Panthers in 2011 and 2012. After receiving Second Team All-Conference honors during his sophomore year as a first baseman, Ratz went on to play at South Dakota State University. During his time at South Dakota State, he was part of a team that won the Summit League Conference tournament and went on to play in the Eugene, OR, regionals in the NCAA Tournament. Also, during his junior year he was listed as the pre-season Newcomer of the Year in the Summit League by Baseball America. A graduate of South Dakota State in May 2015 with a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Sport and Recreation Management, Ratz served as manager of the Joplin Outlaws in the MINK Collegiate League. In Joplin, he led the Outlaws to a 26-20 record, second best in their division and best in organizational history. Ratz coached 10 players that competed at the Division 1 level in Joplin.

You can catch your first glimpse of the 2017 Chinooks roster on Saturday, June 3rd when Lakeshore takes on the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters at 6:35pm at Kapco Park. Season tickets, mini game packages, group tickets, and single game tickets are all currently on sale. For tickets and more information, call 262-618-4659 or visit lakeshorechinooks.com.

The Lakeshore Chinooks 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.lakeshorechinooks.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Chinooks as your favorite team.