Mequon, WI – For the past two seasons, a mainstay on the Lakeshore Chinooks’ roster has been All-Star shortstop, Sawyer Polen from Kent State. With Polen’s summer eligibility exhausted, the Chinooks will continue a strong connection with the Golden Flashes with the addition of infielder Zarley Zalewski (Kent State) and left-handed pitcher John Schreiber (Kent State). “We’re excited to continue our strong relationship with Kent State and look forward to the impact these players will have on our ball club,” said Chinooks’ manager Eddy Morgan.
Zarley Zalewski is a powerful 215 lb. corner infielder from New Kensington, PA who is off to a hot start in his junior season for the Golden Flashes, hitting .415 with ten runs batted in and one home run in eighteen games. As a sophomore in 2014, Zalewski started 58 games and hit .351 with 16 doubles, two triples and two homeruns. He also tallied 42 RBIs with a .468 slugging percentage and .425 on-base percentage and was named both All Region and First Team All-conference in the Mid-American Conference. Capable of playing first or third base, Zalewski has just one fielding error this season. “Zarley will bring a great bat to our line-up. He’s strong and he gets on base,” said Morgan. “We anticipate seeing a very professional hitter.”
Zalewski chose to attend Kent State after being selected in in the 40th round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Drafted as an outfielder, Zalewski played shortstop for Valley High School where he was named WPIAL AAA Player of the Year, WPIAL All-Star and Valley News Dispatch Player of the Year.
Left-handed pitcher John Schreiber is small in stature at 5’10” and has yet to pitch in 2015, but had a standout high school career at Mayfield High School in Mayfield Village, OH. Schreiber lettered three years at Mayfield where he compiled a 14-4 record with a 0.92 ERA and 160 strikeouts with just 22 walks and was named conference Pitcher of the Year, Team Ohio and Mizuno All-Ohio as a senior. As a junior, Schreiber was named All-Conference and posted the lowest ERA in northeast Ohio with a 0.54. As a potential candidate for a red-shirt season this year, Schreiber is anxious to get to Lakeshore. “I’m looking to gain experience and I’m excited to play for the number one ranked team in the nation last year,” said Schreiber. He hopes to master several pitches and pitch in the style of Tom Glavine, with great control and the ability to locate pitches. Schreiber has worked closely with his father, who worked his way through the minor leagues and pitched for six years with the Durham Bulls in the Atlanta Braves organization.
You can catch your first glimpse of the 2015 Chinooks roster on May 28th when Lakeshore takes on the Kenosha Kingfish at 6:35pm. The first 1,000 fans will receive a 2014 championship pennant (courtesy of Port Washington State Bank) and a 2015 magnet schedule (courtesy of Professional Supply). On Opening Day, there will also be a special pre-game championship celebrate. The championship celebration week will continue on Saturday, May 30th with Championship Trophy Gill bobblehead for the first 1,000 fans (sponsored by GS Design).
The Lakeshore Chinooks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 22nd season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 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 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (BOS) and Ben Zobrist (OAK). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit www.lakeshorechinooks.com.
