Battle Creek, Mich. – The Battle Creek Bombers welcome Central Michigan products Colton Bradley and Jarrod Watkins back to the roster for the 2017 season.

Bradley, a 6-foot-1 right-handed pitcher from Augusta, Mich., is entering his junior year in Mount Pleasant. Last spring with the Chippewas, Bradley went 1-3 with 59.2 innings pitched. He carried a 3.86 ERA with 14 appearances out of the bullpen and struck out 21 batters.

Last summer for Battle Creek, Bradley pitched in seven games carrying an ERA of 2.38. Bradley had two saves, fanned 13 batters and only allowed three runs all summer, which all came in one game. His final outing of the summer against Kenosha on July 22, Bradley struck out five of his seven batters faced.

"Colton is a tremendous young man and a good ballplayer,” Bombers head coach Brian Solemsaas said. “In his short time with us last summer, his teammates and fans really embraced him. He features a low to mid 90s fastball with a hard breaking ball that makes him very tough to hit at the back end of our bullpen. I'm very happy to have him back for one more summer."

Watkins, a 6-foot infielder from Washington, Ill., transferred from Central Michigan and will play his sophomore year at Wabash Valley. At Battle Creek, Watkins batted .250 in 180 at-bats last summer with 45 hits and 13 RBI. In his first year at CMU, Watkins played in 48 games and batted .227 with 27 hits and seven RBI.

"I'm excited to have Jarrod Watkins back with us this summer.” Solemsaas said. “He is a versatile player that can play second, third and shortstop. He brings a lot of energy and gives us options offensively at the top of the order. I'm looking forward to see his growth as a player."

Fans can guarantee tickets to the team’s top weekend dates of the season by locking in the Bombers 5-game pack. Five-game packs are $59 and include the best seats at the team’s five best games with all-you-can-eat food and beverages and guaranteed giveaways. Fans can buy online by going to http://northwoodsleague.com/battle-creek-bombers/tickets/5-game-packs/. Fans can also call the team’s front office at (269) 962-0735 or by email tickets@battlecreekbombers.com. 

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The Battle Creek Bombers 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 (CWS), 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.battlecreekbombers.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Bombers as your favorite team.