St. Cloud, MN – The St. Cloud Rox announced today that they have signed four infielders to the 2014 roster. The Rox roster now has nine players signed to date for the upcoming season, which will be the Rox third season.
For the first time in Rox history they will have a player from the University of Notre Dame on the roster in Lane Richards. He will be joined by infielders Will Craig (Wake Forest University), Mitchell Kranson (University of California-Berkeley) and Clay Ardeeser (Georgia College).
Richards, a 6-foot, 180lbs sophomore shortstop, comes to St. Cloud via the University of Notre Dame. He was a two-time all-state and three-time all-conference selection at Pendleton High School in Oregon. After his senior year he was named to both the ESPN all-state baseball team and the Perfect Game West Region All-American Team. He was also the valedictorian of his high school class. During his freshman season for the Fighting Irish the right-handed hitting Richards started all 58 games.
Craig, a 6-foot-3 inch, 215 lbs. corner infielder from Wake Forest University will join the Rox after his freshman season. Craig, originally from Johnson City, TN, was a 37th round draft pick of the Kansas City Royals during the 2013 Major League Baseball draft. Craig, who is also a right-handed pitcher, was named Louisville Slugger High School All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. Craig was a three-time All-Conference and All-Region selection by the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association. He was named Big 8 Conference Player of the Year in 2012. Perfect Game ranked Craig as one of the top 400 prospects in the country in 2013.
Kranson, a 5-foot-9 inch, 200 lbs. sophomore corner infielder continues the strong pipeline of University of California-Berkely coming to St. Cloud. Kanson, a left-handed hitter who can also play catcher, started 26 games as a freshman for the Golden Bears hitting .290 in the PAC 12. He saw time mostly at third base but also can be a catcher, outfielder and first baseman. As a senior at De La Salle High School he owned a .400 batting average, was selected the East Bay Athletic League MVP, first-team all-league, Northern California first team and All-California second team.
Ardeeser, is a 6-foot-4 inch, 220 lbs. junior left-handed hitting first baseman from Georgia College. Last season Ardeeser started every game (55) for Georgia College where he led his team in most hitting categories including batting average (.369), doubles (17) and homeruns (9). Defensively the Loganville, Geargia had a .985 fielding percentage at first base.
“All four of these players will be a lot of fun to watch. They all have the potential to make a very positive impact on the 2014 season,” said Vice President Scott Schreiner.
Field Manger Augie Rodriguez, along with the Rox organization, will continue to build the roster for the third season of Rox baseball in 2014. The Rox home opener is Friday, May 30th at 7:05p.m. at Joe Faber Field presented by Coborn’s.
The St. Cloud Rox Baseball Club is a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is 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 116 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including MLB All-Stars Max Scherzer (DET), Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYY), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live and free of charge via the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit www.stcloudrox.com. For Rox season tickets and/or partial ticket plans please call (320) 240-9798
