Waterloo, IA – The Waterloo Bucks, members of the Northwoods League, have announced the inductees for the Ninth Annual Bucks Baseball Hall of Fame Banquet. The former Bucks that will be enshrined are Scott Shaw and Bill Tarajack.
A native of Gurnee, Illinois, Scott Shaw was a member of the Bucks from 2006 to 2008. The University of Illinois standout was drafted by the New York Mets in the 13th round of the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft. With Waterloo, the right-handed pitcher was an NWL mid-season All-Star in 2007, a season in which he started 13 games which is tied for the second most in Bucks history. For a career, Shaw ranks second in team history in games started with 27, is fourth in innings pitched with 160.2, sixth in strikeouts with 130, and ninth in wins with nine. Shaw finished his Waterloo career with a 9-8 record and a 2.91 ERA.
Bill Tarajack was a pitcher for Waterloo in 1996 and 1998. Starting 21 games over his career with the Bucks, the right-handed pitcher was an NWL post-season All-Star in 1996. Tarajack, who played at the University of Illinois and Austin Peay State University, went 7-4 with 75 strikeouts in 12 appearances in ’96, and finished with a 7-1 mark and 69 strikeouts in 11 appearances in ’98. His 7-1 record in ’98 is the sixth best single-season winning percentage (87.5%) in team history. For his career, Tarajack is the third-winningest pitcher with 14 wins and is fifth on the team’s strikeout list with 144.
Both inductees are scheduled to appear at the induction ceremonies.
The Ninth Annual Bucks Baseball Hall of Fame Banquet will be held on Saturday, January 18 at 7:00 pm. Beck’s Sports Brewery, located at 3295 University Avenue in Waterloo, will be the locale of the banquet that will honor these Buck greats.
All proceeds for the event will go to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The public is invited to attend with tickets available for $10.
Doors will open at 7:00 pm and complimentary hors d’oeuvres will be served along with a silent auction that will consist of sports memorabilia, including a Hall of Famer Robin Yount autographed baseball, and items from various Cedar Valley businesses. The Hall of Fame inductions will be will begin at 7:30 pm.
Interested parties may call (319) 232-5633 for ticket information, or mail their checks payable to MDA to: Bucks Baseball Hall of Fame Banquet, PO Box 4124, Waterloo, IA 50704. MDA is the nonprofit health agency dedicated to curing muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related diseases by funding worldwide research. The Association also
provides comprehensive health care and support services, advocacy, and education.
The Bucks will open the 2014 season on the road versus the Rochester Honkers on May 27, but return to Waterloo for their home opener versus Rochester on May 28. Season tickets and group outings are currently on sale. For more information, call the Bucks’ Ticket Line at (319) 232-5633. Fans are encouraged to stay in touch with the Bucks in the off-season by utilizing their website at www.waterloobucks.com.
The Waterloo Bucks are 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 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 115 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.waterloobucks.com.