Team Signs Four Minnesota Natives and a Local Product to Temporary Contracts
(Rochester, Minn)— The Rochester Honkers Baseball Club announced today the signing of four Minnesota natives, including local product Brandon Zywicki, to temporary contracts for the 2014 season.
Zywicki, a graduate of Mayo High School in Rochester, Minn., returns for his second summer with the Honkers. The 6-foot, 185-pound junior right-handed pitcher from Missouri Baptist University is currently 9-0 with a 2.92 ERA. He’s collected 52 strikeouts in 71 innings of work. Zywicki played in three games for the Honkers back in 2012, posting a 1-1 record with a 9.90 ERA. After his third start with the Honkers, Zywicki was shut down by his college coaching staff because he reached his limit for innings pitched for 2012.
Max Murphy, a Robbinsdale, Minn., native is a 5-foot-11, 195-pound junior outfielder from Bradley University. He’ll also be returning for a second season with the Honkers this summer. Murphy played 34 games for the Honkers in 2013. Currently, he is hitting .328 with 10 doubles, five homeruns and 38 RBIs for the Braves. Murphy has a .560 slugging percentage and 9-10 in stolen bases. For the Honkers last summer, Murphy hit .317 with five homeruns and 33 RBIs. With the possibility of being selected in the 2014 Major League Draft in June, the Honkers will wait to see if Murphy will be joining them for the entirety of the season.
The team tapped into another Robbinsdale, Minn., native in signing Jack Goihl, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound junior catcher from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, S.D. Goihl is currently hitting .405 with six homeruns and 37 RBIs. He is 15-16 in stolen bases and has started every game for the 25-10 Vikings.
From Maple Grove, Minn., St. Cloud State University’s Karl Sorenson will also join the team. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound sophomore is capable of playing both the outfield and infield. This season for the Huskies, Sorenson is hitting .385 with three doubles and 10 RBIs. He’s seen action in 26 games, 21 of them starts, for the 25-6 Huskies.
The Rochester Honkers 21st season begins on May 27th when the Waterloo Bucks prance into Mayo Field for a 7:05pm first pitch. The Honkers will play 72 games in 2014 (36 home, 36 away). Season Tickets, Bonus Books, Suites and Patios are now available. Call the Rochester Honkers office at 507-289-1170 for more information. The Honkers are also looking for host families for the 2014 season and ask all interested parties to call the business office for more information.
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The Rochester Honkers 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 Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (DET), Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), 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.rochesterhonkers.com.