Willmar, Minn. – The Willmar Stingers are excited to announce four new players added to the 2014 roster this week. Joining the team for the upcoming season will be Loyola Marymount University teammates Brandon Horth and Tyler Cohen along with University of California-Riverside Devyn Bolasky and Illinois State University Sean Beesley.
Horth, a junior left-handed pitcher has seen action this season in 23 games this spring. In 29 2/3 innings, he has struck out 23 hitters and posted a 4.25 earned run average. During his career at Loyola Marymount, Horth has appeared in 55 games recording 50 strikeouts in 71 innings pitched. Last season during his sophomore season, he held West Coast Conference batters to a miniscule batting average of .180.
Cohen, a freshman right-handed pitcher/infielder will be a versatile member of the Stingers roster this summer. In 16 games on the mound for the Lions, Cohen has 18 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings. In the batter’s box this season, Cohen has 87 plate appearances with an average of .230 with three triples. Coming out of high school, Cohen was a highly touted talent being rated as the 46th best prospect in California by Baseball America.
Bolasky, a junior outfielder has started all 43 games this season for the Highlanders and has a batting average of .322 with 58 hits and four doubles. He has a career batting average of .316 with 143 hits, 11 stolen bases and 38 RBI as a member of the UC-Riverside squad. Bolasky was named to the Big West Honorable Mention team last year after finishing second on his team in runs scored (38) and third in batting average (.333).
Beesley, a sophomore outfielder for the Redbirds, has seen a lot of playing time throughout his two seasons at Illinois State. As a freshman, Beesley made 48 appearances (27 starts) with a batting average of .248, three doubles and eight RBI. This season Beesley has appeared in all 45 games with 44 starts. He is currently hitting .285 with 42 runs scored. He also has 27 stolen bases on the season.
Field Manager Matt Hollod, along with the Stingers organization, will continue to build the roster for the fifth season of Stingers baseball. The Home Opener presented by Marcus Construction is scheduled for Thursday, May 29 at Bill Taunton Stadium. Season tickets for the upcoming season are currently on sale now. For more information regarding this news release or season ticket pricing, please call 320-222-2010 or visit www.willmarstingers.com. The 2014 season is presented by Charter.
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The Willmar Stingers 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 summer collegiate 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) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit www.willmarstingers.com.