(Rochester, Minn.)- The Rochester Honkers Baseball Club announced today the signing of 6-foot-1, 225-pound junior right-handed pitcher and designated hitter Joe DeRoche-Duffin and 6-foot-3, 211-pound junior right-handed pitcher Nico Darras, both from the University of Connecticut.
DeRoche-Duffin is currently leading the Huskies in batting average (.438), slugging percentage (.813), on base percentage (.609), and runs batted in (9) after the first six games of the season. In 16 at bats, he has seven hits, three doubles, and a homerun. On the mound, DeRoche-Duffin has thrown 1.1 innings with a strikeout.
DeRoche-Duffin spent the 2014 season playing for Cypress College in Cypress, Calif. During that time he hit .336 with five home runs and 32 RBIs. He was named First Team All-Conference for his efforts. His freshman season was player at UC Santa Barbara, where he played in 11 games.
Currently his fellow teammate, Nico Darras has made two appearances on the season, pitching 2.2 innings in relief with a strikeout.
Darras was converted from a hitter to a submarine-style relief pitcher for the 2015 season. During his 2014 season, he played in 41 games, making 29 starts, with the majority of them as the designated hitter. The junior from Laguna Beach, Calif. batted .241 with 10 RBIs, nine runs scored, and seven doubles. Darras played his freshman season at Cal State Fullerton, appearing in nine games and batting .250.
The Rochester Honkers 22nd season begins on May 26th when the Mankato MoonDogs bark into Mayo Field for a 7:05pm first pitch. 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 2015 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 22nd season of summer collegiate baseball in 2015, 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 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (BOS) and Ben Zobrist (OAK). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website. For more information, visit www.rochesterhonkers.com