Solemasaas enters second season with Bombers
Battle Creek, Mich. – The Battle Creek Bombers have announced the hiring of Brian Solemsaas as the field manager for the 2017 season.
The Bismarck, N.D., native will enter his second season with the Bombers, as he was an assistant coach on last year’s team. This will also be his second season in the Northwoods League. Currently he is a volunteer assistant coach for the Red Wolves of Arkansas State. He spent the 2016 season as an assistant at John A. Logan College in Carterville, Ill., where he was the pitching/bullpen coach.
“I'm very excited to have Coach Solemsaas back with the Bombers for the 2017 season. I know he will be a great leader for our players not only on the field, but off the field as well,” said Tony Iovieno, general manager of the Bombers.
Prior to John A. Logan, Solemsaas worked for Major League Baseball in China as an Assistant Coach at the Changzhou Development Center where he coached Baltimore Orioles prospect Itchy Xu, China's first native born player to sign with a MLB organization.
Solemsaas added, "I'd like to thank Tony, Brian and the rest of the front office team for this opportunity to lead the Bombers for the 2017 season. It is an honor to be named manager in such a prestigious league as the Northwoods. We have a good core group of guys coming back from last season’s team that made the playoffs and have added some very talented ballplayers that should mesh well together. I am excited to build upon the success of last year’s team and hopefully bring a championship back to Battle Creek."
He played his collegiate career at Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa, and was named an All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate selection as a pitcher. Also during his time at Upper Iowa, he was named to the All-Academic team twice and was a team captain. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in wellness/fitness and recreation in 2009. Solemsaas obtained his master’s degree in kinesiology from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale in 2011.
After college he spent time at four different schools as an assistant coach helping at each stop on the pitching staff. So far during his collegiate coaching career he has had 13 players be named to all-conference status, five players claim all-region honors and five named All-Americans.
Fans can guarantee tickets to the team’s top weekend dates of the season by locking in the Bombers 5-game pack. Five-game packs are $59 and include the best seats at the team’s five best games with all-you-can-eat food and beverages and guaranteed giveaways. Fans can buy online by going to http://northwoodsleague.com/battle-creek-bombers/tickets/5-game-packs/. Fans can also call the team’s front office at (269) 962-0735 or by email tickets@battlecreekbombers.com.
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The Battle Creek Bombers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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 160 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.battlecreekbombers.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Bombers as your favorite team.