KALAMAZOO, MI – The Growlers are excited to announce the signing of two players from Missouri State University. Jack Duffy, a freshman owutfielder from Kansas City, MO, and Drew Millas, a freshman catcher from Swansea, IL.
Jack Duffy: 5’10’’-180 ibs, OF, Bats/L, Throws/R, Missouri State, (Fr), Kansas City, Mo.
Duffy was rated as Missouri's sixth-best overall prep prospect and the top outfielder in the class of 2016, according to PBR. Duffy led Staley High School to conference and district titles as a senior, when he hit .528 with six home runs, 32 RBIs and 31 steals. Duffy was named to the Kansas City Star's All-Metro squad, as well as a Rawlings/ABCA Third-Team All-American and Gold Glove Award winner. Duffy earned a 2016 Preseason Rawlings Perfect Game High Honorable Mention All-America selection and a Second-Team All-Central Region pick. Duffy will compete for a starting outfield spot in his first season in Springfield, Missouri. He poses the ability to get on base at a high rate and has the wheels to make teams wary of him anytime he's on the base paths. As a highly touted recruit coming out of high school, Duffy will look to carry his success on at the next level. Duffy will give the Growlers some juice on the base paths, and he gets on base at a high rate.
Drew Millas: 6’ 2’’- 180 ibs, C, Bats/R, Throws/R, Missouri State, (Fr), Swansea, IL.
The three-sport standout at Belleville East High School was a three-time all-conference pick in baseball and the No. 4 catcher and No. 29 overall prospect in the state of Illinois according to Prep Baseball Report. Millas hit .467 and slugged .700, while totaling three homers and 28 RBIs to lock up St. Louis Post-Dispatch Second-Team All-Metro honors, as well as the publication's Scholar-Athlete Award. He aso garnered all-conference honors on the gridiron as the Lancers' quarterback in 2015-16, breaking numerous East single-season and career passing records en route to earn Metro East large school player of the year honors as a senior last fall. Millas has strong family blood lines at Missouri State as his mother and uncle both attended school in Springfield, MO. An athletic backstop with power Millas, will have no problem helping the Growlers behind the plate and at bat.
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The Kalamazoo Growlers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 23rd season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods 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 150 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.growlersbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store and set the Growlers as your favorite team.
