Battle Creek will temporarily return University of Indiana’s Storm Joop and Adrian College’s Thomas Parsons
Battle Creek, Mich. – The Battle Creek Bombers announced today that they have signed University of Indiana third baseman Storm Joop and Adrian College right-handed pitcher Thomas Parsons to temporary contracts. This update is brought to you by OnStaff Group.
"Having Joop and Parsons back, after what they did last summer to help our success, is fantastic," said Brian Solemsaas, field manager for the Battle Creek Bombers.
Storm Joop., 5’11”, 190 lbs., Third Base, B/T: R/R, University of Indiana (Jr.), Champaign, Ill.
Joop, a current junior for the University of Indiana Greyhounds, is off to a fantastic start his junior year. In eight games played, Joop is hitting .419 with 13 hits and 10 RBI. Both rank second on the Greyhounds’ roster. Joop’s best game this spring came in the series finale against Notre Dame College, where he helped University of Indiana take the series with a 3-4 performance at the plate, bringing in three RBI.
With the Bombers, Joop hit .259 in 18 games and 54 at-bats last summer. He contributed with 14 hits, four doubles and four RBI.
"Joop came to us later in the summer last year, had some struggles early, but really came on and was very consistent for us,” Solemsaas said. “He can play a couple infield spots which will help our depth. Offensively, he can really handle the bat which lends well in helping our offense be successful. He is off to a good start this spring and I look forward to seeing how he has developed over the course of the year."
Thomas Parsons, 6’5”, 185 lbs., RHP, B/T: R/R, Adrian College (Jr.), New Albany, Ohio
Before this spring, Parsons was named a Pre-season All-American by NCAA Division III coaches on the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper’s 2017’s Watch List and to D3baseball.com’s Preseason All-America Second Team.
Parsons had a fantastic sophomore campaign with the Adrian Bulldogs. He was voted the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Pitcher of the Year and garnered All-Mideast Region First Team nods from the American Baseball Coaches' Association and D3baseball.com. The New Albany, Ohio, native led the MIAA with a career best 9-1 won-lost record and established personal records with 82.2 innings pitched and a 2.18 ERA, which were both second in the conference.
In his time with Battle Creek last summer, Parsons pitched 44 innings in eight starts, winning four of his five outings. The Adrian product struck out 44 batters, the third most batters on the roster and only walked nine batters.
"If you look back at our staff last year, Parson's name will come up a bunch. He gave us a lot of quality innings as a starter, and looks to do the same for us this summer.” Solemsaas indicated. “He has three pitches he can throw for strikes and does a really good job of keeping guys off balance. Tommy has a lot of potential and I'm excited to get an opportunity to work with him again this summer."
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.
This recruiting update is presented by OnStaff Group. OnStaff Group is the largest human resource services firm in Southwest Michigan, maintaining an exceptionally experienced and stable staff. Learn how your company can benefit from over 168 years of expertise from a vast variety of organizations and industries today.
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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.