A Cardinal and a Wildcat become a Honker this summer
(Rochester, Minn.)— The Rochester Honkers announced today the signing of Louisville Cardinal catcher Zeke Pinkham and Arizona Wildcat infielder Shane Martinez for the 2017 season.
Pinkham is a 6-0, 190-pound sophomore catcher from Elizabethtown, Kentucky. He is currently hitting .235 in 17 at bats for the Number 1 Ranked (16-0) Louisville Cardinals. Pinkham has started 4 games while appearing in nine. As a freshman, he made 17 appearances off the bench, collecting two RBIs and only striking out twice.
A 2015 graduate of Elizabethtown High School, Pinkham’s senior season was cut short early due to an elbow injury. He was ranked as a top 500 player nationally and the No. 4 player in the state of Kentucky in the class of 2015 by Perfect Game. He hit .442 with 12 doubles, six triples, 34 RBIs, and one homer as a junior. Pinkham’s late father Bill, played three seasons of professional baseball in the Cincinnati and St. Louis farm systems, and his grandfather Les, played five seasons in the Detroit and St. Louis organizations. His favorite baseball team is the St. Louis Cardinals.
Martinez is a 6-foot-1, 171-pound freshman infielder from Riverside, California. He is currently hitting .375 with 3 RBIs in 8 plate appearances. Martinez has not started a game but has appeared in 8 games for the ninth-ranked (13-3) Arizona Wildcats.
Martinez graduate from J.W. North High School in 2016, where he finished his senior season hitting .404, with six doubles, 25 RBIs, and a .993 fielding percentage. He was named Inland Valley League MVP, and also selected in the 39th round by the Oakland Athletics in the 2016 Major League Draft. His brother Paul, also played college baseball at Cal State-LA.
The Rochester Honkers 24th season begins on Tuesday, May 30th when the team hosts the Mankato Moondogs in their home opener at Mayo Field at 7:05 pm. Season Tickets, ½ Season Plans, 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 2017 season and ask all interested parties to call the business office for more information.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 24-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 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 (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.