Published On: April 4th, 2017

 

Grafton, WI – The Lakeshore Chinooks have added two versatile players to their roster for the 2017 summer with the signing of Nick Cheema (Arizona State University) and Rylan Thomas (Central Florida University). Both freshmen players will be able to catch, but can also assist Eddy Morgan’s team at multiple positions.

Nick Cheema hails from Weatherford, TX where he led Aledo High School to a Texas 5A State Championship as a junior in 2014 and was named a Rawlings-Perfect Game Honorable Mention All-American in both his sophomore and senior seasons and a Third Team All-American as a junior. With a strong arm behind the plate, the 5’11, 205-pound Cheema has also worked from the mound with an above average fastball. Playing behind a senior catcher at ASU, Cheema will be eager to get plenty of work for the Chinooks this summer.

Rylan Thomas is off to hot start as a two-way player for Central Florida hitting .360 at the plate and pitching eight innings of shutout ball in a relief role.  While drafted out of Windermere Prep (Winter Garden, FL) in the 26thRound of the 2016 MLB Draft as a third baseman, the powerful  5’11 225-pound Thomas quickly established himself at first base in his freshman season for the Knights.  Thomas has already hit six home runs and seven doubles and has knocked in a team-high 30 runs. And with a live and powerful arm, Thomas has struck out eight batters in his six appearances on the mound. With his versatility, Thomas could see time for the Chinooks at catcher, first base, and third base in addition to pitching as hitting as a designated hitter.

You can catch your first glimpse of the 2017 Chinooks roster on Saturday, June 3rd when Lakeshore takes on the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters at 6:35pm at Kapco Park. Season tickets, mini game packages, and group tickets are all currently on sale. Single game tickets go on sale to the public in early May. For tickets and more information, call 262-618-4659 or visit lakeshorechinooks.com.

The Lakeshore Chinooks 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 (BOS), 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.lakeshorechinooks.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Chinooks as your favorite team.

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