The Battle Creek Bombers are pleased to announce the signings of two catchers for the upcoming 2009 Northwoods League season, Parker Berberet and Jimmy Tanner.

Iowa junior catcher Tyson Blaser is set to call the signs for the Madison Mallards pitching staff in 2009 after finishing last season with a .323 batting average, 10 doubles, and 14 RBIs for the Hawkeyes.

The La Crosse Loggers continued their roster-building push for the 2009 season as team officials announced the signings of a pair of players from the University of North Florida. Infielder Andrew Hannon, a junior shortstop, and outfielder/pitcher Justin Preckajlo, also a junior, will dawn the Logger green this summer.

The Waterloo Bucks Baseball Club announced the signing of Bob Lackovic, a 6'0", 190-pound, right-handed pitcher from Creighton University. Lackovic, a junior, is the second pitcher to be added to the Bucks 2009 staff.

The Rochester Honkers Baseball Club announced that Zach Robertson, a 6’1”, 195-pound junior left-handed pitcher from the University of Iowa, will return for his third season on the mound for the Honkers. Robertson was the Honkers Pitcher of the Year in 2008 and also the team’s Most Inspirational Player in 2007.

Charlotte sophomore right-handed pitcher Andrew Smith has signed with the Madison Mallards, giving the team an all-important proven arm that should be one of the main pieces in Field Manager C.J. Thieleke’s starting rotation.

The La Crosse Loggers added a pair of difference makers to their 2009 roster when team officials announced the signing of Robert Abel from the University of San Francisco and Robert Brantly from UC-Riverside.

The Waterloo Bucks Baseball Club announced the re-signing of Michael Giller, a 6'3", 195-pound outfielder from the University of Illinois. The junior rejoins the Bucks after a productive 2008 season and is the second player to sign with Waterloo for their 15th year of Northwoods League play.

The Mallards roster now stands at 29 players with the signing of Georgia Tech freshman pitcher Jacob Esch and Fresno State sophomore pitcher Jacob Floethe. Esch (pronounced ‘Esh’), a 6’3” right-hander, was a three-sport athlete (baseball, basketball, football) at Cretin-Derham Hall and led the school to the state title on the diamond in 2007 following a runner-up finish the year before. He posted a career prep record of 16-1 with a 1.50 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 121 innings. He also hit .445 with 13 home runs and 92 RBIs. Meanwhile, Floethe (‘FLOW-Thee’) comes to Madison after appearing in 18 games as a freshman last season for the NCAA National Champion Bulldogs. He recorded 20 strikeouts in 25 innings of work. Floethe also pitched in the first game of the College World Series championship round against Georgia.

After leading Livermore (CA) High School to its first East Bay Athletic League Championship in 29 years, Santa Clara freshman infielder J.R. Graham has signed to become a Madison Mallard in 2009. Graham (pronounced GRAM) set three single-season school records at Livermore, including hitting streak (16 games), runs scored (31), and saves (15). Last year as a senior he hit .418 with 20 RBIs and an on-base percentage of .465. On the mound Graham went 4-1 with a 1.10 ERA in 31 innings. After the season he was ranked as the 123rd Best 2008 Prospect in the nation by Perfect Game Cross Checker and 200th by Baseball America. This past summer he was also selected to play in the Area Code Games, Perfect Game Nationals, and the Bay Area World Series.