Ashwaubenon, WI– With less than one week until the season starts, the Booyah roster has fully taken form and Green Bay fans can expect a lot of summer fun with this year’s roster.
Inside the Big 12, Las Vegas product Jaret Godman has been a force on the rubber for Oklahoma this season. In over 32 innings pitched, Godman sits with a 3.34 ERA and a perfect 3-0 record on the year. The 2018 Nevada State Player of the Year went 12-0 during his high school senior campaign, and hit .349 at the dish.
From Jaret, to Jacob, the Godman brothers play together once again in Green Bay. Jacob Godman is a catcher at UNLV and has led the Running Rebels to 27-24 record, including a 19-9 record at home. Behind the plate, Godman has caught a team high 14 runners trying to steal base, and has a .987 fielding percentage.
On the corners for Green Bay are Jacob Buchberger out of Davenport, Nick Kreutzer out of Arkansas Pine Bluff, and Ty Herrenbruck from Pittsburg State. For Buchberger, his productivity at the plate has been phenomenal. A .429 batting average, Buchberger failed to get a hit in only SIX of the 44 games he played in. With Kreutzer, he’s been a main stay in the Golden Lions lineup, hitting .347 with 11 home runs and 26 RBIs. Kreutzer has reached base safely in eight of his last nine games. Herrenbruck is batting .244 with a .446 slugging percentage. The Kansas native collected 30 RBIs, which ranks third best on the team.
Back in this great state, Milwaukee University sophomore and lengthy lefty Jack Mahoney joins the Booyah squad in 2019 with a 1-1 record and a 4.83 ERA during the season. Mahoney stands at 6’8 and found success this year against Pittsburgh, Northern Kentucky, Iowa, and Minnesota. Milwaukee posts a 30-18-1 record on the year, and they play in the Horizon League tournament this week. In addition to Mahoney, infielder Mike Ferri out of Illinois will stay in Wisconsin for the summer. Ferri plays all the infield positions, minus first base, and had a career year in the field, punching in a .947 fielding percentage.
Continuing the pitching department, the Booyah welcome in Chris Jefferson from New Mexico State. Jefferson, a junior out of Pearland, Texas, has posted a 3-1 record on the year, and has helped lead the Aggies to a potential bid in the NCAA tournament. With Jefferson, left-hander Will Saxton brings another dynamic to the pitching department. Saxton had a 2.89 ERA in his second season with Florida International, and struck out 29 batters in 28 total innings pitched.
On the east coast, middle infielder Mike Ruggiero comes to Green Bay from Wagner. Ruggiero has a patient eye at the plate, walking 14 times this season with an OBP of .282. Ruggiero and the Seahawks begin NEC tournament play on May 23rd.
In addition to Ruggiero, Green Bay has two super utility players added to the roster in Justin Greene and Sean Meyer. Greene finished his JUCO season at Arizona Western and has committed to play at the University of Louisiana Lafayette next year. Greene finished the season hitting .281, and had four home runs with 49 RBIs. Next to him, Meyer, a sophomore at Marian, hit .434 in his second season, with an on base percentage of .497.
Another threat behind the plate for Green Bay is Blaise Maris, a junior from Florida Tech. This season, Maris hit .288 with eight home runs and 22 RBIs. He hit two home runs against Florida Southern back on the 14th of April, and a season high 13 putouts against Valdosta State back in February.
Back on the rubber, left-hander Zach Chappell from North Florida comes to Green Bay after a spectacular freshman campaign. In 20 innings pitched this season, Chappell posted a 1-0 record with a 2.66 ERA. Chappell was a true big-time reliever for the Ospreys, including appearances against Florida, Florida State, Tennessee, and Western Michigan.
Down south, Jacob Kaiser, a junior out of the University of Charleston is a starter or bullpen option for the Golden Eagles. In seven appearances, Kaiser posted a 5-1 record with a 4.25 ERA, starting on four different occasions. He also had a 2:1 strikeout to walk ratio on the year.
The third and final catcher for Green Bay this year is Stony Brook product John Tuccillo. A product of Clinton Corners, New York, Tuccillo has a perfect fielding percentage this season, and was an America East All-Rookie team last year.
Along the infield, Green Bay welcomes back Esteban Cardoza-Oquendo for the first half of the 2019 season. Cardoza-Oquendo returns following an impressive season at Navarro College, and right before transferring to Baylor. At Navarro this season, Cardoza-Oquendo hit .303 with 37 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. In the field, he turned 23 double plays, putting him in the top 60 in the entire country in that department.
Along the warning track at Capital Credit Union Park are two players who were drafted back in 2018. Christopher Williams, a 15th round pick by the Reds, and Chase Hanson, a 38th round pick by the Cubs. Williams opted to attend FIU for college as opposed to jumping towards the majors. During the 2019 season, he picked up three hits against Florida State and notched a .949 fielding percentage. Hanson, a product of UNLV, only appeared in 22 games this season, but posted a perfect fielding percentage and comes from an athletic family background. Hanson’s father, Tim, played football at Kansas State.
Staying in the outfield, versatile players Joe Mason from Mount Olive and Jarrett Ford, another product of FIU join this stacked group. Mason is torching the ball this season for Mount Olive, hitting .379 with 12 home runs and 49 RBIs. Mason is also starting to hit his stride at the right time, homering in six out of the last eight games for the Trojans. For Ford, the freshman out of Decatur, Georgia hit .277 on the year, and picked up 16 stolen bases on 17 total attempts. Ford can flash the leather all over the field as well, playing centerfield, second base, and shortstop.
On the mound, Luke Wallner, a freshman from Forest Lake, Minnesota and Arkansas Little Rock commit, went 6-1 this year with Meridian Community College. Wallner struck out 29 batters during the course of the season, and started seven times.
In addition to Cardoza-Oquendo, Walker Jenkins and Zack Raabe play up the middle. Jenkins, a left-handed hitting shortstop, hit .329 with Madison College, including 28 RBIs. In the field, he posted a .927 percentage and recorded 20 double plays. For Raabe, the Minnesota native followed in his father’s footsteps by playing for the Golden Gophers. So far, he has posted a .261 average, and with a .310 on base percentage and only two errors on the infield.
Back on the rubber, Dave Rajeski, Nick Riggle, and Bobby Dorta all are right handed options for the Booyah for 2019. Rajeski, a junior for the Pacific Tigers, is 2-1 with a 2.53 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched. From Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Riggle holds a 7-2 record with a 2.43 ERA. All 11 of his appearances have been starts and his performance on the rubber helped lead California (PA) to a 37-15 overall record. For Dorta, his electric pitching style and mustache led to a 1.35 ERA and 16 strikeouts this season.
The captain of the outfield, centerfielder Cooper Morrison comes back to the Booyah after spending the year with UC Davis. Morrison is hitting .296 for the Aggies and has 13 stolen bases. He returns to Green Bay after last season where he hit .257 and stole 14 bags.
The last lefty in the rotation is Tanner Lane from Pittsburg State. Lane holds the best ERA on the Pittsburg roster at 2.06, and has shut the door on 13 occasions this season. In 27 appearances, Lane has 40 strikeouts, and a 2-3 record.
Four righties wrap up the Booyah roster in 2019. Chandler Ingram from the University of Montevallo will be used heavily out of the pen. A 1.80 ERA, Ingram pitched in 40 innings for the Falcons and didn’t allow a single home run. From nearby Marian University comes Garrett Martin at 6’3. He posted a 5-3 record on the year, starting in seven games and pitching a total of 51 innings. Green Bay East graduate Zach Watzka returns to Wisconsin following three appearances with Dayton this year. Nate Brown, a 2017 College World Series champ and Wisconsin native, joins as the final piece to the staff. In his freshman campaign, Brown struck out 14 in 18 innings of work with a 1-0 record.
The Green Bay Booyah open the season on Tuesday, May 28th in Traverse City against the Pit Spitters. Capital Credit Union Park will host the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters on June 1st at 7:05 for the first Booyah home game.
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