Opening night showdown set between Green Bay and Wisconsin Rapids
Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.- The Green Bay Rockers will begin their 2022 season against the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters Monday night, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. at Witter Field in Wisconsin Rapids.
The Rockers enter 2022 fresh off a new look and appearance, as this will be the first game under the name as Green Bay Rockers after being the Green Bay Booyah for the last three seasons.
This will be the first game for new field manager Chris Krepline, who comes in after having a successful season with Lawrence University. Along with Krepline, Cody Hartman from Highlands College will join Krepline as an assistant coach, serving as the hitting and third base coach in 2022.
Coming into 2022, Krepline and the Rockers are led by a wide range of pitchers hailing from colleges that range from the University of St Thomas (Carl Cano) to the University of Arkansas (Dylan Carter) as well as TCU (Chase Pelter) and nearby Minnesota (Will Semb).
In the infield, Green Bay returns junior Tristin Garcia (Western Kentucky) after a standout 2021 summer with the Rockers. Joining Garcia in the infield is redshirt sophomore Keniel De Leon (Long Island University-Brooklyn), redshirt freshman Matt Scannell (Princeton University), redshirt junior Chase Hudson (Coastal Carolina), and junior Glenn Miller (Eastern Michigan among others).
Behind the plate, junior David Melfi (Wagner College) and junior Scott Combs (Northern Illinois) will set the tone with sophomore Jonathan Pena (Connors State College), redshirt junior Griffin Selby (Wagner College), and redshirt junior Griffin Stevens controlling the pace from the outfield.
The Rockers will start sophomore Chris Spry (Coffeyville Community College) on the mound after appearing in 12 games for the Red Ravens this past spring. In 12 appearances and 10 starts, the Jenks, Okla native finished with a 3-3 record, tossing 56 strikeouts and 19 walks in 66 innings pitched, bringing his ERA to a 2.86.
The Rafters will start sophomore Nathan Hemmerling (Lakeland University) after finishing this past spring with a 2.42 ERA, tossing 74 strikeouts in 44.2 innings pitched.
Following this game, Green Bay will host Wisconsin Rapids Tuesday to conclude the opening series of the season with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. from Capital Credit Union Park. Gates and the pregame concert performed by the Cougars will open at 5:35 p.m. The first 1,000 fans will receive a commemorative vinyl record and one lucky fan will receive a gold record making them the Pepsi Rockstar of the Year.
Single game and group tickets are on sale now. Visit www.greenbayrockers.com or call the ticket office at 920-497-7225 to reserve your seats today. The Rockers front office and Team Apparel Fan Shop at Capital Credit Union Park are located at 2231 Holmgren Way in Ashwaubenon. Office hours are Monday-Friday 8:30am-5pm.
###
The Green Bay Rockers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 28th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 280 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com. For more information, visit www.greenbayrockers.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rockers as your favorite team.
