Right handed pitcher Hayden Brauser finds himself in his second season in the Northwoods League as
part of the Kalamazoo Growlers organization. Last season he led the team in games pitched at 26,
putting in 39.1 innings pitched out of the Kalamazoo pen. The submariner posted a 3-1 record overall, striking
out eighteen batters, while only walking fifteen in the process. During the 2017 campaign, Hayden is
hungry for more consistency in the second half.
“I’m going to bring everything that I can for the team in the second half. We started out rough. I’ve
helped the team in certain situations, I’ve hurt the team in certain situations. The biggest thing for me is
figuring out what I need to do to help my team win,” Brauser said.
He went on to state, “I look to keep my ball down and become more competitive with every batter
faced. I head into the second half looking to eat more innings out of the pen.”
Brauser emphasizes the importance of playing 72 games in 75 days when looking at improving his game
personally.
As for the biggest difference between the 2016 and 2017 campaigns thus far for the righty, “It’s
different coming out of the gate last season with good stuff and starting out this season a little slower.
I’m learning how to adapt to a slower start and get myself back to where I want to be.”
Though there have been struggles in certain scenarios for the submarine thrower, Hayden
Brauser continues to wow both home and away crowds during the first half. It’s not every day
that fans have an opportunity to watch a fastball come from the ground up in the eyes of the batter.
“My pitching style started in eighth grade. My brother broke his wrist and had to go through rehab and
decided to try something different. I picked up the basics from him,” Brauser said. “I learned most of it on my own between innings of experience and lessons for three years.”
When pitching in front of different crowds, Hayden also enjoys listening to what fans at home or on the road have to say about his specific style.
“I had the game of my life in Madison last season. I came in the game in the third inning and finished the
game out. Fans after were asking how I pitch the way I do. I really just enjoy interacting with fans all around.”
Brauser’s best game this season came on June 11th at Green Bay where he pitched two strong innings for Kalamazoo, allowing no hits and striking out one. He looks to bring more of the same for the Growlers in the second half. Kalamazoo currently sits at 5-1 out of the second half gates at .5 game above Wisconsin Rapids in the South Division.
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The Kalamazoo Growlers 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 180 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.growlersbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Growlers as your favorite team.