Kalamazoo Has Returning Captains, Spring Stars and Local Talent 

[KALAMAZOO, MI] – The defending Northwoods League Champion Kalamazoo Growlers have reloaded their roster heading into 2025. Cody Piechocki’s squad has signed plenty of proven leaders, mixed with spring breakouts, and plenty of Kalamazoo talent presented by Sign Center. 

Back in the ‘Zoo 

The Growlers roster is headlined by Brody Acres (Walsh), Antonio Perrotta (Virginia), Gabe Springer (Stanford), and Mike Sprockett (Belmont), who all hold a Captain role for Kalamazoo this upcoming season. Acres has excelled this spring for Walsh, hitting .326 with 39 RBIs and 22 walks. On the pitching side, the Growlers retain Brenden Burch (Aquinas) and Graham Kollen (Huntington). 

Players to Watch 

Valparaiso redshirt-freshman Case Sullivan began the collegiate season on a heater, hitting .355 in his first 31 at-bats. While he hasn’t kept that pace, Sullivan has continued to find ways to get on base, holding a .330 on-base percentage. Sullivan will appear in the infield for Kalamazoo. 

Bryce Brassfield, who’s also returning for the Growlers, is a name to watch out of the bullpen in 2025. At Saint Cloud State, Brassfield has shown the ability to work deep into games, while garnering swing-and-miss from his stuff. Through 66.1 IP in 2025, the Gilbert, Arizona, native has accumulated 65 punchouts. With his strikeout ability, Brassfield could be a major weapon for Piechocki’s bullpen. 

Hawai’i corner outfielder Will Bowen was an exceptional JUCO player, batting .369 with 92 RBI’s and 34 doubles in two seasons. Since becoming a Rainbow Warrior, Bowen has not had extended run as an everyday player, but has continued to find ways to reach base, boasting an on-base percentage of .389. Bowen will look to continue his success from JUCO in the Growlers outfield. 

Perhaps the best spring of any Growler was held by Southern University’s KJ White. The shortstop holds a triple-slash of .351/.482/.396 scoring 49 runs for the Jaguars. White holds elite zone control holding a 11-27 strikeout-walk ratio in the 2025 season. White’s speed is also

exceptional, going 26-31 on stolen-base attempts in the spring. White will attempt to continue his stellar spring as a Growler. 

Local Looks 

The Growlers are proud to continue a strong history of local talent, with multiple local Kalamazoo products on the squad. Avery Thielman is a corner infielder and will be a strong piece of the Growlers infield. The Kalamazoo Central High School product now attends Western Michigan University, and is in his Junior season. Thielman is batting .272 with 26 RBIs while playing strong defense, holding a fielding percentage of .986. 

Logan Lockhart hails from Kalamazoo College and will be employed in the bullpen for the Growlers this season. As a starter for K-College, Lockhart holds a 5-2 record with a 3.04 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 53.1 innings pitched. His Kalamazoo College teammate, Ben Van Nes, is undefeated (3-0) this season in 16 appearances from the bullpen, with one start. Van Nes holds a .205 batting average against in his 22.2 innings. 

Jack Crittendon comes to the Growlers from Kalamazoo Valley Community College, possessing excellent swing and miss ability, boasting a K/9 of 9.89 in 43.2 innings for the Cougars. Crittendon started two games while picking up five saves and a overall 3-2 record in his 2025 spring campaign. 

The full roster is as follows (in alphabetical order): 

Pitchers 

Bryce Bannon – Duke – Freshman 

Adam Berghorst – Davenport – R-Senior 

Mike Boyce – Parkland CC – Sophomore 

Brendan Burch – Aquinas – Junior 

Alex Burden – Ball State – Senior 

Seth Benes – Indiana – Sophomore 

Bryce Brassfield – Saint Cloud St – Junior 

Carson Byers – Miami (OH) – Junior 

Jack Crittendon – Kalamazoo Valley CC – Sophomore

 

Drew Duckhorn – Charleston State – Junior Kael Gahan – Duke – Freshman 

Brendan Garza – Ball State – Freshman Jeremiah Holder – Lafayette – Sophomore

Evan Holewinski – Kent State – R-Freshman Cooper Katskee – Miami (OH) – R-Sophomore Kaden Kiser – Valparaiso – Sophomore 

Brady Koester – Notre Dame – Freshman 

Graham Kollen – Huntington – Graduate Christian Krause – Charleston Southern – Junior 

Wilson Kruse – Xavier – Freshman 

Logan Lockhart – Kalamazoo College – Junior Tyler Papenbrock – Huntington – Senior 

Jarron Thompson – Parkland CC – Sophomore Donny Tober – Pima CC – Sophomore 

Ben Van Nes – Kalamazoo College – Junior Gage Vota – Butler – Sophomore 

Catchers 

Cole Garner – Chipola College – Freshman Chone James – Virginia – Freshman Jay Slater – Duke – Freshman

Mike Sprockett (Captain) – Belmont – R-Junior 

Infielders 

Brody Acres (Captain) – Walsh – Junior 

Noah Coy – Notre Dame – Freshman 

Gage Dickerson – Florida State College at Jacksonville – Freshman Drew Jones – Eastern Michigan – Junior 

Antonio Perrotta (Captain) – Virginia – Sophomore 

Evan Rodriguez – Florida State College at Jacksonville – R-Sophomore Gabe Springer (Captain) – Stanford – Junior 

Case Sullivan – Valparaiso – R-Freshman 

Avery Thielman – Western Michigan – Junior 

Matt Thompson – Kent State – Junior 

Isaac VanderWoude – Virginia – Freshman 

KJ White – Southern University – Junior 

Outfielders 

Will Bowen – Hawaii – Junior 

JD Crisp – Xavier – Freshman 

Trevor Johnson – Duke – Freshman 

Jayce Lee – Notre Dame – Freshman 

Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe – Kent State – Freshman 

Daniel Williams – Mid-America Christian University – Junior