Kalamazoo Bolsters Infield with Five Additional Infielders

The Kalamazoo Growlers are excited to announce the signings of 5 infielders, including Captain Brody Acres (Walsh), Gage Dickerson (FSCJ), Evan Rodriguez (FSCJ), Gabe Springer (Stanford), and KJ White (Southern) presented by Sign Center. 

Captain Brody Acres was a member of last seasons championship winning team, hitting .299 with 38 RBIs in 58 games during the regular season. In the Growlers playoff run, Acres appeared in 5 games, going 9-22 with 3 walks and no strikeouts. Acres will return for his second season for the Growlers following the conclusion of his season at Walsh University, where he has started every game, and currently leads the team in hits and walks. 

“We believe that every one of these guys can and will have a huge impact on the Growlers this year,” General Manager Tom Olds said. “Everybody we sign, we think will help us towards our quest to go back-to-back.” 

5-foot-10 Gage Dickerson is currently in his first season attending Florida State College at Jacksonville. The Fernandina Beach High School product primarily appeared at shortstop for the Pirates, but appeared at catcher and pitcher for FBHS. 

Evan Rodriguez has appeared in 43 games for FSCJ this season. The Redshirt-Sophomore is a St Augustine, Florida, native who hit .364 in his senior season at St. Joseph Academy. Rodriguez has turned it up towards the end of the season, catching fire before his stint as a Growler 

Gabe Springer is a 6-foot-1 Junior from Boulder, Colorado. Springer is returning for his third season at Kalamazoo, appearing in 49 games last season, hitting .288 in 170 plate appearances, including 18 extra-base hits. Springer was the Growler to score the winning run in the Growlers championship game win last year, as he was brought in on the sacrifice fly by Brandon Sanchez. Springer has appeared largely as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement for Stanford in his two seasons there. 

5-foot-10 KJ White is a Junior from Ellenwood, Georgia, and is in his third season as a Southern University Jaguar. White has excelled over his time as a Jaguar, hitting over .310 with an OPS over .780. White also controls the strike-zone, pulling a 30-51 strikeout-walk ratio at Southern. White will make his Northwoods League debut with Kalamazoo.

The Growlers first home game is on Wednesday, May 28 against the Lakeshore Chinooks. The full schedule can be found at growlersbaseball.com. There will be six games on Saturday nights, five on Friday nights and 18 entertainment-industry leading theme nights for the greater Kalamazoo area fans to enjoy. 

Promotional ticket packages can be found at https://northwoodsleague.com/kalamazoo-growlers/promotion-schedule/. These tickets range from $15 – $25 and include special items like a Margarita & specialty cup, blue light saber, magic wands, kids mouse and dog ears and Swiftie friendship bracelets or jerseys. 

There are three miniplans created for fans with different interests: Families, Fan-Favorites and Viral-Esque.

The Meijer 5-Game Miniplan for families features a replica USA Growlers jersey, Kids TV Takeover Night, and four other family-friendly theme nights.

The Meijer 5-Game Miniplan with traditional theme nights features a replica Margaritaville Growlers jersey, Harry Potter Night, and four other traditional theme nights.

The Meijer 5-Game Miniplan with viral ideas features a replica Swiftie Growlers jersey, Bark in the Park Night, and four other viral-esque theme nights.

The Miniplans can be flexed to fit fans’ schedules, have all-inclusive food for two hours, and more perks. Single game tickets will not go on sale until May 2025. Learn more at northwoodsleague.com/kalamazoo-growlers/zoo-crew/ today.