Growlers Ink Captain Mike Sprockett, Jay Slater, and Chone James

The Kalamazoo Growlers are proud to announce the signing of three backstops for the upcoming 2025 season presented by Sign Center: Mike Sprockett (Belmont), Jay Slater (Duke), and Chone James (Virginia).

This season, Mike Sprockett will be returning to the Growlers for his second season. In 2024, Sprocket helped Kalamazoo to a Northwoods League Championship, playing in 21 games, bringing a triple slash of .289/.340/.367 and 12 RBIs, while boasting a fielding percentage of 1.000.

Sprockett is currently in his redshirt-junior year of college, and his first at Belmont University, appearing in 28 of the teams first 30 games. Sprockett will be a captain for the Growlers this season.

Jay Slater is a 6-foot Freshman at Duke University. The Downington, Pennsylvania, native was rated as the second best catcher in Pennsylvania in his 2024 class. The catcher hit .493 with a .594 OBP his senior season at the Downingtown West Campus. Slater picked up his first collegiate hit, and first collegiate triple, on February 23rd in the Blue Devils clash versus Cornell.

Virginia catcher Chone James hails from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where the 5-foot-11 catcher finished as the fourth overall ranked player in the state. James has appeared in 15 of the ‘Hoos first 27 games, starting in 8 of them, while hitting .357, with 10 RBIs and an .867 OPS.

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.

There are three miniplans created for fans with different interests: Families, Fan-Favorites and Viral-Esque. The 5-Game Miniplan for families features a replica USA Growlers jersey, Kids TV Takeover Night, and four other family-friendly theme nights.

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

The 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.