KALAMAZOO, MI- Congratulations to Growlers catcher, Ryan Lidge, for being awarded one of Rawlings "Finest in the Field."  This award is given out at the end of every season to honor the top fielders at each position around the entire Northwoods League.

Throughout the inaugural 2014 season with the Growlers, Lidge managed to commit only four errors in 42 games, giving him a fielding percentage of an impressive .985.   Lidge is also the first Growler to ever receive the award, making this an astonishing   feat.  
Lidge had a very impressive first season with the Growlers, being voted to the Northwoods League All-Star game and being selected to the Big League Dreams Showcase in Madison.  The catcher, from Notre Dame, was also placed in the Top 200 NWL prospects from the 2014 season with one coach stating, "He's a gifted catcher."   Lidge threw out 22 would be base stealers out of 71 (.237) and allowed only nine pass balls.  The Kalamazoo Growlers are proud to have the best catcher in the league.  

The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 21-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 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, 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (DET) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com.