Northwoods League Announces 2018 Major League Dreams Showcase Rosters

Eight Growlers players selected to represent Kalamazoo

 

KALAMAZOO, MI – The Northwoods League has announced the rosters for the 2018 Major League Dreams Showcase, which will be hosted by the Madison Mallards at Warner Park on Tuesday, August 7.

Eight Growlers have been selected to represent Kalamazoo including Jonathan Foster, Sam Hall, Cayman Richardson, Jason Sullivan, Zach Daniels, Sam Crail, Joe Boyle, and Mason Shinabery. Full rosters can be found here.

The annual Showcase will consist of a double-header featuring the top players from the Northwoods League who were selected by a panel of Major League Baseball Scouts. The players will participate in a day of workouts in front of scouts, which will be followed by the double-header.

The first game will start at 4:05 p.m. and will match two teams featuring a mix of North Division players. The players on the visiting team in this game will primarily come from Willmar, St. Cloud, Bismarck, Duluth and Thunder Bay. The home team will be made up of players mainly from Mankato, Rochester, La Crosse, Eau Claire and Waterloo. Former Major League player and coach Al Newman of the St. Cloud Rox will skipper the visiting team while Dale Varsho of the Eau Claire Express will manage the home team.

The second game will start at 7:35 p.m. and will be played by two teams of South Division players. The visiting team for this game will be made up of players mostly from Rockford, Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek. The home team will have players from Madison, Lakeshore, Kenosha, Wisconsin Rapids and Wisconsin. Brian Smith of the Rockford Rivets will be the Field Manager for the visiting team. Mallards Field Manager and former MLB catcher, Donnie Scott will be in the dugout for the home team.

In the night cap the visiting team will be led by the 2018 Northwoods League All-Star Game Home Run Derby Champion winner Zach Daniels (Tennessee) of the Kalamazoo Growlers. Other All-Stars on this team include Cooper Cain (Valdosta State) of the Rockford Rivets and Leo Perez (Texas A & M- Corpus Christi) of the Green Bay Bullfrogs.

Six members of the hometown Madison Mallards will compete for the home team in the second game. This talented group of players were all All-Stars this season and are led by two players with MLB pedigrees. Tyler Plantier (Richmond) is the son of former Major League outfielder Phil Plantier. Tyler is currently hitting .306 with 13 home runs and 46 RBI. Jake Randa (Northwest Florida State) is the son of former Major League third baseman Joe Randa. Jake is currently hitting .323 with 22 doubles and 43 RBI. On the mound, another 2018 All-Star, Josh Serio (UW-Milwaukee) of the Kenosha Kingfish will bring his talents to Madison. Serio currently has seven saves and 30 strikeouts in 19.1 innings for Kenosha.

Proceeds from the Major League Dreams Showcase will benefit the Northwoods League Foundation. The Northwoods League Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that serves as a vehicle to transform a shared passion for baseball into positive change and support for communities. Of the many needs the foundation may address through grants, scholarships or donations, one ongoing focus will be to view its member communities and look upon the baseball programs they have in place with a harmonious goal of making them all finer places to live.

More information on the Foundation can be found at northwoodsleague.com/community/foundation/

Tickets for the event can still be purchased and are available at mallardsbaseball.com.

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The Kalamazoo Growlers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Entering its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods 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, 190 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR).  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.