The Kalamazoo Growlers continue to build their roster for their inaugural Northwoods League season with the addition of heavy hitters Jesse Puscheck from Canisius College and Seby Zavala from San Diego State University. Both Puscheck and Zavala bring summer collegiate baseball league experience to the roster.
Jesse Puscheck: 6’1” – 200lb, 3B, Bats/L, Throws/R, Canisius College (Jr.), North Tonawanda, NY
Seby Zavala: 6’0” – 185lb, OF/C, Bats/R, Throws/R, San Diego State (So.), West Covina, CA
Jesse Puscheck is a left-handed batter and 3rd baseman from Canisius College. He comes to the Kalamazoo Growlers after spending the summer of 2013 with the Southern Ohio Copperheads of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League. All Puscheck did was hit .321 while leading the league in RBI’s (44 in 39 games), hits (50), and earning All Great Lakes honors. During his sophomore year at Canisius, Puscheck earned the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Most Outstanding Player award in the 2013 post-season baseball tournament championships as well as First-Team All-Tournament accolades.
The 6’1” junior from North Tonawanda, NY currently is having an outstanding junior year at Canisius where he is batting .312 in 37 games, leads the team in home runs (3), runs scored and is second in RBI with 29. Through 97 career games at Canisius, Puscheck has hit an impressive .297. A great contact hitter that can draw the walk and hit with power, Puscheck brings solid offensive skills to Kalamazoo this year.
Seby Zavala brings another big bat to Homer Stryker Stadium this summer. Seby hails from West Covina, CA and played baseball at Bishop Amat High School before moving on to baseball powerhouse San Diego State. He earned all-league honors his junior and senior year, and slugging seven home runs in those two seasons. The San Diego State sophomore outfielder is putting up impressive numbers for the Aztecs this year after missing all of the 2013 baseball season and redshirting due to injury.
The right-handed Zavala has started all 44 games with a .307/.385/.422 slash line with 2 homers, 7 doubles, and 26 RBI for the Aztecs. Back in 2012 Zavala earned some valuable experience playing for the Riverhead Tomcats of the Hamptons Summer Collegiate League, where he batted .375 for the season. Defensively, the 6’0” Zavala can play catcher as well as the outfield for the Growlers.
The Growlers begin their inaugural 2014 season on the road as they take on the defending Northwoods League champions, the Madison Mallards on May 27th. The first home game of the year is on Friday, May 30th at Homer Stryker Stadium, when the Battle Creek Bombers come to Kalamazoo in the first of a five game home stand for the Growlers.
The Kalamazoo Growlers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods 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, more than 115 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 and free of charge via the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit http://www.growlersbaseball.com.