This recruiting update is presented by OnStaff Group.

Kalamazoo, Mich – Before the 2015 season the Northwoods League and Collegiate Baseball League Europe (CBLE) entered into an agreement that would allow the top players from the CBLE to participate the following season in the Northwoods League. Following a second successful year of the agreement, five players have been selected to play in the Northwoods League for the 2017 season.

Simon Andersson, a pitcher of the Vienna Emperors and native of Sweden signed with Growlers. Andersson had a strong campaign for the Emperors in 2016, posting a 3-0 record. The left-hander pitched 25.1 innings for the Emperors, striking out 25 with a 2.48 ERA.

"Every year our goal is to bring the best talent we can find to Kalamazoo. The Northwoods League's relationship with the CBLE opened the door for us to go global in our pursuit. Simon Andersson is one of the top collegiate pitchers in Europe and we are beyond excited to have this young man join our team for this summer." said Growlers Field Manager Cody Piechocki. 

After the annual NWL Winter Meetings a draft was held to determine where each of these players would play this summer.

“CBLE is very pleased with the extension of its partnership with the Northwoods League,” said CBLE Founder and General Manager Jan Maarten Kops. “It offers a great opportunity for our European players to play with the best college players in the world and learn about baseball and the way of living in the US.”

The CBLE is a wood bat summer league based in Oosterhout, Netherlands. The league currently consists of four teams: La Rochelle Admirals, Amsterdam Bombers, Antwerp Cavaliers, and the Sant Boi Falcons of Barcelona. Each year the coaching staffs draft their team rosters from the list of registered players in March.

Players typically play their regular season with college teams in the United States or play for club teams in elite leagues across Europe.

Like other Summer Collegiate Baseball leagues, Collegiate Baseball League Europe is dedicated and designed to provide high level competition for 18-23 year old players that wish to continue on into professional baseball. The CBLE operates in a similar manner to a Minor League team: playing daily in stadiums before fans, using wood bats and minor league specification equipment, and experiencing road trips between games. Like all other summer collegiate players, they are unpaid and live with host families or other accommodations in the same manner as Single A and Independent League players. While serving as a crucial player development tool, Collegiate Baseball League Europe provides new opportunities for young players from around the world to play Summer Collegiate Baseball in the “Old World”. More information on the CBLE can be found at www.cble.org.

This recruiting update is presented by OnStaff Group. OnStaff Group is the largest human resource services firm in Southwest Michigan, maintaining an exceptionally experienced and stable staff. Learn how your company can benefit from over 168 years of expertise from a vast variety of organizations and industries today.

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The Kalamazoo Growlers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate 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, more than 160 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM).  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.