FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/b><\/p>\n
Kalamazoo, Mich.\u00a0<\/b>On Friday, August 2, Growlers left-handed pitcher and Indiana junior Ryan Kraft passed the single-season franchise strikeout record. Behind his third straight nine-strikeout performance, Kraft\u2019s 73 strikeouts pass 2016 Growler Devin Pellien (71) for the most by a lone pitcher in a single season.<\/p>\n
Now leading the Northwoods League in strikeouts this season, Kraft and another Growler starter Liam O\u2019Brien have traded places in the top spots for three weeks straight.<\/p>\n
The Northwoods League All-Star has been arguably the best pitcher in the league this season. Going the distance for his second seven-inning complete game this season, Kraft is the only player in the league with multiple complete games.<\/p>\n
On June 14, Kraft struck out a Growlers franchise-record 14 across just six innings against the Kenosha Kingfish. The southpaw has five separate outings of nine or more strikeouts, the most by any Growler in franchise history.<\/p>\n
Behind seven quality starts in eight performances, Kraft holds a 1.42 ERA, second lowest amongst pitchers with 30 or more innings. Across the league’s fourth-most 50.2 innings pitched, Kraft has walked just five batters all year. It is the least among all pitchers with 30 or more innings pitched. His five wins now tie Liam O\u2019Brien and Eamon Horwedel not only for the team lead but also is tied for fourth in the Northwoods League.<\/p>\n
Kalamazoo is back at home Saturday and Sunday finishing off the I-94 Rivalry against the Battle Creek Battle Jacks. First pitch Saturday is set for 6:35 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n
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The Kalamazoo Growlers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its\u2019 31st<\/sup>\u00a0season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 26 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, 360 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019\/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner, and two-time All-MLB first-team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at\u00a0watch.northwoodsleague.com<\/a>), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network.\u00a0 Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at\u00a0watchnwl.com<\/a>.\u00a0For more information, visit\u00a0www.growlersbaseball.com<\/a>\u00a0or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rockers as your favorite team.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Kalamazoo, Mich.\u00a0On Friday, August 2, Growlers left-handed pitcher and Indiana junior Ryan Kraft passed the single-season franchise […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":21037,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[33,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21036","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-player-news","category-team-news"],"yoast_head":"\n