Mequon, WI – In each of the first three seasons of the Lakeshore Chinooks, players from the University of Florida have left their mark at Kapco Park. In season one, it was MLB draft pick Ryan Harris while in season two it was Harrison Bader and Eric Hanhold who both have good chances to be chosen in this year’s draft. Last summer, Shaun Anderson and Ryan Larson were key contributors to the Chinooks run to the title and now two more Gators will migrate north as freshmen Christian Hicks and Mark Kolozsvary will suit up for Lakeshore in 2015.
Christian Hicks is a talented 6’4 infielder who has been trying to squeeze his way into the talented line-up for the nationally-ranked Gators. Signed as an infielder who can play shortstop or third base, Hicks has seen time early in the season at first base as the Gators deal with injuries. Hicks has gained valuable playing time, starting nine games and collecting six hits and 11 runs in 40 at-bats thus far. The lanky freshman belted his first career homer on March 6 against Maine. Chinooks’ Head Coach Eddy Morgan is confident that Hicks will impact the club’s roster. “Christian is a really good athlete playing for one of the top teams in the country. I’m sure the Gator staff will find a way to use his talents and we’ll look to build off that here,” says Morgan.
Hicks prepped at The Bolles School in St. Augustine, FL where he hit .386 with a slugging percentage of .544 and a .494 on-base percentage during his senior season. He was the District 4 Player of the Year and was rated as the No. 12 short stop in talent-rich state of Florida by Rawlings/Perfect Game.
Mark Kolozsvary plays catcher at Florida and has seen limited action thus far during the 2015 season. In eight games, Kolozsvary is hitting .286, with an on-base percentage of .375. The 5’9 native of Tavares, FL was a four-time All-District selection and was named Florida All-Region Honorable Mention by Rawlings/Perfect Game. This summer Kolozsvary will battle with two other freshman catchers for playing time with the Chinooks and will add depth at a position that the Chinooks’ front office views as critical. “We have been incredibly blessed in our first three seasons with having high quality catchers,” says General Manager Dean Rennicke. “Mike Hollenbeck from Illinois State was our MVP in 2013 and last season Zack Bowers, Carter White, and Mitch Ghelfi all played major roles in our run to the title. We’re hoping Mark can add to the mix this summer.”
You can catch your first glimpse of the 2015 Chinooks roster on May 28th when Lakeshore takes on the Kenosha Kingfish at 6:35pm. The first 1,000 fans will receive a 2014 championship pennant (courtesy of Port Washington State Bank) and a 2015 magnet schedule (courtesy of Professional Supply). On Opening Day, there will also be a special pre-game championship celebrate. The championship celebration week will continue on Saturday, May 30th with Championship Trophy Gill bobblehead for the first 1,000 fans (sponsored by GS Design).
The Lakeshore Chinooks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 22nd 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 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (BOS) and Ben Zobrist (OAK). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit www.lakeshorechinooks.com.
