(Rochester, MN)— The Rochester Honkers Baseball Club announced today the signing of brothers Reid and Ryne Roper from the University of Illinois. The Roper’s are the second set of Illinois brothers to play for Rochester, joining Justin and Jordan Parr from 2012.
Reid, a 6-foot, 200-pound, redshirt junior infielder and right-handed pitcher, returns to Rochester for his fourth season. Last season, Reid saw action on the mound and in the field. He hit .229 with 14 RBIs in 50 games while also making 12 appearances on the mound. Reid tossed 27.0 innings, striking out 30 and earning 2 saves.
At Illinois, Reid finished the 2013 campaign hitting .266 with 3 homeruns and 22 RBIs, starting 48 of 55 games in the infield. The Illini closer also made 11 appearances on the mound, pitching 10.2 innings, striking out 8, while earning 5 saves.
A graduate of Harrisburg High School, Reid was drafted as a catcher in the 29th round by the Atlanta Braves in the 2010 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
Ryne is a 6-foot-2, 195-pound freshman, who in his older brother’s footsteps is also an infielder and right-handed pitcher. Selected as the 2013 Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year, Ryne was ranked as the No. 2 player in the state of Illinois and No. 15 in the Midwest Class of 2013 by Prep Baseball Report. As a senior he hit .477 with nine homeruns and 39RBIs as the leadoff man, while also posting a perfect 11-0 record on the mound. He recorded 106 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings while only walking 8.
Ryne earned 11 total varsity letters at Harrisburg High School, excelling in football, basketball and baseball. In baseball he set school records for home runs in a season (11), career pithing wins (35), and strikeouts in a game (17).
The Rochester Honkers 21st season begins on May 27th when the Waterloo Bucks prance into Mayo Field for a 7:05pm first pitch. The Honkers will play 72 games in 2014 (36 home, 36 away). Season Tickets, Bonus Books, Suites and Patios are now available. Call the Rochester Honkers office at 507-289-1170 for more information.
The Rochester Honkers 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 MLB All-Stars Max Scherzer (DET), 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 www.rochesterhonkers.com.
