(Rochester, MN)— The Rochester Honkers Baseball Club announced today the signing of Michael Freeman and Corey Hassel from Oklahoma State for the 2014 Northwoods League Season.
Freeman is a 6-foot-8, 235-pound left-handed pitcher from Broken Arrow, OK. He comes to OSU after spending two seasons at Eastern Oklahoma State. Freeman finished his sophomore season 4-3 with a 4.21 ERA. He recorded 58 strikeouts in 68.1 innings pitched over his 12 starts. Freeman was heavily recruited by Nebraska, Tulane and Coastal Carolina before choosing OSU.
Hassel is a 5-foot-10, 175-pound sophomore outfielder from Stillwater, OK. He saw action in 33 games as a freshman, hitting .263 with 3 RBIs in 19 plate appearances. As a senior at Stillwater High School, Hassel hit .341 with 7 home runs and 33 RBIs. He also posted a 6-3 record on the mound with a 3.19 ERA in 12 appearances. Hassel was a star on the football field, playing wide receiver and safety. He finished his senior season with 89 catches for 1,171 yards and 13 touchdowns to go along with his 45 tackles and 4 interceptions.
Oklahoma State was picked to finish second in the Big 12 Conference by a vote of the league’s coaches. This ties for the highest OSU has been ranked in the Big 12 preseason coaches’ poll. They open up the 2014 season this weekend when they travel to Arlington, TX for the Hilton Invitational.
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 Honkers are also looking for host families for the 2014 season and ask all interested parties to call the business office 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 (NYY), 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.
