ROCHESTER, MINN – The Rochester Honkers, five-time champions of the Northwoods League, are excited to welcome three new additions from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in pitcher Nick Argento and infielders Alex Ritzer and Colby Wilkerson.  

Argento, who grew up 90 minutes from Rochester in Wayzata, Minn, is a freshman at UNC.  Standing at an imposing 6’6 Argento attended Wayzata High School where he was named to the 2021 Minneapolis Star Tribune All-Metro team his senior season. What a year he had, the righty posted a 1.66 ERA in 25.1 innings pitched and swung the bat as well, posting a 1.084 OPS with three homeruns.  

“Nick will be a guy who will get innings for us this summer,” said Honkers field manager  Andrew Urbistondo. “He has a smooth delivery with a firm fastball which is backed up with some quality secondary pitches. He will find himself on the bump in key moments for us this  summer.” 

Ritzer, also a freshman at UNC, was born in Stillwater, Minn. Coming out of Stillwater Area High  School Prep Baseball Report rankled Ritzer as the seventh overall player and top ranked shortstop in Minnesota in the class of 2021. At Stillwater the newest Honker earned all conference, all-metro and all-section honors his senior season.  

“I’m really excited to have Alex join us this summer,” said Urbistondo. “He brings a grit to the  game with his style of play. He’s a hard-nosed guy who is willing to run through a wall to make  a play. His ability with the bat paired with good hands on the infield will make him a key player  for us.” 

Wilkerson, a sophomore at UNC, is from Oxford, NC. The right-handed hitting infielder played in 33 games his freshman season and hit .254 with 10 runs scored. The three-time high school state champion was ranked as the eighth shortstop in North Carolina by Perfect Game in 2020. 

“Colby is going to be another one of those hard-nosed guys,” said Urbistondo. “He brings  toughness when he plays and with his athletic ability, he will find himself in the lineup. I am  excited to get to work with him this year.” 

The Rochester Honkers begin their 29th season of play on May 30th when they host the Willmar Stingers at Mayo Field. Connect with the team on social media by following the Honkers on Twitter (@RochHonkers), Instagram (@honkersbaseball) and liking the Honkers on Facebook at Rochester Honkers Baseball Club. Interact on social by using the hashtag  #FunForTheWholeFlock.  

The Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league of its kind in the world with 22  teams, drawing significantly more fans and providing a friendly ballpark experience. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 250 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 (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist  and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). 2019 Rookie of the  Year and two-time Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB Gold Glove finalist  and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TOR) each participated in the NWL  before they were MLB stars. All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League  website and portal. For more information, visit www.rochesterhonkers.com or download the  new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the  Honkers as your favorite team.