Waterloo, Iowa – The Waterloo Bucks have announced their 2017 coaching staff along with their Opening Day roster for the 2017 season.  After staying in the playoff hunt in 2016 with an overall record of 36-36, Scott Douglas returns at the helm of the Waterloo Bucks. Last year, Waterloo got off to a hot start finishing just 2.5 games out of first place in the North Division in the first half. Douglas brings back two of his assistants from a year ago as the Bucks aim to take the next step in the Northwoods League.

Field Manager

Scott Douglas- 2^nd Season

In 2016 under Douglas, Waterloo saw a five-game win improvement from the 2015 season.  Under the guidance of Douglas, the Bucks sent four players to the NWL All-Star Game, two to the NWL Major League Dreams Showcase, and had one player make the NWL Postseason All-Star Team.  Pitcher Derek Hendrixson and catcher Adam McGinnis both were named Summer Collegiate All-Americans by Perfect Game.

Douglas, a resident of Lakewood, Colorado, spent 2006, 2007, 2014, and 2015 as skipper of the Regina Red Sox of the summer-collegiate Western Major Baseball League where his squads made the playoffs all four years, clinching the Division pennant twice, and advancing to the Final in 2015.  Douglas was voted the WMBL’s Coach of the Year in 2006.  In 2013, Douglas was the Head Coach at Colorado Christian University.  Prior to that, Douglas was the Head Coach at Trinidad State Junior College from 2000-2012 and put up an overall record of 372-323-1. In 1998, Douglas was an Assistant Coach at the University of Northern Iowa.

Beginning his coaching career in 1990, Douglas was a Head Coach/Player in the semi-professional/collegiate Saskatchewan Major Baseball League for three seasons.  From 1992-’96, Douglas was an Assistant Coach at Hardin-Simmons University.  Douglas then moved on to the pro ranks, becoming the Third Base Coach for the Moose Jaw Diamond Dogs in the Prairie League and was promoted to Field Manager mid-season, a post he held until the end of the 1997 season, adding the title of Assistant General Manager along the way.

Douglas played his collegiate baseball at Waldorf Junior College and Hardin-Simmons before playing independent professional baseball for the Regina Cyclones of the North Central League in 1994 and for Moose Jaw of the Prairie League in 1995. In 1994, Douglas graduated from Hardin-Simmons with a Bachelor of Behavioral Science Degree, then earned a Master of Education Degree in Sports and Recreation Management from HSU in 2000.  Douglas is currently the Facility Manager at the Gold Crown Fieldhouse for the Gold Crown Foundation in Lakewood, Colorado.  He and his wife Keri have two children, Kade (15) and Seth (12).

Coaches

Matt Schissel – Coach – 1^st Season

Schissel joins the Bucks for his first season in 2017 as an assistant coach.  The Milan, Ill., native is a graduate assistant baseball coach at Quincy University where he is finishing his Masters Degree in Education.  Quincy University most recently made a post season run all the way to the NCAA Division II World Series where Schissel worked with the pitchers and had bullpen responsibilities. 

Prior to coaching at Quincy, he played collegiately at Central College in Pella, Iowa where he earned four varsity letters as a pitcher, and was also a member of the football team for two seasons.  He graduated from Central with a bachelor’s degree in Economics in 2016.  Schissel spent the previous two summers working for Perfect Game Baseball with the majority of his time being in Atlanta, Georgia at the Lakepoint Complex working tournaments and showcases.  

Schissel also spent time coaching in the high school ranks.  He served as the head coach for the Alleman High School Jr. Legion team in 2013 and 2014.  He graduated from Alleman (Rock Island, Illinois) in 2012 where he was a part of a state runner up team in both baseball and football. 

Corey Thompson- Pitching Coach – 2^nd Season

Thompson returns to the Waterloo Bucks for his second season in 2017 as the team’s pitching coach. Thompson is currently the pitching coach at Coastal Alabama Community College in Bay Minette, Ala.

The previous two seasons he served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Point University. Combined in two seasons as a pitcher at Point University, Thompson went 8-9 with a 4.94 ERA in 30 games (23 starts). As a senior in 2014, Thompson went 4-3 with a 5.65 ERA in 16 games (10 starts). In 57.1 innings, Thompson struck out 43. As a junior in 2013, Thompson finished with a record of 4-6 in a team-high 13 starts. Thompson finished second on the Skyhawks with four complete games, 81 innings pitched and 54 strikeouts.

Jimmy Turk- Hitting Coach – 2^nd Season

Turk returns to the Waterloo Bucks for his second season in 2017 as an assistant coach. Turk just finished his second year as an assistant baseball coach at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, Ariz. Before South Mountain, Turk coached at Slammers Baseball in Colorado for seven years.

He also coached at Cherry Creek High School for three years winning a State Championship in 2012 and Ponderosa High School for two years. Turk is from Owasso, Oklahoma and currently resides in Phoenix, Ariz. He has his BSBA in Business Management from Colorado State University-Pueblo.

 

Pitchers

Colby Carmichael- The southpaw Carmichael joins the Bucks from Illinois-Springfield, his third school in as many years. As a member of the Prairie Stars in 2017 he appeared in 11 games on the mound, totaled 10 innings pitched with a 7.20 ERA. Eight of those appearances he didn’t allow an earned run. Carmichael started his collegiate career in 2015 at Northern Illinois, appearing in eight games (two starts) totaling 14.1 innings allowing 22 hits and 16 runs while striking out seven batters. In 2016 as a sophomore at Iowa Central Community College he made 12 appearances going 1-1 in 17.2 innings with a 8.15 ERA and 28 strikeouts.

Brady Corson- Corson is a local product from Cedar Falls in his sophomore season at Cal State San Marcos, a Division II institution. Corson made 21 appearances for the Cougars in 2017 including 3 starts. In 2017, the southpaw tossed 32.2 innings with an 11.57 ERA and 25 punch-outs. The year before Corson played on the JV squad for Iowa Central Community College. A 2015 graduate of Cedar Falls High School, he was three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference and All-Metro selection. Corson was selected to the Iowa All-Star team his senior year and finished his prep career with a 21-3 all-time record including a 2.40 ERA.

Jared Crescentini- 2016 Northwoods League All-Star Jared Crescentini returns to Waterloo for his second season with the Bucks. Crescentini started 13 games last summer going 5-3 with a 4.24 ERA in 68 innings while striking out 42 batters. The Wesley Chapel, Fla., native did not play his senior season at Missouri Baptist but during his junior season he started 15 games with an 8-2 record, 3.46 ERA, a whopping 80 strikeouts and even spun a no-hitter.

Brandon Downey– Downey also returns to the hill for the Bucks in 2017 following his junior season at Maryville University, an NCAA Division II school. As a Buck in 2016, in addition to being a Northwoods League All-Star, Downey was a mainstay out of the bullpen pitching 29 innings in 22 appearances picking up a 1-0 record on his way to a dominant 0.93 ERA. Downey struck out 26 batters and recorded 10 saves for Waterloo as well. At Maryville in 2017, the right-hander went 1-1 with a 11.57 ERA and five strikeouts in 9.1 innings pitched. He went 4-1 with one save and a 5.01 ERA in 16 games (one start) at Maryville in 2016.   The Ballwin, Mo., native was named to the Missouri High School Coaches Association’s Class 4 All-State Team as a senior. Downey was a four-year varsity letterman at Lutheran South High School as a pitcher/infielder.

Alex Farley- Farley is a freshman left handed pitcher who can also play first base for the Bucks in 2017. Farley came out of the bullpen nine times for Minnesota this season pitching 7.1 innings with a 4.91 ERA and already earned a collegiate win. The Anoka, Minn., native was selected to the all-section team and all-conference team his senior year of high school. He was named a PlayBall Minnesota High School All-Star in 2016.  

Jared Finkel – Finkel is added to the Bucks as a right-handed pitcher from Iona. Finkel dominated out of the bullpen for the Gaels and led his team in saves with nine. In 2017, he made 22 appearances, pitched 27 innings with a 1-0 record. Finkel collected a team best 1.33 ERA and batters only hit .179 against him during his junior season. As a sophomore, Finkel was a MAAC All-Academic team member. He pitched 14 innings in both his freshman and sophomore seasons while racking up seven strikeouts each season. The Oradell, NJ native played football and baseball at Bergen Catholic High School.

Ryan Garcia- Garcia joins the Bucks after appearing in 15 outings out of the bullpen with a 2-0 record and 3.65 ERA in 12.1 innings and 13 strikeouts at UCLA. Garcia is freshman from Sierra Madre, Calif., and was a three-year varsity baseball letter winner at La Salle High School. He received praise from Perfect Game as he was ranked No. 44 in the 2016 Perfect Game USA Top High School Prospects in the state of California and No. 356 in the 2016 Perfect Game USA Top 500 High School Prospects list. Garcia spent the summer of 2016 in the West Coast League with the Yakima Valley Pippins. At the plate he hit .270 with one home run and 18 RBIs. On the mound, Garcia appeared 15 times (four starts) going 4-5 with a low 2.16 ERA in 41.2 innings of work and he struck out 41 batters.

Alec Hernandez- Hernandez heads to Waterloo from Lynn University, an NCAA Division II institution. The Miami native made 14 appearances all out of the bullpen for the Fighting Knights in his first season. Hernandez threw 14.2 innings, held his ERA to a solid 1.72 and struck out 10 hitters. 

Kyle Leahy- Leahy returns for his second season with the Waterloo Bucks. As a Buck in 2016, the right-hander made three starts on the mound going 1-1 while compiling a 4.50 ERA in 16 innings pitched. Leahy struck out nine batters in Northwoods League play and recorded one complete game. At Colorado Mesa, Leahy had a stellar sophomore season to say the least. Leahy was undefeated in 2017 at 11-0 with a 1.21 ERA in 89.1 innings of work. He fanned 79 batters helping him be named Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year while being a member of the RMAC All-First Team. At Erie High School in Boulder, Colo., Leahy played in the Futures Game at Coors Field and was Boulder County Player of the Year.

Rafael Martinez- Martinez comes to Waterloo from New Orleans where he made 18 appearances including four starts in 2017. For the Privateers, Martinez compiled a 2-3 record and 5.91 ERA in 35 innings of work. He racked up 28 strikeouts this season while walking only nine batters. The righty from Miami transferred to New Orleans from Miami Dade College, where he made 24 career appearances on the mound winding up with two wins, 58 strikeouts in 90.2 innings and a 2.69 ERA.

Zack McLeod- McLeod joins the Bucks after his sophomore season at Grand Canyon University when he made nine appearances out of the bullpen with a 7.45 ERA and seven strikeouts. As a freshman in 2016 he made 12 relief appearances for the Antelopes spanning 12 innings and went 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA. McLeod is from Phoenix, Ariz., where he played at Greenway High School finishing his high school career with a 2.60 ERA. He was rated the second best left-handed pitcher in Arizona by Perfect Game. McLeod was a member of the Tampa Bay Rays scout team.

Zachary Patterson- Patterson joins the Bucks from Arkansas State where he spent his redshirt sophomore season making 8 appearances including 2 starts. He finished with a 1-2 record with a 7.85 ERA in 18.1 innings pitched while striking out 16 batters. In 2016, Patterson made 10 appearances with three starts coming off an injury the previous year. Finished the campaign with an 8.44 ERA in 16 innings pitched and had 21 strikeouts. The right-hander is from Cabot, Ark., where he had a successful prep career including the honor of being named to the 7A-West All-Conference Team and helping the Cabot High Panthers qualify for the state tournament twice including a 7A championship his junior season.

Anthony Ruden- The senior right-hander from Dubuque, Iowa joins the Bucks from Clarke University, a NAIA powerhouse after transferring from Upper Iowa. Ruden started 15 times in 2017 and built a record of 10-3, good enough for second on the team in wins. He was also second on the team in complete games (6) and innings pitched (91.1). Ruden led the Crusaders in strikeouts by far with 102 punch-outs.

Ben Sellers- Sellers will be a pitcher and infielder for the Bucks this summer. After redshirting his freshman season in 2016, Sellers pitched 11 innings in six appearances for Western Illinois in 2017 while collecting a 14.73 ERA and striking out six batters. In the field, Sellers played in 24 games for the Leathernecks including six starts and hit .241 (7-29) with 3 RBIs. Redshirted his freshman season at Western Illinois. The Evansville, Ind., native played at Mater Dei High School where he was All-Conference twice and was the male representative for Conference Athlete of the Year. 

Zach Siggelkow- Siggelkow returns to the Bucks in 2017 for his third season in Waterloo. He made four appearances last year and finished with an 8.10 ERA including two strikeouts in 3.1 innings of work. As a Buck in 2015 he went 1-2 with a 2.28 ERA in five games (four starts) in 2015. Siggelkow made 14 appearances (four starts) in 2017 for the St. Cloud State going 4-1in 42.1 innings with an ERA of 4.89 while picking up 32 strikeouts. After redshirting in 2015, Siggelkow finished without a record or an ERA in two relief appearances for the Huskies in 2016. In 1.1 innings, the southpaw yielded a hit and a walk while striking out a pair. Siggelkow was a three-time All-Conference selection, a two-time All-Section selection and a MSHSBCA All-State selection in baseball as a senior at St. Anthony Village High School. The St. Anthony Village, Minn., native was also named Second Team All-Metro and a Perfect Game USA Central Region Honorable Mention selection in baseball as a senior.

Hunter Spencer– The southpaw Spencer returns for his second season with the Bucks in 2017. He was an effective option out of the bullpen last season for Waterloo making a team high 31 appearances while sporting a 1-1 record, 4.30 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 29.1 innings. Spencer started 15 times for Bellarmine in 2017, going 7-5 with a 3.69 ERA in 92.2 innings of work and struck out 71 batters. Spencer led the Knights in complete games with six last season. The successful sophomore campaign comes after being named the Great Lakes Valley Pitcher of Year in 2016 at Bellarmine University of NCAA Division II. Spencer finished the 2016 campaign 6-2 with a 2.18 ERA and a team-best two shutouts and 74.1 innings pitched. He went 1-4 in five relief appearances as a freshman in 2015. The Scottsburg, Ind., native was named an IHSBCA All-State Honorable Mention selection as a senior at Austin High School.

Nathan Walker- The tall right-hander Walker joins the Bucks after his freshman season at the University of San Diego. Walker made six appearances out of the bullpen as a freshman for the Toreros, totaling five innings with a 9.00 ERA. Walker hails from Carlsbad, Calif., where as a senior he went 7-3 on the mound with a 1.75 ERA in 60 innings and was named second-team All-Avocado League. He was also recruited by Stanford and UCLA.

Catchers

John Cable- Cable joins the Bucks as a strong option behind the plate. At New Orleans in his junior season, the Roswell, Ga., native led the Privateers in batting average at .358 in 53 starts while clubbing two home runs and driving in 30 RBIs. Cable transferred to New Orleans from Darton State and helped lead the team to back-to-back Georgia College Athletics Association conference championships with a NJCAA World Series berth in 2016. In his junior college career he batted .373 with 149 hits in 399 at bats with 110 RBI and 12 home runs. Cable racked up the accolades in 2016 earning the honors of NJCAA All-American, Georgia College Athletic Association Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-Conference and Gold Glove Team.

Cole McDevitt- McDevitt comes to the Bucks as a sophomore catcher from Apple Valley, Minn., playing the home state Minnesota Golden Gophers. He made 38 appearances with 29 starts in 2017, hitting .308 with one homer and 22 RBIs. McDevitt is no stranger to the Northwoods League after landing an opening day roster spot on the Rochester Honkers in 2016. He ended up played 18 games for the Lakeshore Chinooks, another Northwoods member and had a .205 batting average, one RBI with eight runs scored, His brother, Ty, is a senior pitcher for the Golden Gophers. McDevitt graduated from Eastview High School in 2015 where he was an All-South Suburban Conference and All-Section 3AAA player for the Lightning.

Jay Schuyler- Schuyler as a utility player started 52 games for the University of San Diego and led the Toreros in batting average at .352, in addition Schuyler smacked six homers and brought around 31 RBIs with a .405 on-base percentage in 2017. As a freshman in 2016 in 23 games (11 starts) he hit for an average of .250 with 13 total hits and three RBIs. Schuyler is from Laguna Niguel, Calif., and is on the Wall of Fame at Dana Hills High School for earning four All-League honors. As a senior at Dana Hills, Schuyler hit .327 with four homers and 31 RBIs. He left the Dolphins as the school’s all-time leader in doubles with 35 two-baggers.

Infielders

Tyler Bordner- Bordner just wrapped up his sophomore season at Kirkwood Community College in nearby Cedar Rapids. The Morris, Ill., native played in 51 games, batted .261, crushed eight home runs and drove in 39 RBIs. After his time at Kirkwood, Bordner has committed to continue his collegiate baseball career at Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Christian Boulware- Boulware spent his freshman season at NJCAA Panola College. In 46 games, he hit .320 with 12 homers and 58 RBIs. Boulware is from Corinth, TX in the Dallas area and prepped at Lake Dallas High School.

Kyle Crowl- The Council Bluffs, Iowa native Crowl returns to Waterloo for his second season with the club in 2017. Last season with the Bucks, Crowl played in 22 games, hit for a .281 average while driving in 5 RBIs. As a redshirt freshman at Iowa he made six starts in 2016 smacking one homer and delivering three RBIs. Out of high school, Crowl was ranked as the No. 367 best player nationally by Perfect Game and was a first-team all-state selection as a senior, hitting .440 with six home runs, 33 RBIs, and 14 steals.

Drew Greenwood- Greenwood joins the Bucks roster in 2017 after having started in all 55 games at Bellarmine University his junior season. The Pewee Valley, Ky., infielder hit .362 with 25 RBI and a .410 OBP this past season. He hit .298 with a homer, nine doubles and 26 RBIs during his sophomore campaign. As a freshman in 2015, Greenwood batted .287 with 50 hits, 11 doubles, 19 RBIs and 26 runs scored.

Grant Hawkins- Hawkins is a junior infielder at Arkansas State and is originally from Murfreesboro, Tenn., as he comes to the Bucks in 2017. Hawkins was second on the Red Wolves in batting average this season with a mark of .285. He also hit three home runs, drove in 25 RBIs and scored 43 runs. As a journeyman, he played at two community colleges before arriving at A-State. Hawkins was a middle infielder in 2016 at Dyersburg State and led the Eagles in runs scored (56) and steals (13. He hit .363 with a .451 on-base percentage and a .536 slugging percentage with five home runs including 42 RBIs as a sophomore. Hawkins aided Dyersburg State to finish just one game shy of the NJCAA Division I World Series. The year prior as a freshman at Volunteer State Community College he had a .250 average scoring 21 runs and swiping three steals.

Zach Malis- Malis is coming off a sophomore campaign at Grand Canyon where he held a .285 batting average, hit two homers and picked up 18 RBIs. As a freshman for the Antelopes he appeared in 44 games for GCU (36 starts), finishing his freshman campaign with a .301 average with three home runs and 24 RBIs. Malis earned a WAC Player of the Week accolade his freshman season and earned a spot on the WAC All-Conference second team. The Tucson, Ariz. native left a mark on Desert Christian High School being named to the MaxPreps 2015 Small Schools All-American team. He was selected as AZCentral's 2015 Small Schools Player of the Year, saying his career will "go on a short list of the greatest small-school careers in Arizona history". His name fills the Arizona High School baseball record book, holding records for 215 career hits, 222 career RBIs and 199 career runs scored.

Jordyn Muffley- Muffley finished his final season at Parkland College in Champaign, Ill., with a .361 batting average, three home runs and 22 RBIs while scoring 36 runs. Muffley was a big help to the Cobras winning back-to-back Mid-West Athletic Conference championships and the squad earning a No. 3 ranking in the NJCAA D-2 poll. He is a Portage, Mich., native.

Ian Nelson- The Lake St. Louis, Mo., native wasted no time getting on the field at Mizzou. As a freshman, Nelson started 52 games and hit .205 with a .328 on-base percentage, 15 runs, 13 RBI and five doubles, earning the majority of his starts at second base. Nelson made 26 appearances and nine starts in 2017 while hitting .149 with 5 RBIs.

Deion Thompson- Thompson joins the Bucks after a sophomore campaign at Western Illinois where he hit .213 with 2 home runs and 17 RBIs in 48 games. Thompson had a team-leading five home runs in just 25 games played as a freshman as well as 15 runs scored and 10 RBIs. The Bloomington, Ill., native played last summer in the Prospect League with the Quincy Gems and was a mainstay in the lineup making 55 starts. Thompson hit .245 with four homers and drove in 28 RBIs.

Outfielders

Josh Elvir- Elvir joins the Bucks after a successful season at NJCAA Angelina College. There for the Roadrunners, Elvir put together a .404 batting average, cranked out 11 home runs, hit 39 RBIs and scored 48 runs for the Roadrunners. The Kemah, TX native played his freshman season at Galveston College hitting .305 in 42 games with one long ball and 23 RBIs.

Dalton Hurd- Hurd is a three-year starter at Seattle University from Bend, Ore., he hit .276 in 2017 with four homers and 24 RBIs in 51 starts. In 2017, Hurd made 57 starts, batted .282 with four homers and 18 stolen bases. As a freshman in 2015, he got off to a great start batting .299 with four long balls and 28 RBIs while stealing 21 bases.  Hurd played multiple positions throughout his varsity career at Bend High School and he was key part in the Lava Bears reaching the playoffs all four years he was there, including a trip to the state finals in 2013. He was named the conference player of the year in 2014, hitting .568 with a .628 on-base percentage while leading the team in batting average and RBIs.

Colin Kreiter- Kreiter returns to the Bucks after making 10 starts for the club in 2016. He collected nine hits in 26 at-bats. Kreiter like current Bucks teammate Tyler Bordner played two years at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids and has committed to play at WisconsIn Milwaukee next season. This past season, Kreiter batted .322 belting six home runs and a team second-best 46 RBIs. In 2017, Kreiter was a NJCAA Second Team All-Region selection. In 2016, the Davenport, IA., native hit .299 with five homers and 25 RBIs.

Keaton Presley- Presley joins the Bucks from Central Arkansas where in 2017 he hit .293, hit four long balls, ripped 39 RBIs and scored 56 runs in 55 starts. Previously, the Springfield, Mo., native played at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Junior College where he was a two-time All-Conference and All-Region selection. In 2016 for the Golden Norse, Presley collected a .352 batting average, .742 slugging pct., 15 home runs and 23 stolen bases.

Tyler Stover- Stover is one of a few Bucks players to have bounced around from place to place. The Louisiana-Lafayette outfielder made 19 starts his junior season for the Ragin’ Cajuns compiling a .176 batting average, smashing one home run and bringing in nine RBIs. Stover originally committed to play at Kansas State where he hit .291 with five doubles, 12 RBIs and 12 runs scored in 33 games as a freshman. He then transferred to play under his father Scott at Solano Community College. The Vacaville, Calif., native returned to his hometown area and hit .344 in 36 games with five home runs and 32 RBI. Stover was drafted out of high school in 40^th round by the Colorado Rockies.

The Bucks open the 2017 season at home on May 30 versus the St. Cloud Rox and play at Riverfront Stadium where the team welcomed a new state of the art video board in 2016 thanks to a matching grant from the Black Hawk County Gaming Association.  Team ownership has invested more than $170,000 in improvements since the end of the 2014 season including painted bleachers, public Wi-Fi, sound system, group outing areas, and concessions equipment.  Bucks 2017 Single Game Tickets, Season Tickets, and Group Outings are now on sale.  Fans are encouraged to call the Bucks’ Ticket Line at (319) 232-5633 to order.  Fans can stay in touch with the Bucks during the season by utilizing their website at www.waterloobucks.com.

 

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The Waterloo Bucks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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 160 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM).  All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.waterloobucks.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Bucks as your favorite team.