Stingers bolster roster with 3 Florida Gulf Coast teammates

WILLMAR, MN – The Willmar Stingers are excited to announce that they have continued their relationship with Florida Gulf Coast University and have added three players from the Eagles roster to the 2014 Stingers team. Brady Anderson, a 2012 Northwoods League Post Season All-Star, along with infielders Nick Rivera and Brian Pruett will be coming to Willmar this summer. The roster now is now comprised to date of 18 players for the upcoming season which will be the Stingers’ fifth season in the Northwoods League.

Brady Anderson, a 6-foot 185 pound redshirt sophomore pitcher was a valuable member of the 2012 Stingers bullpen. In 23 appearances for the Stingers, Anderson compiled a 3.00 ERA in 30 innings pitched compiling 35 strikeouts. Earning post-season all-star accolades, Anderson was second in the NWL with 15 saves.

An unfortunate injury during the fall of 2012 caused Anderson to file for a medical hardship waiver after suffering a season ending severe knee surgery disrupting this sophomore season. As a freshman with the Eagles, Anderson was named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshman team for his outstanding effort.

Nick Rivera, a 5-foot 10-inch, 200 pound sophomore, is primarily a third baseman, first baseman and designated hitter at FGCU. During his freshman season, Rivera appeared in 56 games, making 51 starts. Nick finished with a .287 batting average with 34 Runs Batted In and was second on the team in home runs (8), doubles (14) and slugging percentage (.492). As a result, Rivera earned a unanimous selection to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshman team and named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.

Brian Pruett, a 6-foot 175 pound junior, is scheduled to play shortstop for the Eagles next season. Pruett transferred to FGCU after playing his freshman and sophomore seasons at Coastal Carolina. Due to an NCAA transfer rule, Pruett will need to sit out this year but will be eligible to play in 2015.

In two seasons with the Chanticleers, Pruett played in 76 games and had 201 at-bats. Pruett posted 10 doubles, 20 RBI and had 23 walks over those two seasons.

“We are thrilled to continue to have Florida Gulf Coast athletes on our roster again in 2014,” Stingers co-owner Ryan Voz said. “Our relationship with their program has been strong, sending quality players like (Ricky) Knapp, (Jacob) Barnes, (Michael) Suchy, and (Zack) Tillery.”

Field Manager Matt Hollod, along with the Stingers organization, will continue to build the roster for the fifth season of Stingers baseball in 2014. With the recent release of the 2014 schedule, season tickets for the upcoming year are now available. For more information regarding this story or season ticket pricing, please call 320-222-2010 or visit www.willmarstingers.com. The 2014 season is presented by Charter.

The Willmar Stingers 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 summer collegiate 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 Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (DET) and MLB All-Stars 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.willmarstingers.com.