Willmar, MN – The Willmar Stingers announce the signing of two returning and two first time Stingers. Willmar will be welcoming back Andrew Sojka (CSUN) and first year Stinger and fellow Matador Roberto Gonzalez. Joining them will be third year Stinger Andrew Baumgart (NDSU) and Alabama pitcher Tate Robertson.

Sojka, outfielder at California State University – Northridge, will be spending his second summer with the Stingers. The 2023 Northwoods League season was more of the same for the left-handed bat. Sojka joined the Stingers for the second half of the season and made an immediate impact on the field. In 30 games, he tallied 34 RBI, 18 XBH, seven homeruns, all while drawing more walks than strikeouts (18BB/16K). Building on his regular season success, Stinger fans saw Sojka bat .500 with a slugging of 1.500 during the 2023 NWL Playoffs. A potent bat is not the only facet of his game, speed and defense round out Sojka’s game. In just half of the 2023 season, he stole 30 bags while only being caught four times. That equates to a stolen base percentage of 88%. That does not include him going 2/3 in stolen bases during the playoffs. Speed on the bases translates to his defensive prowess in the outfield. In over 250 innings played, Sojka did not commit a single error with also having three outfield assists. The CSUN Matador will be looking to build on his strong 2023 campaign and be a potent bat for the Stingers in 2024.

Gonzalez, CSUN infielder will be playing in Willmar the first time this season. The 2024 collegiate season is also his first with the Matadors. Gonzalez has started this season with a .292 batting average with one homerun and three RBI. The college junior started his career with Imperial Valley College (CA). Starting in 2020 going through 2023, he lettered twice for Imperial Valley. His final season there, Gonzalez’s battling line was .447 BA, .550 OBP, and a SLG % of .642. That slash line was complimented by 36 runs, 55 hits, eight doubles, five triples, two homers, 17 RBI and 16 stolen bases. The left-handed hitting infielder will be the third CSUN player to join the Stingers this summer. The aforementioned Andrew Sojka and Kevin Fitzer round out the trio making the trip from California State University – Northridge.

Baumgart, A Willmar native will be toeing the rubber for a third season with the Stingers. The southpaw Bison made his debut last season for NDSU as a redshirt freshman. Over his past two seasons in Willmar, he has tallied 66.2 innings pitched with 24 appearances. The 6’4” arm has a NWL career record of 4-1 with his first save occurring in 2023. In the 2023 season, Baumgart missed most of July due to illness, but came back to being a serviceable arm out of the bullpen for Freddy Smith. Baumgart pitched his way to being a NWL All-Star alternate in Bismarck. He will be coming to Willmar ready to further improve his game and play through a healthy 2024 campaign.

Robertson, a junior for Alabama, is making his first appearances for the Crimson Tide and the Stingers in 2024. Shelton State Community College is where the lefty started his collegiate career. As a rotation arm for the Bucs, he finished with a 7-3 record in 15 games started. Across 79.2 IP he only allowed 27 ER resulting in a 3.05 ERA. Robertson was an instrumental part of Shelton State advancing to the NJCAA World Series.

The talent from the lefty’s arm slot was displayed in both his freshman and sophomore season. Robertson will leave the Bucs with a career stat line of 28 games started, 14-6 record, 137 IP, 134 Ks and an ERA of 3.03.

The Willmar Stingers 2023 season was filled with milestones for the franchise. The two returners Sojka and Baumgart played a pivotal role in reaching those team records. Bringing back those two with the additions of another solid infielder (Gonzalez) and left-handed pitcher (Robertson) will provide manager Freddy Smith with a deeper roster for 2024.

Season ticket packages, group tickets, and Kwik Trip 5-game and 7-game plans are available. The Kwik Trip ticket plans include premium select games throughout the summer that includes the 2024 Home Opener and Fan Appreciation Night. For more information and for other stories on the Willmar Stingers click here to visit wctrib.com, your
official information source for Stingers Baseball.

Visit willmarstingers.com or call 320-222-2010 to reserve your seats today. The 2024 season is presented by J.D. Kreps Financial Group, empowering investors with powerful financial advice.

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The Willmar Stingers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its 31th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 26 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, over 325 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 (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.willmarstingers.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Stingers as your favorite team.