Avila and Motley Signed for 2017

Pitcher and catcher newest signees as roster accumulates

Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. – The Rafters added to their ever growing roster by announcing additions of pitcher Nick Avila from Delta College and catcher Nic Motley of McLennan Community College.

Nick Avila will begin his first season with the Rafters this summer after his spring season concludes at Delta College. After a redshirt season a year ago, Avila has pitched out of the bullpen and made an immediate impact this year. In 18 innings, the right-hander has earned a save while owning an ERA of 2.04. The strikeout to walk ratio for Avila has been stout, racking up 27 punch-outs compared to just five free passes for a team-leading 13.75 strikeouts per nine innings. His best performance on the season came against Napa in an 8-3 win. Avila turned in an eight-strikeout performance in just three innings and did not allow a hit. Avila graduated from Turlock High School where in 2015, the pitcher went 4-3 with a dominant 1.72 ERA.

Joining Avila on the 2017 squad will be catcher Nic Motley from McLennan Community College. The Carroll Senior High School graduate has burst onto the scene this year in his sophomore season. In 25 games, the Southlake, Texas native has blasted nine home runs, driven in 34, and scored 24 times. This year comes on the heels of a freshman season where Motley drove in 20 runs. In his prep career, Motley batted .438 and drove in 46 runs as a senior. A first team all-state selection, he continued to garner awards with a second-team All-American selection.

The season and home opener for the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters is May 30th at 7:05 against the Kenosha Kingfish. Solarus Founders Club, bleacher 9-Game ticket packages, and group outing packages are on sale now. Call 715-424-5400 or stop by the Rafters Front Office Monday-Friday from 9-5 to purchase a ticket package or book a group outing.

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The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters 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.raftersbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rafters as your favorite team.