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Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.- The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters would like to welcome right-handed pitchers Hayden Merda and Travis Adams to the 2020 team.
Sacramento State righty Travis Adams comes to the Rafters as one of the more talented right-handers in the league. Through two seasons, Adams has pitched to a 3.14 ERA for the green and gold. In his freshman campaign, Adams split time between the bullpen and the rotation for the 2019 WAC Champions. A control specialist, Adams walked only seven batters over his 2019 season. Adams excelled in four starts in 2020, pitching to a 1.57 ERA and striking out 19 batters, while walking only two.
Out of Palm Desert High School just outside of Palm Springs, California, MaxPreps ranked Adams as the No. 43 recruit in the state of California. Adams struck out 80 in his senior season, coupled with a 1.11 ERA and 11 wins. Adams’ powerful pitching propelled him to a no-hitter against rival Palm Spring High School. Adams struck out 15 of the 21 batters that he retired in the no-no.
Rafters Skipper Craig Noto speaks highly of Adams: “One of the most important things you look for when you’re building a pitching staff is identifying guys who can throw strikes. Travis is one of those young men who can fill the zone up at a high rate of success, with multiple pitches. Travis will be an integral part of our staff this summer in Wisconsin Rapids. We could not be any happier to have him help lead what is traditionally one of the better pitching staffs in the Northwoods League on a yearly basis.”
Six-foot-six redshirt-freshman Hayden Merda was born and raised in the baseball hotbed of Orange County. In the short length of the 2020 college baseball season, Merda received his first taste of action, throwing 3.1 innings for Azusa Pacific University. At San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capristrano, California, Merda earned a spot in college baseball by pitching to a 2.53 ERA in the tough CIF-SS.
Noto on Merda: “Hayden will be a great addition to the back end of our bullpen. He features a three-pitch mix with well above average stuff. He will pitch in the low 90’s and features quality off-speed pitches with command. The experience and ability to throw strikes with premium stuff towards the back end of games will be invaluable for our ball club.”
The Rafters Home Opener is slated for 6:05pm on Wednesday, May 27th against the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders. For more information on the different ticket packages and group outings visit Raftersbaseball.com or call the Rafthouse at 715-424-5400. Due to the current Safer at Home Order, the front office at Witter Field is closed to the public indefinitely.
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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 Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 26th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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 230 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 (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB All-Star Jordan Zimmermann (DET). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. 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.