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Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.- This summer, the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters are expecting some of the most talented players ever to don a Rafters uniform at Witter Field. Pitchers Sam Hliboki, Brandon Siegenthaler, and Billy Black are a few to look forward to watching this season.
Vanderbilt righty Sam Hliboki is a highly accomplished pitcher from Los Angeles, California. Entering the 2020 college baseball season, Hliboki was named the 35th-best freshman pitcher in the U.S. by D1Baseball.com. Hliboki lived up to the high expectations for his freshman year, allowing only two hits, two walks, and no runs in 15.2 innings pitched. His best game came versus No. 6 UCLA on March 6th, when Hliboki came out of the Commodores bullpen to spin five scoreless and hitless innings.
Following in the footsteps of MLB pitchers Max Fried, Jack Flaherty and Lucas Giolito, Hliboki starred at Harvard Westlake School in Los Angeles. As a senior, Hliboki was 9-1 with a 1.37 ERA in 72 innings and was named 2019 Daily News Pitcher of the Year.
Rafters Head Coach Craig Noto: “Sam is a very talented young arm who reminds me a lot of former Rafter and current Colorado Rockies RHP Garrett Schilling. He logged an impressive amount of innings for a freshman in that program early in the season and was dominant. I believe his versatility is going to be a huge asset for this staff.”
Brandon Siegenthaler is a right-handed pitcher for the Villanova Wildcats. His freshman year, while short, was successful. The Montvale, New Jersey native took the mound in four games and allowed only four earned runs. Siegenthaler relies on control and movement to limit hard contact. Siegenthaler’s best college start came on March 8th against Bucknell, pitching six scoreless frames to get the win.
At Pascack Hills High School, Siegenthaler was a star on a team of stars. The Cowboys were 30-2 in Siegenthaler’s junior year and won the Group 2 State Championship. One year later, it was the same story with the Cowboys finishing the season with a 29-3 record and another state title.
Wilton, Connecticut native Billy Black is a junior right-hander for the Columbia Bears of the Ivy League. In 2020, Black was a starter for the first time in his college career, throwing 10.2 innings over two starts. Previously as a member of the Bears bullpen, Black appeared in 18 games in 2018 and 2019 for Columbia, striking out 19 opponents in 24.1 innings.
“Billy comes from a great program led by Head Coach Brett Boretti” Rafters Head Coach Craig Noto says of Black. “As is commonplace with most of our staff on a yearly basis, command is a priority for us. We are excited to give him the baseball and watch him grow as a player.”
For more information on the different ticket packages visit Raftersbaseball.com or call the Rafthouse at 715-424-5400. The Rafters front office at Witter Field is open Monday-Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm.
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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.
