A'S SIGN 14 PLAYERS TO CONTRACTS
2010-04-07
Tim Patzman, the MVP for the past two seasons and the current leading hitter for the UW-Milwaukee Panthers, heads the list of 14 players who have committed to the Sheboygan A's for the summer.
Patzman hit .368 last year and has a .359 career average over four years and 184 games. He is currently hitting .391 in 23 games for UWM.
Patzman is one of six 2009 players who are returning to date.
The others are Bryan Dominick, Mitchell Gardner, Will Madson, Joey Patzman and Jordan Rennicke.
Fans remember Madson as a hard-throwing right-hander who recovered from physical problems and gave it a whirl last season after five years away from the game. He appeared in only three games, but won two of them and posted a 2.05 ERA. He's geared up for more action this year.
"We need experienced players and we are excited to have Will back," General Manager Denny Moyer said. "With his background (former minor league in the Detroit chain and coaching aide at South High School) he will be a big help with the younger pitchers in addition to the quality innings he can give us."
Gardner came on strong as a pitcher last season, posting a 5-2 record with a 3.00 earned run average. He is currently at Marian University and is leading the Sabres in innings pitched and strikeouts.
Dominick, currently playing at UW-Whitewater, was 2-2 with a 4.22 ERA after joining the club midway through the season last year. So fat this year he has won his only decision at Whitewater.
Rennicke has been behind the plate for the A's for the past two seasons and has a .274 batting average. He has committed only three errors in two seasons and has a .993 fielding average. He is currently the starting catcher at UW-Stevens Point and is ripping the ball at a .387 clip.
Joey Patzman is Tim's younger brother and is currently a red-shirt freshman at UW-Whitewater. He joined the A's after his high school season late last summer.
Signing on with the A's for the first time are pitchers Jack Archie of UW-Stevens Point; infielder Kyle Edlhuber of Wisconsin Lutheran, a former Janesville Aces player; pitchers Ty Engler and Tyler Goggins, teammates of Gardner at Marian; Jeremy Hall, first baseman from Southern Virginia; pitcher Eric King, just out of high school in Fond du Lac and headed for UWM, and pitcher Eric Van Beck of UW-Stevens Point.
On May 27 A's open a 55-game season that is loaded with special events. Season tickets can be ordered by writing to the club at P.O. Box 32, Sheboygan, WI 53082. Cost is $30 for general admission, $40 for grandstand, and $50 for box seats.
