Indians All Abuzz Over New Catcher
June 17, 2004 - Northwest League (NWL1)
Spokane Indians News Release
SPOKANE, WA â The Spokane Indians will begin their defense of the 2003 Northwest League Championship Friday, June 18th at Boise. Don't miss your final opportunity to catch the Indians before the season begins, tonight, June 17th for one final night of mini-camp practice at 6:30PM in Avista Stadium. The gates will be open and admission is free, so make sure you come out and get a first look at the 2004 Spokane Indians.
The latest Texas Ranger draftee to be assigned to the Indians is former Georgia Tech star Mike Nickeas, who was selected by the Texas Rangers in the fifth round of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft. Nickeas is a 6'0, 208 pound catcher who spent two seasons as Georgia Tech's starting backstop. He is a very solid defensive player, and has demonstrated that he is a very capable offensive player. Mike was one of the better clutch hitters in the Tech lineup last spring. Nickeas finished the 2004 college season hitting .275 with seven home runs, as the Yellow Jackets were eliminated by the Georgia Bulldogs at the Atlanta Super Regional.
Nickeas was the Yellow Jackets 2003 starting catcher, but also saw occasional action at first and third bases. He appeared in 58 games, making 57 starts and was named to the Johnny Bench award watch list for 2003, an award given to the nation's top collegiate catcher each year. Proving he was one of the top clutch hitters on the team, Nickeas batted .373 with runners on base. The Westlake Village California Native led the team with a .333 average, and his 44 RBI, 73 hits and 16 doubles where second on the team. Nickeas had 21 multi-hit games and 11 multi-RBI games. Mike hit safely in 48 of 58 games and reached base safely in all but six games, he also had a career-high 15-game hitting streak in which he hit .400 with 16 RBI, 12 runs, four homers, and two doubles.
In 2002, Mike was Tech's No. 2 catcher and saw action in 33 games, making 26 starts behind the plate, at third base or as the DH. He hit .221 with 18 RBI and 20 runs scored, and even more impressively, was perfect defensively, not committing an error in 153 chances. A highlight of his 2002 season came against Tennessee Tech when he went 3-for-5 with a HR, 2 RBI and scored 4 runs.
The defending Northwest League Champion Indians will travel to Boise for a three game series that runs from Friday, June 18 through Sunday, June 20th. The Indians will host the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes in a rematch of the 2003 Northwest League Championship Series starting on Monday, June 21st at 6:30 pm. Following the game, Indians fans will be treated to a fireworks display as Les Schwab Tires, KREM 2-TV, and Cat Country 94 present Opening Night Fireworks. All fans in attendance on Monday will receive a 2004 Spokane Indians Magnet Schedule, courtesy of Comcast. Great seats are still available for the home opener and can be obtained by calling the Indians Ticket Office at (509) 535-2922 or at any TicketsWest location.
Northwest League Stories from June 17, 2004
- Hulett Reports To Spokane - Spokane Indians
- First AquaSox Homestand of 2004 - Everett AquaSox
- Indians All Abuzz Over New Catcher - Spokane Indians
- AquaSox win battle of Everett - Everett AquaSox
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