JOLIET, IL-Today Joliet JackHammers and Winnipeg Goldeyes completed the trade that sent LHP Luis Villarreal to the Goldeyes for players to be named later on August 17. The JackHammers will receive LHP Joe Brown and RHP Howard Pence from the Goldeyes to complete the deal. The JackHammers retain the rights to Pence, who was signed by the Houston Astros and finished the season with the Salem Avalanche (High A) of the Carolina League after starting 2006 in Winnipeg. The JackHammers begin their sixth season in the Northern League on May 17, 2007 against the Calgary Vipers at Silver Cross Field.
Brown appeared in 36 games for the Goldeyes in 2006, posting a 2-3 record with a 3.60 E.R.A. He struck out 56 and allowed just 27 walks in 65 innings pitched. He pitched in long and short relief in 2006. Brown pitched four innings or more in four of his 34 relief appearances. He started his career with the now defunct Jackson (MS) Senators of the Central Baseball League in 2005 following four years of college baseball at Trinity University (Division III) in San Antonio, Texas.
"When we made the trade this year, I think we got two quality arms," said JackHammers manager Hal Lanier. "At that particular time, Brown was being used out of the bullpen. He appeared in a lot of ballgames and I thought he did pretty well."
Pence came to the Goldeyes after being released in spring training out of the San Diego Padres minor league system. Pence went 7-4 with a 2.34 E.R.A. for the Goldeyes in 38 games. He struck out 37 and gave up 41 hits in 50 innings pitched. Pence pitched three seasons in the Padres minor league system after being signed out of the University of Texas-Arlington as a non-drafted free agent on June 17, 2003.
"At the time the trade was made, Pence was pitching pretty well out of the bullpen," added Lanier. "The good thing for him is that he was picked up by the Astros. He is a right-handed reliever that can either set up or close."
Loose Gravel: Today the JackHammers also announced a trade with the Windy City Thuderbolts of the Frontier League. The JackHammers receive the rights to RHP Raymond Jenkins while trading away RHP Eric Fussell to Windy City.
Jenkins spent 2006 with the Schaumburg Flyers. He won seven games and logged an impressive 112 innings pitched in his 21 appearances. Originally a 16th round pick of the Montreal Expos in the 2003 draft, Jenkins makes his off-season home in Palm Bay, Florida.
Fussell started his professional career by signing with the JackHammers on June 9 out of St. Joseph's College (Division II) in Rensselaer, Indiana. Fussell went 1-1 with a 3.42 E.R.A. in 19 appearances with the JackHammers, working as both a reliever and a spot-starter. He lives in Mokena.
The JackHammers have full-season, half-season, and mini plan ticket packages available for the 2007 season. For more information or to order tickets please give the JackHammers front office a call at (815) 726-2255 (BALL), go online to www.jackhammerbaseball.com, or visit the Silver Cross Field ticket office during normal business hours.
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Northern League Stories from November 8, 2006
• RailCats News Conference Thursday Available Live on the Internet - Gary SouthShore Railcats• Lawson Signs On The Dotted Line - Winnipeg Goldeyes
• Goldeyes Complete Deal With JackHammers - Winnipeg Goldeyes
• JackHammers get two players from Winnipeg - Joliet JackHammers
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