Beach Bums Opening Day Roster Set
Published on May 22, 2007 under Frontier League (FL)
Traverse City Beach Bums News Release
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - The Traverse City Beach Bums opening night roster is complete after moves announced this morning. The Beach Bums open the season tomorrow night at Kalamazoo in a 7:05 pm contest.
Catcher/Third Baseman Takeshi Yamamoto will begin the season on injured reserve with shoulder tendonitis. Yamamoto joins veteran Steve Young on the IR to begin the year. Only one player was on injured reserve during all of the first season of Beach Bums baseball.
Taking the place of Yamamoto on the roster will be left-handed hitting catcher Nick Smith. Smith was signed after his college team, Grand Valley State University, was eliminated in the NCAA North Central Regional Final following a 1-0 loss to Southern Indiana on Sunday. Grand Valley State won the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's Tournament after finishing second during the regular season. The Lakers finished with a 45-9 record and Smith was chosen to the All-Regional team.
A preseason All-America choice, Smith hit .311 as the starting catcher this season with six homers and 46 RBI and earned second team all-region honors. The homers and RBI both placed third on the team. A native of Hazel Park, Michigan, he threw out 10 runners attempting to steal. Smith was a first team all-conference and all-region choice in his sophomore and junior seasons. His 12 homers led the conference in 2006, and he hit .373 with 54 RBI. In 2005, he was chosen as the North Central Regional Tournament's MVP and hit .392 during the season.
In addition to moving Yamamoto to IR and signing Nick Smith, the Beach Bums released catcher Josh Hayes, taken in the Frontier League draft.
With the moves, the Beach Bums roster now stands at the league maximum of 24. There are 12 pitchers, two catchers, six infielders, and four outfielders.
Wuerfel Park opens its gates for the first time on May 25, 2007 as the Kalamazoo Kings visit for a 7:05 pm contest. All games can be heard live on The Fox FM. The Beach Bums will play a 96 game schedule with 51 home games at Wuerfel Park, named "Best minor league ballpark in Michigan" by AAA Living magazine.
For more information on season tickets, or advertising opportunities with the team, the Traverse City Beach Bums can be reached at 231-943-0100 or online at www.traversecitybeachbums.com.
Frontier League Stories from May 22, 2007
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- Beach Bums Opening Day Roster Set - Traverse City Beach Bums
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