Beach Bums sign Whiting and Touchatt
Published on February 20, 2009 under Frontier League (FL)
Traverse City Beach Bums News Release
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich.-Outfielder Corey Whiting, from Rollins College (Fla.) and right-handed pitcher Kyle Touchatt, who played collegiately at Wichita State University before pitching in the Baltimore Orioles organization, have signed with the Traverse City Beach Bums for the 2009 season.
Whiting played two years at Rollins, ending his career ranked fourth in program history with a .368 batting average, and third in slugging percentage at .572. The left-handed hitter also racked up totals of 10 triples and 55 stolen bases, ranking sixth and eighth in program history.
"Corey comes out of a terrific program at Rollins College and has drawn some comparisons to Mike Epping for his ability to hit for average and power from the left-side of the plate as well as his ability to steal bases," said Beach Bums director of baseball operations Jason Wuerfel. "Defensively, Corey can cover a lot of ground and has a strong arm. He is an exciting addition to the team."
Prior to his time at Rollins, Whiting played two seasons at Duke University, hitting just under .280 with seven doubles, four triples, three homeruns, and 29 RBI for the Blue Devils. Whiting was first-team All-State three times at Trinity Prep in Winter Park, Fla., where he also was named a National Merit Scholar.
Touchatt, a 6-2 right-hander, spent 2008 with the Bluefield Orioles in the Appalachian League, appearing in 13 games, and totaling 31 1/3 innings of work. He had twice as many strikeouts as walks with 26 Ks and 13 free passes and ended the season with a 4.31 earned-run average.
The former Shocker pitched for the Aberdeen Ironbirds in 2007, throwing 28 2/3 innings with 15 strikouts and a 4.40 ERA.
"Kyle has two years of minor league experience in the Orioles system under his belt after completing four years at Wichita State, which is perennially ranked in the top-25 in NCAA Division I," said Wuerfel.
"He throws strikes and challenges hitters with an upper 80s to low 90s fastball and has the potential to rack up the strikeouts in the Frontier League," Wuerfel finished. "He is a great addition to an already very strong Beach Bums bullpen."
In four seasons at Wichita State, the Wichita, Kansas native appeared in 76 games, throwing 157 2/3 innings, striking out 135, while walking just 59, and earned a career ERA of 4.34. He helped the Shockers to four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances and one Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Championship.
Whiting and Touchatt will report to Beach Bums spring training at Wuerfel Park in early May.
Frontier League Stories from February 20, 2009
- Beach Bums sign Whiting and Touchatt - Traverse City Beach Bums
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- Crushers Pitching Staff Grows - Lake Erie Crushers
- Miller Heading Back to Traverse City - Traverse City Beach Bums
- Beach Bums Deal Veteran Pitcher Gehring Dealt To Joliet - Traverse City Beach Bums
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