JackHammers Acquire Former Cub Pitcher

April 21, 2010 - Northern League (NL)
Joliet JackHammers News Release


JOLIET, IL - The JackHammers will have a Major League presence at the back end of their bullpen in 2010, acquiring former Chicago Cubs reliever, Billy Petrick, from the Windy City ThunderBolts today. The ThunderBolts, who play in the independent Frontier League, will receive a player to be named later.

Petrick made his Major League debut on June 27, 2007 with the Cubs and pitched in eight games that season. The Morris, Illinois native compiled a 7.45 earned-run average in 9.2 innings pitched, walking seven with six strikeouts in his only Major League stint.

"Billy definitely solidifies our bullpen and to have a guy with big league stuff to turn to when we are ahead late in the game is a major comfort for me as a manager," said JackHammers manager Chad Parker. "I believe that the positive atmosphere that we will provide will give Billy the opportunity to get back to the big leagues very soon."

Petrick spent last season with Windy City, appearing in 11 games while recovering from an injury. He went 1-0 with a 2.13 ERA in 12.2 innings, racking up three saves and 15 strikeouts while walking only three.

Last season was Billy's first outside the Cubs' organization as the club selected Petrick in the third round of the 2002 draft right out of high school. He spent the first five seasons as a starter, going 24-19 in 65 games with a 3.80 ERA between the Cubs rookie team, Boise (low A), Lansing (A) and Daytona (high A).

Petrick moved to the bullpen in 2007 and saw his journey start in Daytona and end in Wrigley Field later that season. 2010 will be his ninth professional season and his record sits at 28-24 with a 3.75 ERA and five saves in 125 career games.

LOOSE GRAVEL: The Joliet JackHammers open the 2010 season on May 21st against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks in North Dakota. The Home Opener is Friday, May 28th at 7:10 p.m. against the Lake County Fielders, one of two Northern League expansion teams. Season tickets, group outings and suites are available now. For more information, call the JackHammers at 815.726.BALL (2255)

Former JackHammer Voice in the New York Penn League

JOLIET, IL - Former Joliet JackHammers Broadcaster, Jon Versteeg, has accepted a new position as the play-by-play voice for the Connecticut Tigers in the New York-Penn. League. The Tigers are the short season "A" affiliate for Detroit and play in Norwich, Connecticut. Versteeg will be providing play-by-play and color commentary for all 76 Tigers games beginning Friday, June 18 with the season-opener. Versteeg will begin his duties in late April and oversee the group sales department for the brand new team.

"With everything that I've been fortunate enough to do in the Chicago market, it all started with the JackHammers," said Versteeg. "I can't thank Steve Malliet, Kelly Sufka and Bryan Dolgin enough for taking a chance on me back in 2006."

In addition to calling the JackHammers, Versteeg also provided football play-by-play for St. Francis University and basketball play-by-play for Lewis University during his time in Will County. He also worked in television as a play-by-play announcer and sideline reporter for Chicagoland scholastic sports on the Comcast Network (CN 100). During the off-season, he will continue in his current role as the radio studio host for Northern Illinois University football and basketball through the school's multimedia rights holder, ISP Sports in Winston-Salem, NC.

Prior to Joliet, Versteeg called play-by-play for the Salem Avalanche (Houston, Carolina League A) in 2005 and the Tri-City ValleyCats (Houston, New York-Penn. League short-season A) in 2004. He is a 2005 graduate of Syracuse University, where he worked at WAER radio covering Syracuse football, basketball and lacrosse. Versteeg hails from Torrington, CT, which is located an hour and a half away from his new assignment in Norwich.

"I am so proud of my former partner Bryan Dolgin getting another opportunity covering Major League Baseball. I have moved on with the hope that one day I will realize my own dream of announcing in the major leagues."

LOOSE GRAVEL: The Joliet JackHammers open the 2010 season on May 21st against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks in North Dakota. The Home Opener is Friday, May 28th at 7:10 p.m. against the Lake County Fielders, one of two Northern League expansion teams. Season tickets, group outings and suites are available now. For more information, call the JackHammers at 815.726.BALL (2255).



Northern League Stories from April 21, 2010


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