Kane County Cougars Homestand Preview: April 21-23
Published on April 20, 2015 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Kane County Cougars News Release
GENEVA, Ill. - The Kane County Cougars, Class-A Minor League affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, open a three-game homestand Tuesday evening and will welcome the Clinton LumberKings (Seattle Mariners affiliate). Homestand highlights include a pair of Ozzie's Reading Club Kids Days on Wednesday and Thursday. Tickets are available for each game on the upcoming homestand by calling (630) 232-8811 or ordering online at kccougars.com.
Tuesday 4/21 Clinton LumberKings (Seattle Mariners farm team) 6:30 p.m. (gates open at 5:30 p.m.) WBIG 1280 AM (6:15 p.m.)
- Pre-game Ozzie's Reading Club Parade
- National Anthem - St. Mary's School (DeKalb)
- Fans can run the bases after the game
Wednesday 4/22 Clinton LumberKings 12 p.m. (gates open at 11 a.m.) WBIG 1280 AM (11:45 a.m.)
- Pre-game Ozzie's Reading Club Parade
- High School Sports Business Seminars (Hinsdale Central HS, Indian Creek HS, South Elgin HS)
- Seniors Eat Free Day (free hot dog and small soda voucher for seniors)
- National Anthem - Cowherd Middle School (Aurora)
- Fans can run the bases after the game
Thursday 4/23 Clinton LumberKings 11 a.m. (gates open at 10 a.m.) WBIG 1280 AM (10:45 a.m.)
- Pre-game Ozzie's Reading Club Parade
- High School Sports Business Seminars (West Chicago HS, Prairie Ridge HS, Hoffman Estates HS, McHenry East HS, Palatine HS)
- Seniors Eat Free Day (free hot dog and small soda voucher for seniors)
- National Anthem - Jackson Concert Band (Villa Park)
- Fans can run the bases after the game
Homestand Notes
Weekly Specials: Wednesday and Thursday's games are Seniors Eat Free dates. Seniors receive a complimentary hot dog and small soda on all weekday day games (excluding Memorial Day and Labor Day) this season. On all Wednesday games this season, seniors can receive a half-price box or reserved seat ticket. Also, all fans born in 1991 will receive free admission for box, reserved and lawn tickets in honor of the Cougars' 25th anniversary season. Ticket transactions must be done in person at the box office and an ID must be shown at the time of purchase.
Giving back: The Cougars, as part of their community outreach partnership for this season, have designated Project Backpack as the recipient of the April/May in-game 50/50 raffle proceeds through Ozzie's Outreach Foundation, the Cougars' charitable arm. Project Backpack (project-backpack.org) is a community-based initiative led by Elgin Community College that benefits local students who are in need of necessary school supplies.
Ozzie's Reading Club: The Cougars' reading incentive program is back for its third decade in 2015. This season, the program includes more than 400 Chicago area schools and 140,000 students who are improving their reading skills through Ozzie's Reading Club. Participating students who complete reading goals set by teachers are rewarded with a ticket to an April or May Cougars game, a food voucher, Ozzie's Reading Club bag, and a chance to take the field for a pre-game parade. Ozzie's Reading Club is sponsored by Fifth Third Bank and Cantigny Park.
Team/Alumni Notes
Kane County has struggled to a 3-8 record through the first 11 games of the season. The Cougars are hoping to salvage a win on the road Monday evening against Quad Cities before returning home to open a three-game homestand against Clinton on Tuesday. Through two starts, pitcher Markus Solbach is 1-0 with a 0.77 ERA (5th-best in the Midwest League). Infielder Steve McQuail is batting .324 through 10 games while outfielder Grant Heyman is batting .317 in 10 games. Within the past week, the Cougars have picked up infielder Alvaro Rondon and a pair of players from the recent Trevor Cahill ('07 Cougar) deal between the D-backs and Braves - outfielders Josh Elander and Victor Reyes. Most recently, the Cougars received pitcher Ethan Elias, who pitched a pair of scoreless frames on Friday.
A total of four former Cougars have already made Major League debuts this season - Oakland infielder Tyler Ladendorf ('09 Cougar), Atlanta pitchers Andrew McKirahan ('13) and Sugar Ray Marimon ('11) along with Kansas City infielder Orlando Calixte ('11-'12). This is the highest number of Cougars alums to debut in the month of April since 2007, when Travis Buck, Jared Burton, Dan Putnam and Dallas Braden all made April debuts. Detroit infielder Miguel Cabrera ('01) is batting .426 with 10 RBI through 12 games. Seattle outfielder Nelson Cruz ('03) has already clubbed eight home runs this season and Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Adrian Gonzalez ('01) is batting .469 with five home runs through 12 games. Pittsburgh pitcher A.J. Burnett ('98) has a 2.25 ERA through two starts. San Francisco pitcher Santiago Casilla ('03-'04) has four saves as does Los Angeles Angels pitcher Huston Street ('04).
Infielder Anthony Aliotti ('10) is batting .375 at Triple-A Nashville (Oakland) while outfielder Brett Eibner ('11) is batting .333 at Triple-A Omaha (Kansas City). Pitcher Joe Blanton ('03), who returned to baseball this season after a brief hiatus, has made 2 starts with Omaha as well, posting a 5.06 ERA. Pitcher Shawn Haviland ('09) made his first start of the season at Triple-A Charlotte (White Sox), pitching five scoreless innings. Outfielder Albert Almora ('13) is batting .308 at Double-A Tennessee (Cubs) while catcher/outfielder Kyle Schwarber ('14) is batting .250 and infielder Dan Vogelbach ('13) is batting .484. Pitcher Andrew Triggs ('12) has a 1.23 ERA in four games at Double-A Bowie (Baltimore). In two starts at Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach, pitcher Duane Underwood has a 0.82 ERA. Myrtle Beach manager Mark Johnson ('13-'14), who led the Cougars to a Midwest League Championship last season, is currently 6-3 to open the season. (statistics through 4/19)
Where's Ozzie? Ozzie is scheduled to make appearances at the following locations:
Saturday, April 25 from 8:45-9:45 a.m. - Geneva Baseball Association
Saturday, April 25 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. - Batavia Youth Baseball
Saturday, April 25 from 1-2 p.m. - Fox Valley Family YMCA (Plano)
Sunday, April 26 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. - March of Dimes Walk (Naperville)
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