RailCats Sign Former Purdue North Central Star
Published on August 17, 2016 under American Association (AA)
Gary SouthShore Railcats News Release
Willis, from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, will be the fifth outfielder on the active roster. He played most recently for the East Side Diamond Hoppers of the United Shores League. United Shores is an independent professional league in Detroit with three teams. Willis played in 14 games and went 12-35 at the plate (.343). He tallied seven RBI and walked an impressive 12 times. He stole four bases. Willis' best game was his final one in Michigan. The former Panther was a double shy of the cycle and totaled six RBI in a 4-5 game.
Willis excelled as a senior in 2015 at PNC. He led the team with a .366 batting average over 47 games. He recorded eight doubles and eight triples in addition to five homers. He stole a team-high 23 bases in 30 attempts.
Willis spent three summers playing for his hometown summer league team, the Sheboygan A's. He was the team's MVP in 2014 after hitting .403 and helping the A's to the Langsdorf League Championship. In three summers, he hit .352 and struck out only 18 times in 301 at bats.
Kovalik's release finished his second stint with the RailCats this season. The Aurora, Ohio native pitched in four games for Gary SouthShore after rejoining the team on August 9th. He struggled yesterday against the Sioux Falls Canaries, allowing five runs on four hits over 4.1 innings. Kovalik had a 4.61 ERA and a 0-1 record in 21 games for the RailCats this season.
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