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TL1 Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Skoglund, Junis Named Texas League Post-Season All-Stars

August 31, 2016 - Texas League (TL1)
Northwest Arkansas Naturals News Release


SPRINGDALE, Ark. - The Texas League announced today that Northwest Arkansas starting left-handed pitcher Eric Skoglund and former Naturals' starting right-handed pitcher Jake Junis have been named to the Texas League Post-Season All-Star team.

Skoglund, a Sarasota, Florida-native, has been a workhorse for the Naturals all season long. The lanky lefty leads the Texas League in innings pitched with 149.2, is tied for the league lead with 126 strikeouts, and boasts the third best WHIP in the circuit with a 1.12. On the season, he has a 6-10 record with a 3.55 ERA that is good for eighth best in the Texas League.

Junis, a 2016 Mid-Season Texas League All-Star, was a dominant force in the Northwest Arkansas starting rotation prior to his call-up to the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers on August 8. Even though he has been out of the league for multiple weeks, the righty still ranks in the top five of a number of pitching categories. He is tied for third in wins (9) and is alone in third in ERA (3.25) and fourth in WHIP (1.15). For the Naturals this year, he went 9-7 and had 117 strikeouts in 119.0 innings pitched.

Both Naturals representatives on the post-season All-Star team are effective at striking batters out while not walking many or allowing the opposition to reach base. Junis is second in Highest SO/9 IP Ratio (8.85) while Skoglund ranks fifth (7.58). The two rank 1-2 in Lowest BB-IBB/9 IP Ratio with Jake having posted a 2.04 ratio while Eric is right there with a 2.10 ratio. The lefty-righty combination also rank in the top five of the Fewest Baserunners/9 IP Ratio where Skoglund is second and Junis is fifth.

The Texas League Player of the Year went to infielder Matt Chapman of Midland while right-handed pitcher Chase De Jong of Tulsa claimed the Pitcher of the Year honor. The Manager of the Year went to Ryan Christenson of Midland and the Mike Coolbaugh Coach of the Year Award went to Jason Hart of Frisco. The post-season All-Star team consists of 10 position players and eight (8) pitchers. Corpus Christi led the league with four (4) selections, followed by Midland and Tulsa with three (3), Northwest Arkansas and Springfield had two (2) members, while Arkansas and San Antonio had one (1) player named each.

Northwest Arkansas will continue their current 7-game homestand with Game 2 of this 4-game set against the Tulsa Drillers (Double-A Los Angeles Dodgers) tonight - Wednesday, August 31 - with first pitch at 7:05 p.m. on our final What's It? Wednesday of the 2016 season. The Drillers will send RHP Seth Frankoff (3-3, 3.57 ERA) to the mound while the Naturals will counter with RHP Josh Staumont (1-1, 3.29 ERA). You can catch the play-by-play action with the Voice of the Naturals Benjamin Kelly on your home for Naturals baseball on KQSM 92.1-FM The Ticket at 6:45 p.m. for the Indigo Sky Casino Pregame Show.

Follow the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on Twitter @NWANaturals all throughout the year by using the hashtag #NaturalPastime and #CrowntoCrown for all of our up-to-date information on Season Nine of Naturals Baseball as well as the 2017 season.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League Affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. The Naturals play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, Ark. For more information, including statistics, ticket options, and more, please visit NWANaturals.com, and follow us on Twitter @NWANaturals and Facebook.com/Naturals.

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Texas League Stories from August 31, 2016


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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