Willie Glen Headlines Another Batch Of Fan Fest Guests
Published on February 5, 2010 under Northern League (NL)
Gary SouthShore Railcats News Release
GARY, Ind. - Willie Glen, one of the most dominant pitchers in Northern League history, and Zach McClellan, one of the major additions to the 2010 Gary SouthShore RailCats staff, will both be part of the team's second-annual Fan Fest, Saturday, February 20 at the Radisson Hotel in Merrillville.
Discount pre-sale tickets for the 2010 Fan Fest are on sale now at www.railcatsbaseball.com or by calling the RailCats ticket office at 219.882.2255. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for 2010 season ticket holders and kids (age 12 and under), and include a pass to a day full of ballpark fun and the chance to mix and mingle with RailCats stars of past and present. Ticket prices go up $5 if you wait to buy on the day of the event.
As an added bonus, the first 1,000 fans through the Radisson doors on February 20 will get a free Fan Fest poster and program along with a ticket to Opening Day, Thursday, May 20 at U. S. Steel Yard. The first 500 adults will nab a Fan Fest t-shirt, and the first 500 kids get a logo baseball.
Glen's three-year RailCats career (2005-07) is hands-down the best in club history, a span that saw the Indiana native establish a bevy of single-season and career pitching records. In his final RailCats season, Glen was named the Northern League Pitcher of the Year and set the modern league record for strikeouts in a single season with 162 in 23 starts. The right-hander went 16-1 - including the postseason - in 2007 and punctuated his RailCats career with a brilliant 140-pitch complete game three-hitter in Game Five of the Northern League Championship Series that gave the 'Cats their second title. Following the season, Glen was named to Baseball America's All-Independent First Team and signed a contract with the Florida Marlins.
Glen posted a remarkable 32-9 regular season record in his RailCats career, and boosted that number by going 8-0 in the postseason. The 'Cats all-time leader in career wins, starts (66), innings pitched (409.0), strikeouts (384) and opponent's batting average (.221), Glen has made 37 starts the last two seasons splitting time between the Marlins Double-A and Triple-A affiliates.
McClellan, 31, is expected to start near the top of the 2010 RailCats rotation as he continues his comeback from a pair of injuries that derailed a promising Major League career. After toiling in the affiliated minor leagues for parts of eight seasons, McClellan made his big league debut with the Colorado Rockies in 2007, working in 12 games out of the bullpen for a Rockies team that would go on to win the National League Pennant. McClellan's season ended with a shoulder injury in May 2007 and the right-hander did not return to a professional mound before August 2008; then missed the entire 2009 season.
A starter for each of his first five professional seasons, McClellan was originally drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the Fifth Round of the 2000 Major League Entry Draft before being dealt to the Rockies in 2004. McClellan, who played three seasons at Indiana University, has pitched more than 750.0 innings in his career and amassed a 4.05 ERA in 227 minor league outings.
The RailCats are also pleased to announce that a pair of former RailCats play-by-play voices - Tom Nichols and Alan Garrett - will be on hand at the Fan Fest. Garrett served as the team's broadcaster in 2003 and 2004 and was followed by Nichols, who called RailCats games from 2005-07 before taking a job with the Midwest League's Dayton Dragons.
The additions of Glen, McClellan, Nichols and Garrett bring the total number of confirmed celebrity guests to 11 for Fan Fest, with more big names to be announced soon. Two-time Manager of the Year Greg Tagert, longtime Pitching Coach and former pitcher Jamie Bennett, 2008 Northern League Most Valuable Player Tanner Townsend and All-Stars Jay Pecci, Tony Cogan, Mike Rohde, Travis Kerber had previously been announced.
Northern League Stories from February 5, 2010
- Swing Away With Cedric - Joliet JackHammers
- Don't Miss Jammer's Rose Delivery - Joliet JackHammers
- Willie Glen Headlines Another Batch Of Fan Fest Guests - Gary SouthShore Railcats
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.
