All posts by IndyBallIsland

31. Baseball fan. I prefer indy ball and the minors over the majors. If it's summer, you can find me at a ballpark. The Washington Wild Things and the Pittsburgh Pirates are my "hometown" teams, but I'm always up for taking a baseball road trip! Follow me on Twitter: @kmthomp29
Independent Ball

USPBL Unveils (Pre)Historic Fourth Team

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Indy Ball Island has been a proud supporter of the United Shore Professional Baseball League since their inception. After an amazing first season, the league has announced that there will now be a fourth team playing at Jimmy John’s Field for the 2017 season.

Rochester, Mich. – January 4, 2017 – The United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL), metro-Detroit’s first independent professional baseball league, founded by Rochester, MI- based General Sports and Entertainment, today announced the name of the league’s highly anticipated fourth team – the Westside Woolly Mammoths. Core team colors are dark and light blue with red accents.  Alternate uniforms will also bring in orange and animal print designs that harken back to “The Flintstones” – all independent league unique and trendsetting.

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“There have been numerous Mastodons found in Michigan over the last 100 years, and I always thought “Mastodons” had great potential as a sports team name. “Woolly Mammoth” was better, although one had not been discovered here,” said Andy Appleby, USPBL founder and commissioner. “Then, in 2015, a mammoth, complete with huge tusks, was unearthed on a farm in Chelsea, Michigan and our inspiration was complete. In addition to being distinctive, the “Woolly Mammoths” name also allows for a whole host of fun marketing and merchandising opportunities. We are absolutely thrilled with the results.”

The Westside Woolly Mammoths will play the 2017 season at the state-of-the-art Jimmy John’s Field in Utica, MI along with the USPBL’s three original teams – the Utica Unicorns, the Eastside Diamond Hoppers, and the Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers.  Shane McCatty, who served as Assistant Manager of the league champion Utica Unicorns in 2016, will manage the Westside Woolly Mammoths.  The USPBL’s 2017 Season begins on May 11, 2017 and runs through September 10, 2017, with games being played every Thursday through Sunday – perfect for families.

The USPBL was designed as a developmental finishing school for players seeking to make it to the Majors, and the 2016 season was an unqualified success, as 9 USPBL players were picked up by Major League organizations during the league’s first year of operation.  Tens of thousands of fans attending games at Jimmy John’s Field during the league’s inaugural season witnessed exceptional professional baseball, as they experienced a first-class ballpark, high-level of customer service, and affordable pricing that made it easy for an outstanding family night out. The USPBL also became an important new community asset, with more than 500 charities leveraging the USPBL and Jimmy John’s Field for various fundraising endeavors in 2016.

About United Shore Professional Baseball League 

Rochester, MI-based General Sports and Entertainment founded the United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL), an independent professional baseball league, in Metro Detroit in 2015. The league plays in the new, state-of-the-art $16 million ballpark named Jimmy John’s Field located in downtown Utica, Mich.  The first of its kind for the region, the USPBL provides a fun and exciting family atmosphere while showcasing top baseball talent to fans of all ages. The inaugural season of the USPBL, which began on Memorial Day 2016, featured three teams—the Utica Unicorns, the Eastside Diamond Hoppers and the Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers. The 2017 USPBL season will feature four teams with the addition of the Westside Woolly Mammoths, and the season will begin on May 11, 2017 and run through September 10, 2017.  Additional teams and ballparks will be added in future years.

2017 Tryout Information for the USPBL is also listed on our TRYOUTS page.

Independent Ball

Pirates Sign Three From Indy Ball

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The Pirates have been busy making minor moves over the last few weeks.  The team has signed Andrew Potter, Zane Chavez and Jose Barraza from independent ball.

Potter, a 22 year old right handed pitcher from the United Shore Pro Baseball League, was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2012. He spent four seasons in the Diamondbacks organization but never played higher than rookie ball.

Potter pitched in 18 games in the Frontier League in 2016 while splitting time between the Southern Illinois Miners and Evansville Otters. He had a combined ERA of 10.59 in 17 IP before being released in July. He then went on to play with the Utica Unicorns of the USPBL.  He fared much better there where he posted a 1.09 ERA with 19 strikeouts and only 3 walks in 19 innings.

Chavez, a 29 year old catcher from the Laredo Lemurs of the American Association, was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2005 but elected to attend college.  After his college career ended, he played four seasons of indy ball (Can-Am: New Hampshire, Pittsfield, and New Jersey and American Association: Grand Prairie and El Paso) before signing with the Baltimore Orioles organization in 2013. Chavez played two seasons in the Orioles organization, reaching as high as AA before returning to indy ball.

For the 2015 season, he rejoined Grand Prairie where he had a .288 avg and 41 RBI in 80 games. In 2016, Chavez batted .260 with 38 RBI in 70 games for the Lemurs.

Barraza, a 22 year old catcher/first baseman, was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 2012. He was in the White Sox organization from 2012 to 2014 where he played rookie/A ball.

After being released during spring training in 2015, Barraza turned to indy ball where he joined the Lake Erie Crushers of the Frontier League. In 187 games over two seasons with the Crushers, he collected 100 RBI with a .279 average while splitting time between catcher and first base.