And We're Back

Just because the (Rail)Cats Meow was on a mini-hiatus, it doesn't mean we don't love you anymore. We just needed a little time. It won't happen again, we promise.

Now that we're back, let's get right into it. Things have certainly been busy around the Steel Yard the last two weeks with the team coming together and season rapidly approaching. Today the ballpark played host to one of our favorite events - the 'Cats annual Open Tryout. Players from all over the country and from all types of baseball backgrounds flocked to the park nearly 70 strong, and there were a few who stuck out.

The RailCats will begin Spring Training May 1, and this weekend when the club starts playing inner-squad games, the following 11 players will be invited back out get a chance to prove their worth. Two players - Dan Soria in 2003 and Mike Coles in 2006 - have made the team out of the open tryout, so keep your eyes on these 11 during the spring to see which one might be the next surprise member of the 2009 RailCats.

Open Tryout Players Invited Back to Camp
Jonathan Guzzo, LHP
Clint Harrelson, OF
Sam Haymon, RHP
Jerry Hodges, IF
Adam Kamuda, C
Kellen Kmiecik, OF
Michael Manns, LHP
Joe Panozzo, RHP
Chris Pfalzgraf, RHP
John Torres, OF
Joe Welsh, LHP

Congratulations to those 11. We'll see you in camp this weekend! Check back to the (Rail)Cats Meow soon for daily updates on the road during the season and more.

The RailCats are also on Twitter (hooray!). Follow us at www.twitter.com/railcats.

High School Challenge Results: April 24-29

FINAL SCORE
Friday, April 24
U. S. Steel Yard

Gary Lew Wallace 11, Gary Wirt 1 (5 innings)

Notes: Lew Wallace's Dabney Hicks named team's Most Valuable Player. William Goffin earned team MVP honors for Wirt.

FINAL SCORE
Friday, April 24
U. S. Steel Yard

Griffith 13, Whiting 6

Notes: Griffith's Ryan Galiher and Whiting's Taylor Pokraka named team MVPs.

FINAL SCORE
U. S. Steel Yard
Saturday, April 25

Andrean 9, Bishop Noll 1 (8 innings)

Notes: Andrean scored eight runs in the eighth inning, including Kenny Mahala’s grand slam to right-center field, capping off an extra inning victory. Mahala captured Andrean’s Most Valuable Player honors; Tony Balcazar grabbed Bishop Noll’s Most Valuable Player honors for Saturday’s game.

FINAL SCORE
U. S. Steel Yard
Saturday, April 25

Calumet 7, East Chicago Central 2

Notes: Game MVPs: Calumet - Mike Greer. East Chicago Central - Eddie Perez.

FINAL SCORE
U. S. Steel Yard
Saturday, April 25

Lowell 6, Hobart 1

Notes: Game MVPs: Lowell – Derek Brandenburg. Hobart – Nicholas Taddei

FINAL SCORE
U. S. Steel Yard
Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Wheeler 6, North Newton 4

Notes: MVPs - Wheeler’s Eric Hibbard, North Newton’s Bobby Anderson

High School Challenge Results: April 17 & 18

FINAL SCORE
U. S. Steel Yard
Friday, April 17, 2009

River Forest 6, Lake Station Edison 3

Notes: River Forest catcher Tyler Hanson scored three runs and collected two hits; Ingots starting pitcher Ryan Smith earned the win and was named his team's Most Valuable Player; Lake Station Edison's Dan Bogaski earned his side's MVP honors.

FINAL SCORE
U. S. Steel Yard
Friday, April 17

Portage 5, Hammond Clark 3

Notes: Indians scored two runs in top of seventh to win game; Portage's Dom Reboy pitched complete game and earned team Most Valuable Player honors; Clark's Brandon Beason hit two-run home run to tie game in bottom of fifth and garnered Pioneers' MVP award.

** Game played in front of 444 fans, the fifth-largest crowd in High School Challenge History. First game of day (River Forest vs. Lake Station Edison) drew 390 fans **

FINAL SCORE
U. S. Steel Yard
Saturday, April 18

Morgan Township 11, South Central 9

Notes: South Central scored nine runs in fifth inning to erase 8-0 deficit; Cherokees scored two in sixth and one in seventh to earn win; Morgan Township’s Darren Greiger went 3-for-3 and was the winning pitcher in relief, garnering team Most Valuable Player honors; South Central’s Steve Ames was the Satellite’s MVP.

FINAL SCORE
U. S. Steel Yard
Saturday, April 18

Hanover Central 11, Hebron 1 (5 innings)

Notes: Hanover Central scored nine runs and sent 14 batters to the plate in the fourth inning; Wildcats starting pitcher Jordan Rizo tossed a complete game one-hitter and hit a three-run home run in the fourth; Rizo earned team Most Valuable Player honors; Hebron’s David Laviolette had the only Hawks hit – a second inning double – and was named his club’s MVP.

FINAL SCORE
U. S. Steel Yard
Saturday, April 18

Boone Grove 5, Kouts 4

Notes: Kouts scored four times in bottom of sixth inning to tie game 4-4; Wolves answered with winning run in top of seventh; Boone Grove’s Lynn Strohl struck out three straight batters with two on in the bottom of the seventh to end the game and was named his team’s Most Valuable Player; Kouts’ starting pitcher Morgan Drazer was named the Mustangs MVP.

High School Challenge Results: April 10 & 11

The seventh-annual RailCats High School Challenge got underway tonight at frigid U. S. Steel Yard. From now until May 9, the (Rail)Cats Meow is the place to come for scores and information after every Challenge game.

For a full High School Challenge schedule, visit http://www.railcatsbaseball.com/schedule/highschoolchallenge/. Tickets are available day of game at U. S. Steel Yard Box Office for $5.

GAME ONE
U. S. Steel Yard
Friday, April 10, 2009

Washington Township 18, Bowman Academy 0 (5 innings)

Notes: Washington Township junior pitcher Christian Lembke threw a complete game no-hitter (5.0 IP). Washington Township scored 11 runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Lembke was named the Washington Township MVP; Bowman starting pitcher Josiah Moore also earned team MVP honors.

GAME TWO
U. S. Steel Yard
Saturday, April 11, 2009

Marquette Catholic 9, Covenant Christian 3

Notes: Marquette Catholic's Cole Tribble earned his team's Most Valuable Player award; Justin Dexter picked up the same honors for Covenant Christian.

* The scheduled 1:30 p.m. game between Hammond & Gary Roosevelt was canceled when Roosvelet failed to appear at the ballpark. Hammond High School will be re-scheduled to play a game at the High School Challenge this spring. Tickets purchased for the game will be good on the re-scheduled date or are valid for $5 off any ticket to a RailCats home game this summer.

Today's How To

Today, the (Rail)Cats Meow is proud to present the first in a brief series of How To lessons as we attempt to broaden our appeal to include fresh-faced youth and other innocents. Also, White Sox fans.

Lesson One
"How to Not Root for the Cubs Without Rooting Against the Cubs"

Answer: Root for Tim Byrdak. The 2003 RailCat is in the major leagues again this season - his eighth in "the show" - and he made his 2009 debut last night in the Astros 3-2 win in 10 innings over the Cubs. Byrdak struck out Koyie Hill and Mike Fontenot back-to-back to start the 10th inning but was denied his first win of the season when stinkin' Miguel Tejada torpedoed a throw from short allowing Aaron Miles to reach. Byrdak was pulled, Doug Brocail came on, and the Astros got the win in the bottom of the 10th.

A native of Oak Lawn, Illinois, Byrdak was a Kansas City Royal from 1998-2000 but came to the Northern League in 2003 trying to recover from a serious injury. Byrdak proved his worth with the 'Cats in 2003 and was back in the major leagues before the end of the 2005 season.

So for you White Sox fans, don't be one of those people who roots for the Cubs to lose, just mask your contempt for the fellas up north by being a RailCats fan.

The more you know.

LINKS
Tim Byrdak bio [mlb.com]

NY Times Profiles New NL Franchise

Saturday's edition of the New York Times included an enlightening profile on the city of Zion, Ill. and the hope that the town's new baseball team - slated to begin play in the Northern League - will help the town pull out of a rough economic patch. One of the team's principle owners, Kevin Costner, has already given the club plenty of cache and from the sound of the story, the people of Zion are ecstatic about baseball coming to their town.

Some of the most interesting bits of the piece, though, surrounded the town's history. There's interesting stuff on Zion's not-so-distant past, so enjoy a nice read this morning while you try and shake off the snow (!) that covered our field last night.

Major League Hopes Pinned on the Minors [NY Times]

Costner Bringing New Team to Northern League [(Rail)Cats Meow]

Season Underway at U. S. Steel Yard

Yes, the Steel Yard hosted a baseball game today, the first of the spring played in downtown Gary. And even while the hosts from IU-Northwest were swept in a doubleheader by Olivet Nazarene, the sun-splashed ballpark was the most visible reminder yet that the 2009 RailCats season is just around the corner.

Only six weeks from Monday, the RailCats will open the gates for the first time in the regular season when the Joliet JackHammers come to town at 7 p.m. The RailCats have already signed eight of their 10 opening day starters from last season to contracts, and with a few more signings expected in the coming weeks, it won't be long before RailCats fans have a good idea about what this year's team will look like.

One thing's for sure, with the Major League season kicking off Monday and the slate of 33 games at the Steel Yard underway this spring, baseball is here. And we at the (Rail)Cats Meow couldn't be happier.

Willie Glen Swims With Fish in Florida

The greatest pitcher in Gary SouthShore RailCats history is one step closer to being a Florida Marlin.

Two years after leaving the ‘Cats, Willie Glen tossed on a Marlins jersey for the first time to take the mound against the Baltimore Orioles in a Major League Spring Training game Wednesday and produced predictable results. Glen pitched the first four innings, allowing just one run and striking out four, and out-dueled Orioles Opening Day starter Jeremy Guthrie to earn the win in a 13-2 game. Glen gave up a leadoff double to Ryan Freel in the first inning – Freel later came in to score – but fired zeros from that point on against a lineup that included most of the Orioles projected starters, like Nick Markakis, Melvin Mora and Aubrey Huff.

Glen – who had been pitching with the New Orleans Zephyrs (AAA) this spring – got the call to the major league game when Ricky Nolasco was given a day off. The 31-year-old Glen is not on the Marlins 40-man roster, but his performance since joining the organization has opened some eyes. Glen was one of the best pitchers in the Southern League (AA) last season, going 9-4 with a 2.01 ERA in 24 appearances (17 starts) and allowing only 59 hits in 94.0 innings (the league hit .180 off Glen).

Glen is expected to start the season with New Orleans where he’ll be at the ready should the major league club have a role to fill. The Marlins have a stacked minor league system but are very young, even at the big league level. Nolasco, at 26, is the most veteran of the Marlins starters, and 32-year-old reliever Scott Proctor is far and away the elder statesman of the bullpen.

Glen was a successful professional before coming to the RailCats in 2005, pitching previously at Double-A and Triple-A, but he credits his former Manager Greg Tagert for his accelerated development in the Northern League. A career reliever, Glen embraced his starting role in Gary and became a dominant pitcher. After two outstanding seasons Glen put together arguably the best year a Northern League pitcher has ever had in 2007, going 12-1 with a 3.03 ERA, striking out a league-record 162 batters in 139.2 innings and holding opponents to a .214 average. Glen’s 2007 postseason was even better – a 4-0 mark that included a storybook 140-pitch, three-hit, 10-strikeout, complete game win over Calgary in the decisive fifth game of the Northern League Championship Series.

Glen is trying to become the third RailCats player to reach the major leagues, joining Tim Byrdak and Nathan Haynes. Byrdak, a 2003 RailCat, will begin his second season with the Houston Astros next week coming off an impressive 2008 in which he struck out 47 in 55.1 innings and boasted a 3.90 ERA out of the bullpen. Byrdak has been back in the major leagues each season since 2005 after spending three years (1998-2000) with the Kansas City Royals before an injury. Haynes played for the RailCats in 2006, Los Angeles Angels in 2007 and Tampa Bay Rays in 2008. Haynes is in minor league camp with the Texas Rangers this spring.

Elsewhere in Marlins camp, former RailCats Andy Haines and Anthony Iapoce have been assigned their coaching duties for the upcoming season. Haines – the RailCats Hitting Coach in 2005 & 2006 – will manage the Jamestown Jammers (A) in the New York-Penn League after working as a hitting coach in Marlins system in 2008. The Most Valuable Player of the 2005 Northern League Championship Series, Iapoce retired to become a coach after that season and will work with the Marlins Florida State League affiliate in Jupiter this summer as a hitting coach.

Tanner Townsend, the 2008 Northern League Most Valuable Player, endured a dose of bad news earlier this week when he was shelved with a back injury. A timetable for Townsend’s return to minor league camp is unknown. Earlier this year, Townsend was the top playoff hitter in the prestigious Puerto Rican Winter League.

LINKS
Offense Leads Way in Marlins' Rout
Marlins-Orioles Box Score
Andy Haines Update
Tanner Townsend Sold to Marlins