WILLMAR - The Willmar Stingers added some outfield depth with a pair of Alabama freshmen on Wednesday.
Hunter Webb and Casey Hughston join a Stingers’ roster already heavy on freshmen and sophomores - of the 19 players on the roster right now, Max Kuhn, Sheldon Lee, T.J. Whidby and Brian Pruett are the only juniors, and there are no seniors.
Webb and Hughston are the first Crimson Tide players to come to Willmar since Kenny Roberts in 2012, who set a team record with 16 home runs.
Neither has played much so far, though Hughston has two home runs in 18 at-bats.
Maryland’s Stinnett tosses no-hitter
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Maryland senior righthander Jake Stinnett no-hit Massachusetts on Saturday.
Stinnett, who played for Willmar in 2011, struck out nine and faced two batters over the minimum, both on walks.
“There could have been a couple of hits that game, but the defense picked me up so many times,” Stinnett told the Maryland athletics website. “They do it every game, but especially that game. Other than that, just throwing strikes and mixing it up. Keeping guys off balance.”
The performance earned him the Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week for the second straight week.
In Baseball America’s story about the no-hitter, they quoted a scout who has seen Stinnett this spring: “(Stinnett’s) fastball sits at 90-93 and touches 94-95, and he holds his velocity deep into his outings,” the scout said. “He pitches heavily off his heater but mixes in a solid slider and changeup, and he stands out for his good control.”
In 22 innings over three starts this season, Stinnett has at 1.23 ERA with 27 strikeouts and three walks.
Stinnett was a 29th round pick by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2013 MLB draft but returned to Maryland for his senior season. Baseball America ranked him the No. 47 senior coming into the season.
Kubitz named NSIC Pitcher of the Week
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St. Cloud State senior and 2013 Stinger Chris Kubitz was named the Northern Sun Pitcher of the Week for March 3 after working seven shutout innings with eight strikeouts against Missouri S&T on Feb. 28 in his first start of the season.
Murray Pitcher of the Week in Atlantic Sun
Florida Gulf Coast pitcher and 2013 Stinger Michael Murray earned Pitcher of the Week honors in the Atlantic Sun for a 7.1 inning, four-strikeout start against the Florida Gators on Feb. 27.
Murray has a 0.42 ERA on the season, good for second in the conference. He has 17 strikeouts and three walks over 21.2 innings of work.
Etc.
n 2012 Stinger pitcher Richie Navari continues to pitch well for Louisiana Tech with a 1.89 ERA and 14 strikeouts over 19 innings.
n Kentucky’s Max Kuhn is hitting .327 with five doubles in 55 at-bats while getting on base at a .439 clip.
n USC freshman Jeremy Martinez is hitting .326 with two doubles and one home run in 46 at-bats.
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n Florida Gulf Coast’s Michael Suchy has four doubles, two triples and 10 RBIs in 50 at-bats. He’s hitting .300 and slugging .460.
Upcoming Stingers on TV
3/7: 3 p.m. ESPN3, Notre Dame at NC State (Andrew Woeck)
3/8: 4 p.m. ESPN3, Notre Dame at NC State (Woeck)
3/9: 1 p.m. ESPN3, Notre Dame at NC State (Woeck)
3/14: 6 p.m. ESPN3, NC State (Woeck) at Florida State
3/15: 6 p.m. ESPN3, NC State (Woeck) at Florida State
3/16: 1 p.m. ESPN3, NC State (Woeck) at Florida State
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3/23: 1 p.m. ESPN3, Florida Gulf Coast (Michael Suchy, Zack Tillery, Michael Murray, Brady Anderson, Colton Bottomley, Nick Rivera, Brian Pruett) at USC Upstate
3/28: 6 p.m. ESPN3, Miami at NC State (Woeck)
3/30: 1 p.m. ESPN3, Miami at NC State (Woeck)
3/30: 2 p.m. ESPNU, Kentucky (Max Kuhn) at Vanderbilt
