WILLMAR - The Willmar Stingers continued to shore up their pitching staff, adding three workhorse arms Thursday for the 2014 season.
They signed two juniors, North Alabama lefthander Brantley Claunch and University of Portland righthander Kurt Yinger, along with sophomore lefty Hayden Cleveland out of Franklin College.
Cleveland has tossed 57.1 innings for Division-III Franklin, with a 5.02 ERA, four complete games and 52 strikeouts.
Yinger leads Portland with 42 innings of work, but is 0-5 with a 6.00 ERA and 25 whiffs.
Claunch has also seen a heavy workload, pacing North Alabama with 76 innings over 12 starts. He has 45 strikeouts and a 3.43 ERA with three complete games and one shutout.
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The roster now sits at 27 full-time players and two on temporary contracts. Northwoods League teams are allowed 30 full-time and 10 temp players.
Spomer makes Triple-A debut
Kurt Spomer, a bullpen arm in the Los Angeles Angels organization, became the first former Stinger to reach Triple-A, getting called up to the Salt Lake Bees on Monday before going right back down to Single-A on Thursday.
He had an eventful stint for Salt Lake, picking up a win in his first appearance and a loss in his second, though the loss came on an unearned run.
Between the two levels, he has tossed 17 innings this season and not allowed an earned run.
Spomer pitched for the Stingers in 2011, was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Angels out of Creighton in June of 2012.
He spent a full season at low Single-A Burlington (Iowa) last year and opened this year at high Single-A Inland Empire (San Bernardino, Calif.).
Etc.
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n Former Stinger Jake Stinnett (Maryland) has a 2.68 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 74 innings.
n Stinger third baseman Max Kuhn (Kentucky) is hitting .347 with five home runs and 38 RBIs.
n Former Stinger Michael Murray (Florida Gulf Coast) is fourth in Division I with a 0.82 ERA. He’s 9-0 with 62 strikeouts and seven walks in 76.2 innings.
n Stinger infielder Nick Rivera (Florida Gulf Coast) is hitting .280 with 27 RBIs.
n Stinger infielder Troy Kuhn (Ohio State) is leading the Buckeyes with five homers and is hitting .297.
n Stinger catcher Jeremy Martinez (USC) is hitting .333 with a team-leading 24 RBIs.
n Stinger infielder Hutton Moyer (Pepperdine) is hitting .324 with a .408 on-base percentage.
n Former Stinger Colin Poche (Arkansas) has a 1.80 ERA in 30 innings pitched.
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n Former Stinger Jake Gronsky (Monmouth) is hitting .328 and leading the team in at-bats, runs, hits and doubles.
