SteepleCats Sign Benz And Hoilman
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| The SteepleCats will open their 2008 campaign with a three game home stand, starting on June 6th |
Hoilman didn't start until game number six for East Tennessee State this season, but has not looked back since cracking the Bucs starting nine, starting all but four games since. Overall he is ETSU's leading hitter on the season with a .357 average to go along with 47 RBI, which are good for second on the team. He has certainly made up for lost time in the homer department as well. After not hitting his first long ball of the year until April 1, Hoilman has gone on a power tear lately as he has pulled to third on East Tennessee's homerun leader board with nine and is sixth in the Atlantic Sun Conference with nine big flies on the year. Not go unnoticed, but Hoilman also led his team in on-base percentage at .442.
"Paul is a prototypical first baseman in that he is a 6' 5" power hitting first baseman. He's had a tremendous freshman year and has put up impressive numbers while batting in the middle of the line-up as a true freshman in the competitive Atlantic Sun conference. We obviously expect Paul to be a mainstay for us at first base and in the middle of our order," said McGrath.
His .365 conference batting average is good for sixteenth in the Atlantic Sun Conference. Five of his nine home runs have also come in conference games. In comparison to 2007 SteepleCats All-Star Game MVP, Ozzie Borrell from Florida Gulf Coast, who is batting .387 in the conference with three home runs.
Benz has been a mainstay in the Williams rotation from the day that he stepped on campus. He picked up NESCAC Rookie of the Year honors following the 2006 season when he went 6-1 with a 1.80 ERA in nine starts for the Ephs with four complete games and two shutouts. A teammate of former SteepleCat Max Pinto and Paul Morgan, Benz earned league honors again this season as he was named First Team All-NESCAC, going 6-2 with a 3.36 ERA. He finished up his junior season with a 16-4 career record.
"Benz has been the ace of the staff for three seasons and has pitched in many pressure situations against Amherst, the NESCAC tournament and NCAA regional tournament. Benz is a competitor who understands how to pitch and get outs, which is the name of the game," said McGrath. "He has tremendous control and a curveball that fans will enjoy watching as well as a superior change-up that hitters can't make solid contact."
The SteepleCats will open their 2008 campaign with a three game home stand, starting on June 6th with a date against the Torrington Twisters. June 7th sees the Newport Gulls come to Joe Wolfe Field with the weekend concluding against the Manchester Silkworms on June 8th. All three games have a first pitch slated for 7 p.m. with the gates opening at 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.steeplecats.com
In case you haven't purchased your season ticket for the upcoming season, please visit one of the 7 local businesses listed here to purchase your full season's ticket or 10-pack ticket. The Full Season Family Plan is $100; Full Season Individual Plan is $70; Ten-Pack Family Plan is $60; and the Ten-Pack Individual Plan is $45. Tickets are sold at all of the following locations: Adams: Val's Variety; Clarksburg: Cross Road Variety; North Adams: Man's World and Moulton's General Store; Stamford, VT: Billmont's Country Store, and in Williamstown at Angelina's Submarine Shop and St. Pierre's Barber Shop.
