KALAMAZOO, Mich.- As the 2010 baseball season gets underway, seven former Western Michigan University student-athletes will be preparing to compete professionally.
Adam Rosales, Patrick Misch, Zach Gentile, Ethan Hollingsworth, J.R. Mathes and Kevan Hess are all playing in Major League Baseball organizations, Rosales beginning the season in the big leagues. A seventh Bronco, Brian Sikorski is playing the professional Japanese league. A number of other former Broncos are beginning seasons in independent leagues.
Adam Rosales nailed down the utility infielder spot for the Oakland Athletics after being acquired in an offseason trade from the Cincinnati Reds. Last season, Rosales hit .212 with four homers and 21 RBI's in 105 games while primarily playing third base for the Reds. Rosales played at WMU from 2002-05 and is third in school history in total bases (365) and steals (47) and is tied for third in school history with 24 home runs.
Misch was outrighted by the New York Mets to the Buffalo Bisons of the International League (Triple-A). Last season, Misch went 3-4 with a 4.48 ERA in 26 appearances with the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets. Misch struck out 265 batters between 2000-03 for the Brown & Gold, which places him second in school history.
Mathes will begin his fourth consecutive season at the Chicago Cubs
Triple-A affiliate, Iowa. Mathes won 12 games and posted a 3.62 ERA for
the Cubs last season, the second consecutive season in which his ERA has
improved by over half a run. Between the 2001-04 seasons, Mathes struck
out 195 batters for the Broncos, good enough for fifth in school
history.
Hollingsworth opens the season with the Modesto Nuts of the
California League, Advanced Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.
Hollingsworth totaled 132 strikeouts between two Single-A stops last
season with a 4.32 ERA. He is fourth all-time at WMU in strikeouts,
racking up 197 between 2006-08.
Gentile is expected to begin the season with the Greenville Drive of the Southern Atlantic League, a Single-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. Gentile hit .281 with a homer and 27 RBI's in 88 games for the Drive last season. He totaled 201 hits over his Bronco career from 2006-08.
Hess will begin his second pro season with the Connecticut Tigers (formerly Oneonta Tigers) of the New York Penn League. A 14th round pick of the Detroit Tigers last year, Hess won two games while striking out 35 in 44 innings with Oneonta in 2009. Hess was primarily a catcher in his three seasons with the Broncos (2007-09), before moving into a closer role in his final season.
Sikorski is embarking on his ninth season in Japan and will play with the Saitama Seibu Lions. Sikorski has appeared in the major leagues previously with the Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres and Clevend Indians and owns a career 5.40 ERA. Sikorski was a second team All-American in 1995 for the Brown & Gold.
