RAILCATS SIGN ROOKIE INFIELDER, ANNOUNCE STAFF PROMOTIONS

 

November 15, 2007                                            Contact:  Tom Nichols at (219) 882-2255

 

Gary, Ind.—The 2007 Northern League Champion Gary SouthShore RailCats Professional Baseball Club announced today that rookie infielder Omar Padilla has been signed as a free agent.  RailCats manager Greg Tagert made the announcement. 

 

Padilla completed his college career at Southeast Missouri State University in the spring of 2007.  In two seasons there, he appeared in 110 games, batting .333 with 30 doubles, 12 home runs, 61 runs batted in, and 19 stolen bases.  He was a solid contact hitter, striking out just 34 times in 415 at bats.  A hard-nosed second baseman, he also tied the school record for number of times hit by pitch with 27.

 

Padilla was a 1^st Team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection as a junior in 2006.  He led Southeast Missouri State in batting average, runs, hits, doubles, and total bases in both of his seasons there. 

 

Padilla, 24, transferred to Southeast Missouri State from Santa Rosa Junior College in California, where he helped his team to the 2005 California JUCO State Championship. 

 

Padilla is the first free agent signing by the RailCats since the conclusion of the 2007 baseball season.

 

STAFF PROMOTIONS ANNOUNCED

 

The RailCats also announced the following staff promotions. 

 

• Mike Smith, formerly the RailCats Director of Group Sales, has been promoted to Assistant General Manager/Sales & Marketing.  Smith will enter his fifth season with the RailCats in 2008 and has built the RailCats highly-successful group sales department, working with area companies, church groups, youth baseball/softball organizations, and civic groups.

 

• Becky Kremer, formerly the RailCats Director of Business and Ticket Operations, has been promoted to Assistant General Manager/Business Operations.  Ms. Kremer will enter her fourth season with the RailCats in 2008 after starting with the club as an intern.

 

• Jim Rice, formerly serving as a Ticket Sales Specialist, has been promoted to Group Sales Manager.  Rice joined the RailCats prior to the 2007 season after working with the Binghamton Mets of the Eastern League.

 

• Aaron Pineda, formerly serving as a Ticket Sales Specialist, has been promoted to Ticket Sales/Media Relations Assistant.  Pineda has worked with the RailCats in a variety roles after starting with the team as an usher in 2003.  He has assisted in the media relations department for the past two seasons.

 

More Info:  The Gary SouthShore RailCats are a Professional Minor League Baseball Team serving Northwest Indiana and Chicago's south suburbs. The RailCats won the Northern League championship in 2005 and 2007 and for each of the last four years, they have been chosen "Best Local Spectator Sport" by Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly.  Their 96 game schedule includes 48 home games at beautiful U. S. Steel Yard, an award-winning 6,000 seat state-of-the-art facility located next to the Indiana Toll Road (I-90) with easy access to I-65.

 

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