JOLIET, Ill.—Former Buccaneer baseball star Adrian English signed today with the Joliet Slammers of the Frontier League.
English, who as a junior became just the third consensus All-American for the Bucs, finished his Barry career with a .334 average, 140 runs scored, 52 doubles, 12 homers and 135 RBI. He ranks fourth in school history with 247 hits and 52 doubles, and seventh in RBI. He walked 85 times, against just 74 strikeouts, for a .407 on-base percentage.
“It feels great to get this chance,” English said. “It brings me one step closer to the dream: to play in the Major Leagues. A lot of kids grow up dreaming of being able to play professional baseball and only a fraction get the chance, so I feel really fortunate.”
He replaces Jake Gronsky on the Slammers’ roster. Gronsky recently had his contract purchased, after just seven games with the Slammers, by the St. Louis Cardinals.
English joins former Buccaneer teammate Jordan Wellander on the Slammers. When the roster slot opened, Wellander connected English and Joliet general manager Chris Franklin who quickly got a deal done.
Wellander, with his third team in the Frontier League, has had an excellent summer pitching out of the bullpen. He has a 3-0 record with five saves in 26 games. He has struck out 30 in 36.1 innings and walked just 16.
The Slammers are currently 22-33 and in sixth place in the Western Division of the league. They have 41 games remaining.