April 5, 2017
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Former Penn State RHP Jack Anderson will open his first full professional baseball season with the Seattle Mariners' Class-A affiliate, the Clinton (Iowa) LumberKings, as minor leagues are set to open their 2017 seasons Thursday.
Anderson is joined in affiliated baseball by fellow 2016 Nittany Lion draft pick Jim Haley, and Haley will remain at the Tampa Bay Rays spring training complex in Port Charlotte, Florida, to start the season.
Both have had successful starts to their pro careers.
For Anderson, his addition to the LumberKings of the Midwest League roster marks a promotion from his rookie campaign. Anderson spilt time between the Arizona League Mariners of the Rookie level and the Class-A short season Everett AquaSox. During the regular season, he combined to post a 1.71 ERA in 18 appearances totaling six saves and a 3-1 record. He helped guide the Arizona team to a league championship, earning one save in the playoffs, and he retired the two batters he faced during the AquaSox playoff run.
The Mariners' Major League staff had a chance to look at Anderson up close this spring, as he joined the team for a spring training contest against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, Mar. 28, pitching a perfect ninth inning. Anderson will don his familiar No. 27 for Clinton as they open their season at the Kane County Cougars Thursday, roughly a half-hour west from his native Evanston, Illinois.
Haley batted .285 with a home run and 19 RBIs in his first pro season, spending it entirely with the Hudson Valley Renegades. He started the New York-Penn League All-Star game at third base and made a pair of return trips to Medlar Field at Lubrano Park when the Renegades took on the State College Spikes. The Spikes ended up defeating the Renegades for the NYPL Championship.
The current Nittany Lions will host Ohio State in a three-game Big Ten series opening Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Season, flex and single-game ticket options for the 2017 Penn State baseball season in Medlar Field at Lubrano Park are now on sale at GoPSUsports.com or by calling the Medlar Field at Lubrano Park ticket office at 814-272-1711. Ask about the hospitality suite option for season ticket holders.
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