Rogers out; signs with Owensboro

Last season's top pitcher for the Bobcats will be throwing for Owensboro in 2010, not Marion as was reported earlier this week.

Bobcats management reports that Whitesville, Ky. native Ryan Rogers has opted to next year play closer to home around more familiar surroundings. Rogers hometown is only 15 miles from Owensboro, and a former coach will be on the staff for the Oilers in the club's next campaign.

"(S)eems his old (high school) coach will be an assistant there this summer," said Marion's general manager, Gordon Guess, on reporting the change.

On Wednesday, it was reported that Rogers, who posted a 1.50 ERA and four wins in 2009 for the Bobcats, had signed with Marion. However, Rogers' declared his intention to return nearly a year ago, on Dec. 11, 2008.

With the move, all 17 players now signed for 2010 will be putting on a Bobcat uniform for the first time next May.

McClay moves to Fulton roster

The owner of six Marion all-time or single-season hitting records and one of only two players to spend the entire season with the team in each of its first two years will be playing on the other side of the ball in 2010.

Mitch McClay, who holds Bobcat records for games played, RBI and hits, has signed with the Fulton Railroaders. The lefty who hits from the right side of the plate was granted his release by Marion last month, allowing the Carterville, Ill. resident to sign with Fulton.

A 6-1, 200-pound junior at Lambuth University, McClay was a regular starter in the outfield for Marion in each of the club's first two seasons. Last year, he hit .293 with three home runs and 13 RBI in 48 games for the Bobcats. His home run total in 2009 led the team and tied him with Jacob Martin for the all-time club record. Martin is the only other player to spend all of both seasons with Marion.

While McClay's .399 on-base percentage in 2009 and a team-record 33 RBI over two seasons will be missed at the plate, making contact has proved a weakness. Among his multiple team-leading stats are 72 strikeouts, 36 in each of his seasons with Marion.

Assistant coach chosen; 18 players signed

A former collegiate league all-star and assistant coach at tiny Alice Lloyd College in Pippa Passes, Ky. will be spending next summer in Marion.
Jason Stowers has signed on as an assistant coach for the Bobcats in 2010, joining manager Steve Fowler in the dugout. He is in his fourth year as a coach for the Alice Lloyd Eagles, and is a physical education instructor at his eastern Kentucky alma mater. As pitching coach for the Eagles, the team has produced eight conference pitchers of the week, and has registered three no-hitters and two one-hitters. A 12-1 start in 2009 was the best in school history.

"I have recruited three straight freshman of the year in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference," Stowers added.

He also holds an impressive record as a high school coach.

In three years (2003-06) at the helm of the baseball club at June Buchanan High School, also in Pippa Passes, he earned more wins than any other coach in the team's 21-year history. His teams set 17 school records in 2003 and went 20-14, doubling the previous school record for wins.

His coaching extends to numerous baseball camps throughout the southern United States, including Vanderbilt University, University of Kentucky, Clemson University, University of Tennessee and Louisiana State University.

As a player for the Eagles, Stowers spent time at shortstop and on the mound. While there, he earned a team MVP award, 110% Award, was named defensive player of the year and was recognized as student athlete of the year in 2001. In the summers of 2000 and 2001, he laced up for the Southern Collegiate League's Asheville (N.C.) Thunder and Johnson City (Tenn.) Redbirds, respectively. While there, he was named to the league's all-star team.

In 2003, Stowers earned his bachelor's degree in physical education with honors at Alice Lloyd. He received his master's degree in exercise and sport science from Eastern Kentucky University in 2007. His resume also includes work in radio as a sports analyst and general manager in charge of sports.

Stowers is single and has no children.

General manager Gordon Guess is also well on his way to filling the Bobcats' on-field positions. In fact, he has received commitments from 18 players - two-thirds of the 24-man roster - including Ryan Rogers returning from the 2009 pitching staff. On the hill for the Bobcats, the Whitesville, Ky. native led the team in wins with a 4-3 record and a 1.50 ERA. He also registered 68 strikeouts in only 48 innings.

Other players signed include:

• Tony Gliffe, 21, of Skokie, Ill., a first baseman at Aurora University outside of Chicago. A KIT League alum, Gliffe hit three home runs and had 14 RBI for the Owensboro Oilers in 2008. He had a .408 on-base percentage in 35 games.
• Carlos Xavier Medina, 19, of Lititz, Pa., a second baseman at Millersville University in Pennsylvania.
• C.J. Bell, 20, of Georgetown, De., a shortstop and third baseman at Delaware State University.
• Ryan Chesler, 19, of Pottstown, Pa., a catcher at Millersville University.
• Adam Boyd, 19, of Coatesville, Pa., a center fielder at Millersville who bats from the left side of the plate.
• Walter Bishop, 18, of Westbury, Wyo., a left-handed pitcher at Millersville.
• Kalip Merrill, 21, of Marion, Ill., a right-handed pitcher at Mid-Continent University in Mayfield, Ky.
• Tyler Hall, 21, of Wingo, Ky., a left-handed pitcher at Mid-Continent.
• Allen L. Haaze Jr., 18, of Benton, Ky., also a left-handed pitcher at the Mayfield college.
• Cody Tellor, 21, of Anna, Ill., a right-handed pitcher at Mid-Continent.
• Zach Adkins, 19, of Laurel, De., a left-handed pitcher at Delaware State.
• Michael Backes, 20, of Hubbard, Ohio, a right-handed pitcher from Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio.
• Jae Leeworthy, 20, of Newton Falls, Ohio, a first baseman at Lake Erie.
• Mike Brucchieri, 18, of Brunswick, Ohio, an outfielder at Lake Erie who bats left.
• James Malast, 19, of Paducah, Ky., a right-handed pitcher at Southeastern Illinois College in Harrisburg, Ill.
• Dylan Rasch, 18, of Harrisburg, a center fielder at Southeastern Illinois.
• Ben Blaize, 19, of Henderson, Ky., a right-handed pitcher at Southeastern Illinois.