Kalamazoo College head baseball coach Mike Ott announced that two additional Hornets will join a summer collegiate baseball team this summer, increasing the total number of Hornets playing in national summer collegiate leagues to 10 this year.
Sophomore pitchers Nic Janssen and Steve Simmons will join the Alaska Goldpanners of the Alaska Baseball League later this week.
Janssen is a 6-0, left-handed pitcher from Galesburg, Mich. (Gull Lake HS). He appeared in 10 games for the Hornets this season with nine starts and a 4-2 record, striking out 30 while walking 17 with a 3.00 earned run average.
Simmons is a 6-2, right-handed pitcher from Novi, Mich. (Brother Rice HS) who appeared in 11 games for the Hornets, recording one save with a 1.64 ERA.
Located in Fairbanks, Alaska, the Goldpanners recently played the 110th version of the storied Midnight Sun Baseball Game. According to the Goldpanners web site, over 1,400 players and coaches have worn a Goldpanners uniform, with hundreds continuing their careers in professional baseball and 203 made it to the major leagues.