Southern Illinois continues to bolster roster in preparation for 2021
Marion, IL (March 3, 2021) – The Southern Illinois Miners announce that pitcher Blake Stelzer and outfielder Dalton Mitchell have returned to the club after playing elsewhere in 2020, and have also signed outfielder Jared Mang out of the California Winter League.
Stelzer, a 6’3” right-handed pitcher, played for the St. Cloud Rox in the summer collegiate Northwoods League in 2020, and had a 3-1 record and seven saves in 16 appearances out of the bullpen along with 22 strikeouts, 11 walks, and a 2.73 ERA. He was slated to join the Miners last year out of Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he pitched to a 0.52 ERA in 17 1/3 innings along with a 25:5 strikeout-to-walk ratio as a senior before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down college athletics.
Mitchell, a Metropolis native, played with the Chicago Deep Dish of the City of Champions Cup league that took place in Joliet last year, seeing 10 games of action in the outfield. He previously hit .417 in 11 games with the Roswell Invaders in the Pecos League in 2019 after batting .264 with 10 doubles and 33 RBIs as a senior at Indiana University-Southeast that same year. Mitchell also spent three seasons playing at Alabama A&M University.
Mang comes to the Miners out of the California Winter League in 2021, but the Los Alamos, New Mexico native also has one season of affiliated experience under his belt, amassing 22 RBIs, nine doubles and three triples in 43 games in the Tigers organization with the rookie-level GCL Tigers in 2019. He was selected in the 18th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by Detroit after a standout career at the University of New Mexico, where he was a two-time First Team All-Mountain West selection as a senior and sophomore. Mang batted .365 with 23 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 51 RBIs, 15 stolen bases, 57 runs scored, and 76 hits in just 52 games as a senior for the Lobos in 2019.
“Our roster continues to improve with each day of the spring,” said Miners manager Mike Pinto. “Blake and Dalton were able to get valuable time last summer improving their games while we were unable to play. That experience should help them prepare for our spring training ahead. Meanwhile, Jared impressed our scout Casey Dill out in the California Winter League recently. He brings great speed and defense to the outfield, and also some experience with the Tigers organization following his successful college career.”