SHAWNEE – Former Bison pitcher Taylor Hearn made one trip to the mound in relief in week eight for the Texas Rangers, throwing 2.1 innings and adding three more strikeouts to bring his season total to 28. The Rangers will take on the Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies, and Tampa Bay Rays in week nine.
| Taylor Hearn | #52 | Texas Rangers |
| Date |
Opponent |
IP |
H |
R |
ER |
BB |
K |
| 5/27 |
vs. SEA |
2.1 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
| Weekly Totals |
2.1 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
| Season ERA: 4.38 |
Pitcher Julian Merryweather is currently recovering from an oblique injury and has been placed on the 60 day injury list by the Toronto Blue Jays.
Merryweather had an outstanding career at OBU with a 22-5 record over two seasons. The All-American had a career ERA of just 1.73 in 182 innings pitched after tying the second-lowest ERA in program history with 1.07 in 2014. He registered 208 strikeouts with the Bison. He was drafted by Cleveland Indians in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB Draft.
In his lone season on Bison Hill, Hearn compiled a perfect 9-0 record with an ERA of 3.50. He struck out 71 batters in 64.1 innings pitched and held opposing batters to a .191 average as the Bison advanced all the way to the NAIA World Series. Hearn was drafted in the fifth round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals.
Former Bison infielder Jake Gozzo made his minor league debut for the Daytona Tortugas (Low-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds) this spring. He pitched one inning in week four, giving up no runs, no hits, and striking out two batters in the Tortugas' win over the St. Lucie Mets on May 27.