KALAMAZOO, Mich. — The Kalamazoo Growlers are about six weeks away from their opening day but Head Coach Cody Piechocki is already prepping for when his players will get to West Michigan.
The Growlers are the 2022 Northwoods league world series champions and will be returning about half of their roster from last season. In filling up the rest of his roster, Coach Piechocki had been able to be very selective in his search for the remainder of his team.
"To have that many that want to come back, that was a real joy. I think it tells us that we're doing the right thing, when these guys can go play anywhere in the country and they want to come back to Kalamazoo. We're really proud of that," said Piechocki.
They had to find 15 players to fill the rest of the roster. "I remember being on the phone with Pepperdine which is a really nice baseball program in California and they asked me what I was looking for and I said, I want a left handed short stop,". He said because he knows who is coming back and what has worked for him in the past, paired with winning the conference championship allows him to be picky on who he invites to play.
Along with the championship, they eared their first Great Lakes East Division first-half win which set them to the playoffs. The Growlers also won their first home playoff game in program history.
In the off season, Piechocki keeps up with his players and watches their college games. Including Byron Center native Ryan Dykstra and Mattawan grad Tanner Knapp.
The Growlers first game will be Wednesday, May 31st at home against Battle Creek.
