RoughRiders announce Opening Weekend pitching rotation

FRISCO, Texas (April 1, 2022) – The Frisco RoughRiders have announced their starting pitching rotation for their Opening Weekend series against the Arkansas Travelers from Friday, April 8th through Sunday, April 10th.

April 8th at 6:35 p.m. vs. Arkansas Travelers (Seattle Mariners). Starter: LHP Cody Bradford

April 9th at 6:35 p.m. vs. Arkansas Travelers (Seattle Mariners). Starter: RHP Jack Leiter

April 10th at 4:05 p.m. vs. Arkansas Travelers (Seattle Mariners). Starter: LHP Cole Ragans

Bradford, who is the No. 20 prospect in the Rangers system by MLB.com, started with High-A Hickory in 2021 before joining the RoughRiders for his final seven starts of the season. Overall, the Aledo, Texas native went 6-4 with a 4.11 ERA while leading all Texas farmhands with 128 strikeouts and finishing tied for second in the system in innings pitched (96.1). The former Baylor Bear was named a Texas Rangers Organizational All-Star for his efforts in 2021.

Leiter, who is the Rangers No.1 prospect and the No. 17 prospect in baseball, is set to make his professional debut with the RoughRiders. The former second-overall selection in the 2021 draft was a unanimous First Team All-American at Vanderbilt in 2021, going 11-4 with a 2.13 ERA in 18 starts. Leiter finished the season tied for the NCAA lead in strikeouts (179) over his 110 innings (41.6 strikeout rate).

Ragans, who finished the season with the RoughRiders in 2021, will take the mound for the RoughRiders on Sunday, April 10th. The 2016 first-round pick pitched in his first full season last year after recovering from back-to-back Tommy John surgeries that wiped out his 2018 and 2019 seasons before COVID canceled the 2020 campaign. Ragans went 4-3 with a 4.35 ERA over his 19 outings between Hickory and Frisco in 2021 and made an appearance in the Sirius XM Futures Game in Colorado.

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The RoughRiders will begin the 2022 season with Opening Day on April 8th at Riders Field. For tickets and more information about the Frisco RoughRiders, visit RidersBaseball.com or call 972.731.9200.

About the RoughRiders

The Frisco RoughRiders are the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. The team was founded in 2003 and has finished first among all Double-A franchises in attendance for 15 consecutive seasons (2005-2019). In August 2014, the RoughRiders were purchased by an ownership group led by Chuck Greenberg. Since then, the new ownership group, together with the City of Frisco, has spearheaded numerous major franchise enhancements, investing over $8 million in a wide array of facility upgrades and improvements, including a state-of-the-art HD video board, sound system, Bull Moose Saloon, InTouch Grille, Riders Outpost Team Store and the world's largest water feature in a sports facility, the massive Lazy River. These enhancements earned the Riders and the City of Frisco Ballpark Digest's prestigious "Best Ballpark Renovation" award for two consecutive years (2015 and 2016). More than 170 former RoughRiders players have gone on to play Major League Baseball. For more information on the Frisco RoughRiders, please visit RidersBaseball.com or contact [email protected].