Cooper, Houser named Players of the Month
BILOXI, MS. - Biloxi Shuckers' infielder Garrett Cooper and right-handed pitcher Adrian Houser have been named the club's Players of Month for June. Each will be presented their awards at a press conference at the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi on Friday morning at 11:00 am. Media and fans are welcome to attend.
Cooper, 25, repeats as Player of the Month in June, posting a .373 batting average with 10 runs, six doubles, two home runs and 19 RBI during 24 games in the month. The Brewers' sixth-round draft choice in 2013 leads the club with 22 doubles, 46 RBI and a .317 batting average through 76 games. The Manhattan Beach, Calif. native had nine multi-hit performances and set a new club record by reaching base safely in 25 straight games from June 5 - July 4. The product of Auburn set a club season mark by hitting in 12 straight games from June 19 - July 4. Cooper had a season-high, four hits on June 1 against the Mississippi Braves.
Houser, 23, went 1-2 on the mound but recorded a 2.35 ERA (23ip, 6er) with three quality starts. The Locust Grove, Okla. native struck out 20 and walked just six, holding the opposition to a .253 batting average. Houser was acquired by the Brewers from Houston with LHP Josh Hader, OF Brett Phillips and OF Domingo Santana in exchange for OF Carlos Gomez, RHP Mike Fiers and International Signing Bonus Slot #76 on July 30, 2015.
After the trade, Houser went 4-1 with a 2.92 ERA in seven starts for the Shuckers and threw a shutout in the first round of the Southern League playoffs, earning a 6-0 victory on Sept. 11 vs. Pensacola (9ip, 3h, 0bb, 10k). Houser's contract was selected by Milwaukee on Sept. 22, and he made two scoreless relief appearances with the Brewers. His Major League debut came on Sept. 26 at St. Louis (1ip, 1h, 1bb). His other appearance with Milwaukee came on Oct. 2 vs. the Chicago Cubs (1ip, 1bb).
The Shuckers will partner with the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art each month to award the top performers of the Biloxi Shuckers. The Museum features a new exhibit entitled "Our Love Affair of Baseball", a multi-media exhibition and all-star Friday luncheon series that celebrates and showcases the long-running love affair with America's pastime. The exhibition began on May 10, stretches to Nov. 4, and highlights the Biloxi Shuckers Inaugural Season on the Gulf Coast in 2015.
Biloxi will look to even up the five-game set in game four on tonight at MGM Park. RHP Jorge Ortega (1-6, 4.09) takes the mound for the Shuckers, while LHP Matt Tomshaw (1-1, 5.00) toes the rubber for the Suns. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m., with coverage starting at 6:50 p.m. on the Biloxi Shuckers' Radio Network's flagship station WGCM 1240 AM, 100.9 FM, Pascagoula's WPMO 1580 AM and the TuneIn Radio app.
Fans will enjoy $2 ballpark specials on Double Play Thursday ($2 hot dogs, $2 soft drinks and $2 off select draft beer and reserved level tickets) tomorrow. The homestand concludes on Friday with the first 1,500 fans receiving a Biloxi Shuckers Beach Towel, courtesy of Beau Rivage.
Tickets for individual regular season games are currently on-sale and may be purchased by visiting the MGM Park box office or any Ticketmaster outlet. Season Tickets, Shmini Plans, Group Tickets, Party Deck Tickets and Mercedes-Benz Mini Suite Tickets are available by calling the Shuckers at 228-233-3465. For more details, visit biloxishuckers.com.
About the Biloxi Shuckers:
The Biloxi Shuckers are the Double-A Affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and a member of the Southern League. For up-to-date news and notes throughout the offseason, visit biloxishuckers.com, follow the club on Twitter (@biloxishuckers), Instagram (@officialbiloxishuckers) or like the team on Facebook (facebook.com/biloxishuckers).