WOODRUFF, BETANCOURT NAMED PLAYERS OF THE MONTH FOR JULY
BILOXI, MS. - Biloxi Shuckers' infielder Javier Betancourt and right-handed pitcher Brandon Woodruff have been named the club's Player's of the Month for July. Each will be presented their awards at a press conference at the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi on Wednesday morning at 11:00 am. Media and fans are welcome to attend.
Woodruff, 23, went 3-1 with a 0.29 ERA (1er/30.2ip) with 42 strikeouts and only five walks, while posting a WHIP of 0.72. The 6'4" hurler's ERA dropped by over two runs from 5.68 to 3.28. The Wheeler, Miss. native and Mississippi State product recorded a 25.2 consecutive-scoreless inning streak from July 8-Aug. 3.
The Milwaukee Brewers 11th round selection in 2014 tied a career high with 10 strikeouts against the Pensacola Blue Wahoos on 13th, and repeated the feat during his last outing of the month on the 29th against the Mobile BayBears. The Milwaukee Brewers' 25th-ranked prospect (MLB.com) set the mark on Aug. 18, 2015 against the Daytona Tortugas while pitching for the Brevard County Manatees (MIL, A+).
Woodruff also provided Biloxi's only run in the 1-0 win with a third inning solo homer - the first of his career.
Through 2016, Woodruff has a combined record of 11-8 with a 2.73 ERA (40er/131.2ip) between the Manatees (eight games) and Shuckers (16 games). The righty leads the Brewers' affiliates with 143 strikeouts.
Betancourt, 21, the second-youngest player on the roster and youngest position player appeared in 20 games, and hit a season-high .364 (20x55) with a homer, 11 RBI (tied season-high), set a season-high with four doubles, tripled and stole a base. The right-handed hitting infielder upped his average up from .198 to .233, the highest mark since ending May with a .236 clip.
The infielder was acquired by Milwaukee on Nov. 18, 2015 from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for right-handed pitcher Francisco Rodriguez.
The Shuckers are partnering with the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Art each month to award the top performers of the Biloxi Shuckers. The Museum features an 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, and stretches to Nov. 4, highlighting the Biloxi Shuckers Inaugural Season on the Gulf Coast in 2015.
The Shuckers will have an off day on Tuesday before returning to MGM Park for game one of a five-game series against the Mobile BayBears starting Wednesday. RHP Luis Ortiz (0-0, 0.00) will take the mound in the opener for Biloxi against Mobile's LHP Josh Taylor (3-1, 2.90). First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m., with coverage starting at 6:20 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.
Thursday is Double Play Thursday with $2 hot dogs, $2 soft drinks and $2 off select draft beer and reserved level tickets. Thursday will feature the Ohr-O'Keefe Museum of Arty Jersey Auction featuring George Ohr's iconic photo on the jersey. The Shuckers will wear them during batting practice pregame and will auction these jerseys off with proceeds to benefit the museum.
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).