GARY, Ind.— American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings NCAA Division III Position Player of the Year Nick Herzog (Riverhead, N.Y.) signed his second professional contract of the summer on Saturday, when he joined the Gary SouthShore RailCats of the American Association.
Herzog, who guided UMass Boston baseball to the College World Series this past spring, joined the RailCats after an impressive stint with the Sante Fe Fuego of the Pecos League.
After a slow start with the Fuego, Herzog finished with a final line of 26 hits, 23 runs, six doubles, six homers and 20 runs batted in 25 contests. By the end of the Fuego's season, Herzog amassed a line of .356/.460/.685. He managed to reach safely in 21 of his 25 contests and in each of his final 10 games.
The RailCats play in the American Association, which is viewed as one of the most competitive independent leagues in the country. Herzog made his debut on Saturday and has started in each of the team's past two games since signing. He will have 14 more games in the regular season to try to impress and potentially earn a spot with the team again next summer or a different franchise. Fans can follow along with live webcasts (americanassociationbaseball.tv) or with live stats for every game.