Carroll Merchants Baseball players from around the world began rolling into town yesterday and today (Monday and Tuesday), and are eager to get started on the first full year of baseball in Carroll. Six of the 23 men on the roster are from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, but most are from the Midwest, primarily Minnesota and Iowa. Included on this year’s roster is a three-time all-conference pitcher and two-time all-state honoree who graduated from Kuemper Catholic High School. Chris Halbur of Manning, who holds all-time career records in individual season pitching for wins, strikeouts, earned run average and innings pitched at Kuemper, will be playing an important role for the Merchants’ team this summer. Halbur is currently a junior, playing for the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, where he has played 26.2 innings and has a 4.05 ERA. The 2016 Merchants home opener will be June 3, against the Sioux Falls Pilots. Booster Club memberships are available through the Carroll Chamber of Commerce website or at the Chamber offices. Membership includes two season tickets and two Merchants apparel items. A complete roster of Merchants team members can be found below.
Halbur will be joined by: Thomas Austin (Concordia St. Paul), Ford Schroeder (Augustana), Daulton Sauce (University of Mary), Kalib Mauch (Augustana), Joey Hudson (Northern State), Derek Dahlke (Augustana), Mason Bellew (Bemidji State), Drake Wawro (Bemidji State), Steven Nessler (Concordia St. Paul), Matthew Wixon (Bemidji State), Mark Lesinski (Bemidji State), Alex Beals (Augustana), Trey Muilenburg (Mount Mercy), Zachary Elder (St. Leo University), Nate Phillips (Indiana – Purdue University Fort Wayne), Drew Phillips (Ball State), Pablo Montenegro (Latin America), Eric Venegas (Latin America), David Mendoza (Latin America), Juan Suarez (Latin America), Jonathan Arrieta (Latin America), and Alvardo Andreas (Latin America)
