The University of Redlands baseball team has the incredible opportunity to play against a professional Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) team on Monday, February 29, when it faces off against KT Wiz of Suwon, Sudogwon, Korea, in San Manuel Stadium, which is home to the Inland Empire 66ers. First pitch of the exhibition game is slated for 5:30 p.m.
The contest will be fully staffed, offering concessions and free admission to the fans. In addition, the game will be broadcasted with audio, video, play-by-play analysis, and live stats through www.goredlands.com.
Founded in 2013 and added to the KBO in 2015, KT Wiz has traveled overseas to partake in its 2016 Spring Training. After spending the early stages of the training in Tucson, Arizona, at the Kino Sports Memorial Stadium, KT Wiz headed to California to take on a few intercollegiate teams, including the University of San Diego, Cal State San Bernardino, and the Redlands baseball program.
"We are going to go out there and have fun," said Head Coach Aaron Holley. "It is not very often when a Division III team gets to play a team of this caliber. So, we are going to go out there and enjoy the night."
Last season, KT Wiz recorded an overall record a 52-91 while boasting a .273 team batting average and a 5.56 team ERA. Dae-hyeong Lee and Andy Marte led the Wiz on the offensive front, while Seong-Min Lee and Jae-min Shim led the pitching staff.
For the Bulldogs, sophomore starter Felix Minjarez (Riverside, CA) leads the pitching staff, coming off an impressive eight innings of scoreless baseball while allowing just three hits and striking out 11 en route to his second win of the season. Junior closer John White (Burbank, CA) boasts a flawless ERA with two saves and 11 strikeouts in just five innings of action.
Senior right-fielder Christian Gurrola (Torrance, CA) highlights the Maroon and Gray's offensive attack by barreling 10 hits and driving in eight RBI that included a three-run homerun in an 11-2 rout over Whittier. Junior second baseman Christopher Scalisi (Woodland, Hills, CA) leads the squad in hits with 14 while scoring nine runs and driving in five RBI.
In addition, San Bernardino's 28th mayor, R. Carey Davis, is expected to attend the game on February 29.
