FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 5, 2019
CONTACT: Max Thoma
[email protected]

GARY, IND. — The Gary SouthShore RailCats announced the signing of infielder Hayden Schilling to his first professional baseball contrsact prior to Saturday night’s game against the Milwaukee Milkmen. The 23 year old started the game at third base and hit eighth; he recorded his first professional hit in the ninth inning, a single blooped down the line in left.

In order to make room on the active 23-man roster, right-hander Frank Moscatiello was placed on irrevocable waivers.

Schilling attended the University of New Mexico from 2015 to 2019 and graduated this past spring. In four years with the Lobos, the Santee, Calif., native produced a career slash-line of .318/.414/.417 and in his past three seasons finished with a batting average north of .300 and an on-base percentage greater than .400. The first week of March this year he was named the Mountain West player of the week after going 8-for-17 in four games while scoring five times and driving in six (including a career-high five RBI in a single game).

His most impressive offensive campaign came his junior year in 2018. That year as the starting shortstop, Schilling led the Lobos with a .348 batting average and a .453 on-base percentage. In 49 games (46 starts) he registered 30 RBI, scored 33 runs and tallied 17 multi-hit games, including five straight to end the season.

Schilling took on the role of starting shortstop in his redshirt sophomore season back in 2017. The honor roll student who majored in international business was at his best that year when the games mattered the most. In the Mountain West Tournament, he went 4-for-10 with seven RBI in just three games.

He didn’t just shine with the glove and the bat. In Schilling’s freshman season in 2015, the right-hander made 17 appearances out of the bullpen and finished the season with a 3.38 ERA. While he pitched in just 12 games the next few years, nine of them came in his senior season and he finished with a career batting average against of just .232. However, the plan is to exclusively use Schilling on the infield.

This year with the RailCats, Moscatiello went 1-2 with a 6.55 ERA in 15 appearances (4 starts). The Rocky Point, N.Y., native was used out of the bullpen in his first 11 appearances after signing with the club on June 3. But in his last three starts combined the right-hander totaled just 8.1 IP while allowing 15 earned runs on 21 hits and eight walks; he struck out six.

The RailCats have the day off today and welcome Fargo-Moorhead to U.S. Steel Yard for a three-game series starting on Tuesday night. The series-opener is another Taco Tuesday at the ballpark, featuring $2 beef tacos and $5 margaritas.

Ticket packages for the 2019 Gary SouthShore RailCats season are available online at railcatsbaseball.com or by calling the RailCats ticket line at (219) 882-BALL. The RailCats box office is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

--RAILCATS--