CLEBURNE, Texas (Jan. 21, 2019) – The Cleburne Railroaders announced Monday the signing of rookie outfielder Nick Rotola.

 

Rotola made his professional debut with the Wichita Wingnuts in 2018, playing 45 games and hitting .263. The Wichita native added five doubles, two triples and one home run, driving in 18 runs while scoring 20 of his own. Rotola’s home run came in the final game at Wichita’s historic Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, and proved to be the last long ball in the ballpark’s 85-year tenure.

 

“I like a lot of what Nick brings to the table as a ballplayer,” manager Brent Clevlen said. “He came in last year and made an impact with the bat right away, plus he has the kind of game-changing speed that every roster needs.”

 

It didn’t take long for Rotola to get acclimated to the professional ranks, as the outfielder started his career with four consecutive two-hit games and ultimately stretched his hitting streak to seven games. A late-season swoon dipped Rotola’s average to .240, but hits in eight of his final nine contests helped the Wingnuts finish the season with six wins in the nine-game stretch.

 

On the base paths, Rotola made use of his excellent speed by swiping eight bases in 13 attempts.

 

Rotola began his college career with two seasons at Eastern Michigan University before transferring to Oral Roberts University in 2016. Over 132 career games for ORU, Rotola produced a .311 batting average, slugging six home runs and driving in 69 runs. His finest season came as a redshirt senior in 2018, when Rotola led the Summit League with 82 hits to snag First Team All-League honors. He started all 58 games in centerfield, helping the Golden Eagles to an NCAA Regional appearance.

 

The 3rd season of Railroaders baseball and the club’s pursuit of its first division title kicks off with a four-game home series against the Sioux Falls Canaries, beginning on Thursday, May 16. For information on partnerships, season tickets, group outings, and party packages, call the Railroaders main office at (817) 945-8705, or visit the Railroaders official website at www.railroaderbaseball.com.