The 2007 Frontier League Champion Windy City ThunderBolts professional baseball team has announced the completion of a four-player trade with the Macon Music of the South Coast League. Right-handed pitcher Ross Stout will join the ThunderBolts, while catcher J.P. Lowen, outfielder Ryan Addison, and a player to be named later are being sent to Macon.
Stout dominated the South Coast League last season, posting a 11-4 record and 2.38 ERA in 17 games (all starts) while striking out 99 batters against 29 walks in 102 innings and holding opposing batters to a .221 average. Stout led the SCL in victories, games started, and complete games (3) while ranking second in ERA and strikeouts.
Stout made his professional debut in 2006 with the Yakima Bears, the Arizona Diamondbacks class A affiliate in the Northwest League. He saw action in nine games for the Bears, posting a 0-1 record and 3.18 ERA while striking out 14 batters in 11.1 innings.
Stout was an Honorable Mention NAIA All-American for California Baptist University in 2006, finishing with a 8-2 record and 3.52 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 79.1 innings. He led the Lancers to the Golden State Athletic Conference title and a #12 national ranking. In 2005, Stout compiled a 4-3 record and 3.00 ERA, striking out 73 batters in 69 innings.
Lowen hit .257 in 77 games for the ThunderBolts in 2007, stroking nine doubles and six home runs while driving in 37. Addison was signed in December out of Elon College in North Carolina.
“Stout should be one of the top starting pitchers in the Frontier League this season,” analyzed ThunderBolts’ field manager Brian Nelson. “He was the top pitcher in the South Coast League last season and going back through college consistently strikes out a batter per inning while displaying outstanding control.”
