The Saarlouis Hornets will intensify its preparations for the upcoming season in the German Baseball-Bundesliga this weekend with a training camp at the Prague Eagles facilities in the Czech capital. Also aboard will be three new players, which were added to the 2010 roster. Jakub Vojak, Peter Ackermann and Philip Cass are supposed to reinforce the team of Australian head coach Leo Vivona.
The 25-year-old Vojak is a catcher and a member of the Czech national team, who is coming from the Extraleague club Skokani Olomouc. He batted .331 (OBP .439/SLG .532) with two homeruns, six triples, seven doubles, 32 runs and 19 RBI during the regular season last year. He also went 2-for-4 with a triple and a double in the 2009 IBAF Baseball World Cup.
Cass is 24 years old and played for the Mannheim Tornados in the past few years. However he didn’t receive much playing time in the Baseball-Bundesliga and decided to leave the vice champion. In his career he has batted .324 (OBP .410/SLG .353) in 23 games at the elite level in Germany. In 2009 he mostly was used as a catcher for the third-division team of the Tornados, though he also can play at short and in the outfield.
Ackermann is also 24 years old and joins the club after three seasons with the second-division club Bad Homburg Hornets. He started his career with the Mainz Athletics, playing in the Baseball-Bundesliga between 2004 and 2006. With the A’s he had an ERA of 5.48 in 23 innings through 14 appearances. In 2009 he had a 7-7 record with an ERA of 5.03 in 15 starts, striking out 89 batters in 91 1/3 innings, walking 73.
The Saarlouis Hornets open the new season with a two-game series on Easter Sunday and Monday on the road against the Heidenheim Heidekoepfe.