After Harvard alumni Trey Hendricks signed as head coach for the GAUTING INDIANS in December, the German Baseball-Bundesliga club acquired two players to reinforce the roster for the upcoming season. Both, pitcher Chris Clem and shortstop Brad Dutton, played for a Division-I college in the past and are coming from the independent Frontier League to Germany.
The 25-year-old American Chris Clem went to the University of Maryland between 2002 and 2005, being the all-time leader with 302 innings pitched. His ERA varied between 5.45 (2003) and 7.02 (2002). After finishing his college career he signed as an undrafted free agent with the ST LOUIS CARDINALS organization in 2005 and was assigned to their NY-Penn-League (low-A) affiliated team in New Jersey. In twelve games (four starts) he posted a 1-2 record with an ERA of 5.57. He moved on to independent league ball in the following years and joined RIVER CITY of the Frontier League the past two seasons. In 22 games (18 starts) last year he had an 8-8 record with an ERA of 5.65 and 78 strikeouts (47 walks) in 116 1/3 innings.
The 26-year-old Brad Dutton was born in Brisbane, Australia. The infielder went to Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska and played there in 2004 and 2005, batting .335 (OBP .377/SLG .459) in his final year. After graduating he signed with the ROCKFORD RIVER HAWKS and stayed there from 2006 until 2008. Last season he batted .311 (OBP .357/SLG .408) with four homeruns, 48 runs scored and 49 RBIs in 85 games. During the winter months he regularly returns to his home country to play there too. In 2006 he won the batting title at the Claxton Shield and was named winner of the Helms Award. He also was a member of several Australian National Teams in the past and is currently listed on the preliminary roster for the 2009 World Baseball Classic.