The German Baseball-Bundesliga club SOLINGEN ALLIGATORS announced today their first American player for the upcoming season. The 23-year-old center fielder David Hissey will join the team after finishing the college season in the USA. He is playing in his fourth year at the Emory University (Division III) in Atlanta/Georgia and is expected to arrive in Germany at the end of April. New SOLINGEN head coach Andy Fleischacker saw him personally and will insert him as leadoff hitter into the lineup.
Hissey is batting .365 (OBP .441/SLG .465) with five homeruns, three triples, 30 doubles, 136 runs scored and 66 RBI in 130 games from 2006 to 2008. He also stole 76 bases on 87 attempts. He needs 18 stolen bases to tie the school record. The 2009 season with Emory is scheduled to begin on February 14th and will last until April 28th. Hissey, who is from Westchester, Pennsylvania, is one of the captains of the team.
The ALLIGATORS also announced in the press release that they will bring in another American player, who will already arrive in March for the preseason games. An announcement could come as soon as next week. They also once again confirmed that last year’s shortstop Chris Beck isn’t coming back. Both sides couldn’t agree on an extension of his contract.
Photo: © Emory Baseball