The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Bridgewater, NJ- The Somerset Patriots have announced the re-signing of right-handed starting pitcher Will Oliver.
Oliver returns for his third season with the Somerset Patriots and third in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
He finished 7-2 with a 3.31 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 98 innings pitched over 16 games started in Somerset last season.
The Newport Beach, California native joined the Patriots in early August 2015 after he posted a 9-2 record with a 1.59 ERA, five complete games, three shutouts and 88 strikeouts in 13 starts for the Evansville Otters of the Frontier League. He continued his success once in Somerset, going 6-2 with a 3.17 ERA in nine regular season starts to finish the year.
Oliver shined again in the postseason, helping lead the Patriots to their Atlantic League-best sixth championship in franchise history. The 6’2” hurler dazzled in his postseason debut. With Somerset facing elimination in Game Four of the Liberty Division Championship Series against the Long Island Ducks, Oliver tossed a complete-game, three-hit shutout to keep the season alive.
The Palomar College alumnus later started Game Two of the Atlantic League Championship Series against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, and picked up the win after he yielded just two runs over seven innings with eight strikeouts. Overall, Oliver went 2-0 with a 1.12 ERA and 10 strikeouts in his two postseason starts for Somerset.
A 35th-round draft pick by the New York Yankees in 2010, Oliver spent the first three seasons of his professional career in the Yankees organization before joining Evansville in 2014.
For his career, Oliver has a 40-27 record, a 3.68 ERA and 453 strikeouts in 582.2 innings pitched and 120 games.
He has been activated along with right-handed pitcher Jerome Williams for Friday night’s game in Southern Maryland.
Tickets to the 2017 Somerset Patriots Season presented by Ford, which includes the team’s 20th Anniversary, are on sale now. TD Bank Ballpark will be the host of the 2017 Atlantic League All-Star Game presented by RWJBarnabas Health and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey on Wednesday, July 12th. For more information, stop by the ballpark, call (908) 252-0700, or visit www.somersetpatriots.com.
About The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB)
The Atlantic League has been a leader in professional baseball and a gateway to Major League Baseball since 1998. Over 36 million fans have attended Atlantic League games and more than 800 players and 50 managers and coaches have joined MLB organizations directly from the ALPB. The Atlantic League emphasizes winning baseball games, showcasing the talent of top-caliber players and offering affordable family entertainment to metropolitan markets serving nearly 15% of the US population.
For more information, please visit www.atlanticleague.com.
