Former MLB Draft Choice Kyle Salley Joins Oilmen Roster Whiting, Ind. – July 2, 2020 – With the start of the season just two days away, the Northwest Indiana Oilmen continued to add quality talent to their roster on Thursday by finalizing the addition of left-handed pitcher Kyle Salley (Duke / Flossmoor, Ill.) to the 2020 squad. “I decided to join the Oilmen because it’s important that I get some innings in before I head back to school,” Salley said. “I know Coach Cunningham quite well, so that made the decision a no-brainer. I know I’m comfortable with him and he’s someone I can trust. I want to be a source of support and encouragement for my teammates this summer. I’m always trying to help others.” The 2018 Homewood-Flossmoor High School graduate was selected in the 40th round of the 2018 Major League Baseball Draft by the Chicago White Sox. Instead of signing out of high school, he elected to pursue his education at Duke, where he made 11 appearances and went 1-0 as a freshman in 2019 before logging 2 1/3 innings during the shortened 2020 season. “It was definitely cool to get that phone call and hear I was drafted,” Salley said. “It was a surreal moment to hear my name called. Hopefully I can get back to that point after my junior or senior year and get drafted again. I chose to go to school because I value education, and you can’t pass that up at a school like Duke. I wanted to grow, develop, learn and be a student of the game before diving into professional baseball.” Salley is pursuing a degree in sociology with a marketing and management certificate. When his baseball days wrap up, he hopes to pursue a career in financial accounting or business. He also wants to start his own nonprofit organization and has a passion for volunteering that has led him to take two mission trips to Africa. The Oilmen roster is loaded with talent from various levels including Power Five Division-I institutions. Five Big Ten schools – Indiana, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa and Ohio State – are represented on the 2020 Oilmen roster. The squad will commence the season on Saturday night at 6:10 p.m. against the MCL Minutemen at Oil City Stadium. The stadium will be open to fans with a limited capacity of 250. All fans are asked to print tickets in advance to eliminate congestion at the ticket window. Tickets can be purchased and printed on NWIOilmen.com. The game will be broadcast on the Oilmen Broadcasting Network via Facebook Live with Brandon Vickrey and Ryan Zimmerman describing the action. |