For the City Times

Rafters resign Pitcher Mason McReaken and add fellow SIU-Edwardsville teammate Bret Fehr

WISCONSIN RAPIDS –Today the Rafters announced the return of right-handed pitcher Mason McReaken for the 2018 season. He will be joined by his teammate, outfielder Bret Fehr.

“Mason did a tremendous job out of our bullpen last year and we’re excited to bring him back,” said Rafters GM John Fanta. “Our SIU-Edwardsville players have had a lot of success the last few years, headlined by three-year Rafter Dustin Woodcock, and we look forward to adding a player like Bret Fehr to augment our outfield.”

Bret Fehr.

The Rafters are excited to bring McReaken back. Mason was one of the best arms out of the bullpen as evidenced by his 1.61 ERA in 39 innings pitched in 2017. He also logged 49 strikes compared to just 14 walks. His junior season with the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars was very strong with 47 strike outs in 46.1 innings pitched. In the righty’s 24 appearances, he had 2 wins and 4 loses with a 3.88 ERA. McReaken will be entering his senior year with the Cougars this spring. He is able to take advantage of a new Northwoods League Rule for 2018 that allows teams to sign up to four undrafted pitchers following their senior season. Mason is originally from Centralia, Illinois.

Mason McReaken.

McReaken is not the only Cougar to be making his way north. Teammate outfielder Bret Fehr is also joining the Rafters. Fehr transferred to SIU-Edwardsville from Crowley County Community College and is getting set to play his junior year for the Cougars. At Crowley County, the lefty batted .366 in 62 games in 2017. He was second on the team with 9 home runs and also tallied 16 doubles. Fehr is originally from Manahatten, Kansas where he was a Louisville Slugger High School All American as a senior.

McReaken, Fehr and the rest of the 2018 Wisconsin Rapids Rafters will begin their season on the road against the Madison Mallards on Tuesday, May 29th. The Home Opener is slated for Friday, June 1st against the Wisconsin Woodchucks. The entire 2018 Rafters schedule is available at www.raftersbaseball.com.