Baseball: Champion City Kings veteran Marchant finally wins honor

Marchant, a relief pitcher and three-year Kings veteran, appeared in two games out of the bullpen, striking out nine of the 21 batters he faced and allowing just four hits over six innings. Marchant has no record with a 1.28 earned run average and two saves this season as of June 28.

“It only took me three years (to earn the award),” Marchant said. “It’s pretty cool. I had a pretty good week.”

Marchant recently finished his senior season at Grand View University, an NAIA school in Des Moines, Iowa. He earned Heart of America Athletic Conference first team honors this season after finishing the season with 10 saves and a 1.95 ERA. He finished his career as the Vikings’ all-time leader in saves with 27.

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It was a no-brainer to come back to Springfield for a third season, Marchant said. He and outfielder Gage Taylor are the only two players to spend three seasons with the club in its five-year history, General Manager Rick White said.

“I’d recommend it to anyone,” Marchant said. “It’s the time of your life and you’re going to gain so much baseball knowledge.”

The ownership and management, especially White, kept him coming back to Springfield, Marchant said. He stayed with the same family, Tom and Diane Ericksen, the first two seasons in Springfield who “took him in with open arms.”

“I get treated like royalty here,” he said. “The city has been great to me. … I don’t feel like I’m away from home. Honestly, I just love it here. I keep getting better here, so it’s doing something for me.”

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Earlier this month, Marchant got the call he’s been waiting for since he was a kid growing up in Iowa. He had a tryout on June 28 with the Gary (Ind.) SouthShore RailCats of the American Association of Professional Independent Baseball. He may sign a contract in the coming weeks, White said.

“As a little kid, you always dream about making it to the pros, or MLB,” Marchant said before the Kings’ game on June 27. “Even though this is a step underneath that, I’m super grateful. I’m really excited. Dreams can come true. It’s a step towards what I want to do in life.”

Draft update: Former Kings pitcher Connor Curlis, a junior lefty from the Ohio State University, was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 24th round of the Major League Baseball draft earlier this month.

Curlis went 2-3 for the Kings in 2017 and was amongst the Prospect League leaders in strikeouts (2nd, 82) and earned run average (4th, 2.64).

2016 Kings alum Andrew McDonald was selected by the Reds in the ninth round. The right-handed pitcher from Mason went 2-5 with a 2.80 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 12 appearances for Champion City two seasons ago.