News

ELKVILLE, IL - Eastern Illinois University sophomore catcher Sam Nozicka has signed a contract for the 2019 season to play for the DuPage Pistol Shrimp.

The 5'11", 180 pound, backstop from Kenosha, Wisconsin is a 2016 Grayslake Central High School graduate, where he was a two-time team captain who played a part in a conference championship, three regional championships and two sectional and super-sectional championships.

Nozicka was a fixture as a varsity catcher for four years where he was known for his hard work, leadership and skill set that includes a plus arm. In his senior year in high school, Nozicka was the team's catcher and leadoff man, picking up All-Conference and All-Area Honors. In his sophomore and junior season he helped his team to a third place in state in 2015 and fourth-place in 2014.

He was ranked in his senior year by Perfect Game as the No. 13 catcher in Illinois and the No. 86 overall prospect in the Land of Lincoln, while getting an 8.5 PG Grade, indicating that he was a borderline potential top 10 round MLB draft pick or the highest level college prospect.

In 2014, Nozicka was a member of the Phillies Scout Team that won the championship at the 2014 Aviator Invitational.

Next season will be Nozicka's second season playing in the Prospect League. This past summer he played in 30 games and got 81 at-bats with the Hannibal Hoots, hitting .222, 1 HR, 8 RBI while playing solid defense behind the plate.

In his freshman year at Eastern, Nozicka posted a slash line of .200/.467/.250 with a .717 OPS.