JOPLIN — Former Missouri Southern baseball player Freddie Landers has signed a deal to play for the Chicago Dogs of the American Association.
Landers played a season for the Lions in 2019 where he was a first-team All-MIAA selection, as well as All-Region and All-American pick. That season, he led the Lions with a .349 batting average and finished second on the team with 11 home runs and fourth with 36 RBIs. He slugged a team-high .602, while also leading the team with a .494 on-base percentage. He led the MIAA in hit by pitch with an MSSU record 22 times taking one for the team. Landers ranked sixth nationally in hit by pitch, while ranking second in the MIAA in slugging, fourth in total bases, sixth in walks and runs scored, seventh in hits and eighth in average. A third basemen for the Lions, Landers is projected to be a catcher for the Dogs.
In his first year of professional baseball, Landers played for the White Sands Pupfish in the Pecos league. He finished the 2019 season with a .339 average, including a pair of doubles, a triple and four walks, while posting an on base percentage of .403, slugging .411 and recording an OPS of .814.
The Dogs play in the American Association, the same league the Kansas City T-Bones participate in. The team plays its games in Impact Field, located in Rosemont near O’Hare Airport. A $63 million facility, the stadium seats 6,300. The team will start the season this Friday, July 3 with a road series in Milwaukee. Then, the home opener will be played on Tuesday, July 7 at 7:05 p.m. with a three-game homestand with the Milkmen. The Dogs will play 30 home games in Rosemont this season, which will end September 10.
“Freddie was a major part of our success in 2019,” said head coach Bryce Darnell. “He is a real leader on the field and in the lockeroom. We are proud that he is able to continue his baseball career.”
