Gary, IN - The 2007 Northern League Champion Gary SouthShore
RailCats Professional Baseball club announced that the club has
signed shortstop Jay Pecci (pronounced PETCH-ee) to a 2008
contract. RailCats manager Greg Tagert made the announcement.
Pecci’s term with the RailCats has coincided with
the club’s three-year run as the Northern League’s
most successful franchise. When Tagert was named manager prior to
the start of the 2005 season, Pecci was one of his first
acquisitions. The club has gone on to two Northern League titles
and a runner-up finish over three seasons with Pecci solidifying
the infield defensively at shortstop.
Pecci played in the
Northern League All-Star Game in both 2006 and ’07 and is
second on the RailCats career list in games played. He batted
.266 with five home runs and 43 runs batted in over the 2007
season, playing in 91 of the RailCats 98 games. He started all 10
playoff games at shortstop.
Pecci, 31, is one of the
league’s most respected leaders and is credited by Tagert
for the example he sets for his teammates with his hustling style
and “team-first” attitude. The attributes make a
particularly valuable impression on the RailCats younger players
in light of Pecci’s credible experience level that includes
10 years at the professional level, mostly in the Oakland A’s
and San Francisco Giants organizations. He was also an
all-conference star at Stanford University, helping his team to
the College World Series. Pecci earned Stanford’s Cameron
Award based on baseball, leadership, and academic performance.
"When we talk about the players who have been
constants throughout our three years of success--Willie Glen,
Tanner Townsend, Steve Haake, Eric McNamee--no player has made a
more significant impact than Jay Pecci,” said Tagert. “He
has one very rare intangible; he makes everyone around him
better, including the manager. We are thrilled to have him back
for another season."
Pecci will begin his fourth
season with the RailCats when the club begins spring training on
April 30th.
“Returning to the RailCats was an easy
decision for me,” said Pecci. “The fans, my manager,
and my teammates in Gary continue to impress me more and more
each season. I am afforded a great opportunity to improve as a
player here since I am surrounded by people of the highest
energy. Opening Day, May 15, can't come soon enough.”