Bio
C Will Busch joins the Sioux City Explorers for his first season of professional baseball after four years at North Dakota State University. Busch started at least 25 games every season at North Dakota State, with his breakout season in 2022 standing out on his resume. He also played summer ball in the Northwoods League and Expedition League between seasons.
This season with the North Dakota State Bison, Busch got on base at a .339 clip while knocking nine doubles and three homers in his 49 appearances. During his junior season in 2023, the right-handed catcher started 36 of his 39 games, earning a .251 batting average and .726 OPS. Through the season, he collected 11 doubles with two homers while also posting a .987 fielding percentage defensively. In one of his games against rivalry matchup South Dakota State, he had a season-high three hits, two of which were doubles.
2022 was a true breakout season for Busch, starting 29 of his 30 games for the Bison. Through the year, he posted a .287 batting average and .794 OPS while defensively putting up a .991 fielding percentage. Of his 31 hits that season, 10 of them were extra-base hits, including two dingers. He was named to the All-Summit League Second Team that season with eight multi-hit efforts, including a five-RBI game against Western Illinois on April 1.
Busch’s freshman season in 2021 saw him start 28 of his 37 games. Through the year, he hit .248 with seven doubles while driving in 10 runs from the plate.
Busch was a multi-sport athlete in high school, competing in baseball, football and wrestling and lettering in all three. He is the son of Jolene and Dan Busch while he has three sisters, Claire, Audrey and Erin.