SIOUX CITY EXPLORERS PRESS RELEASE
Phone: 817.739.3693
Website: xsbaseball.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2025
WILLEMAN AND SHUMPERT RETURN FOR 2025
TWO KEY PIECES ARE BACK IN SIOUX CITY
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Sioux City Explorers have announced that the club has signed right-handed pitcher Zach Willeman and infielder Nick Shumpert for the 2025 season. Willeman posted the second lowest ERA among the Explorers pitching staff at 3.42, and Schumpert swiped 40 bases also good for second on the team as the pair were key contributors for the X’s during the 2024 season. The two additions bring the total number of players signed to 27 for Sioux City as the team is just 10 days away from the opening of training camp.
RHP Zach Willeman returns for a second season in Sioux City after a 2024 season where the Ohio native would flourish in the setup role out of the Explorers pen. He would go 5-4 in relief with a 3.42 ERA and a 1.160 WHIP. Willeman would strike out 67 batters in 50 innings while surrendering 19 earned runs on 28 hits with 30 walks. The righty made 10 straight relief appearances from July 31 to August 17, totaling 15 innings without allowing an earned run. He would finish second on the team with 14 holds in relief while the team would go 27-14 in games that Willeman pitched in during 2024.
Willeman was selected in the 19th round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers out of Kent State University. He pitched with the Dodgers for three seasons before spending 2022 with the Kansas City Royals organization and the 2023 season with the Miami Marlins system. Willeman originally joined the Explorers after pitching in 14 games with AA Pensacola of the Southern League for Miami, putting up a 7.13 ERA with 15 strikeouts and a 1.64 WHIP. He finished his season with a 3.60 ERA over five innings across his final four appearances for Pensacola.
In 2022 Willeman spent his first professional season outside of the Dodgers organization, splitting time between AA and AAA for the Kansas City Royals. The righty started at AA Northwest Arkansas, pitching 22.2 innings across 16 games with a 5.16 ERA, but by the end of May, he had earned a 1.59 ERA with 14 strikeouts over 11.1 innings between May 4 and May 26. The Royals promoted him to AAA Omaha where he posted a 3.29 ERA over 13.2 innings between June 10 and July 11. He ended the season with a 0.96 ERA over 9.1 innings during his final seven games of the season.
In 2021, Willeman returned to the mound in the minors after the 2020 world-wide pandemic shutdown of the MiLB. Throughout the season, he put up a 3.78 ERA across 47.2 innings out of the bullpen, also striking out 59 batters during that span. Prior to the shutdown, Willeman spent 2019 at Single-A Great Lakes of the Midwest League. Across the season, he had a 5.38 ERA with a 1.68 WHIP, starting his first five games of the season before being moved to a bullpen role.
Willeman spent his rookie season splitting time between the AZL Dodgers in rookie ball and A-level Great Lakes. He allowed one earned run over 10.2 innings in five games in the AZL; then, following a promotion to single-A, he posted a 2.16 ERA with 10 strikeouts over 8.1 innings.
Willeman was drafted out of Kent State, where he played all three of his college years. He would go 9-9 for his career with a 3.86 ERA in 128.1 innings for the Golden Flashes. Willeman attended Napoleon High School in Ohio before his time in college, posting a 0.63 ERA with 121 strikeouts as a senior. He hails from Napoleon, Ohio.
INF Nick Shumpert joins the Explorers for a second season after hitting .267, launching seven home runs with 29 RBI in 2024. Last season was a return to the American Association for Schumpert; he has made previous stops at Cleburne in 2022 and Fargo-Moorhead in 2021 after spending 2023 with the Washington Nationals organization. The Colorado native would slash a line of .267/.340/.384 while showing versatility in the field. He would appear in 43 games at second, 39 at shortstop, two more at third base and another 10 stops in the outfield. Shumpert finished in the top five in several key statistical lists in 2024.
In 2023 Shumpert would play 42 games for Wilmington in the South Atlantic League, hitting .168 with three home runs and seven RBI. Shumpert would steal six bases in seven attempts while playing seven games at shortstop, seven at second base and another six at third base. Shumpert would also play all three outfield positions while with Wilmington. Shumpert played 91 games for the Cleburne Railroaders in 2022, hitting eight homers while driving in 50 runs. He slashed a line of .265/.310/.421 while stealing 29 bases for Cleburne.
In 2021, Shumpert played 16 games with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks and 77 contests with Lancaster of the Atlantic League. He hit .216 with one home run and six RBI for the RedHawks and hit .204 in Lancaster with another dinger and 22 RBI. In 2020 he would appear in the All-American Baseball Challenge League for 22 games, hitting .315 with three home runs and 11 RBI. Shumpert played 10 games for Sussex County in the Can-Am League in 2019, hitting .087 and another 30 with Trinidad in the Pecos League where he slashed a line of .377/.432/.598 with six home runs and 23 RBI.
Shumpert would spend parts of three seasons with the Atlanta Braves organization, reaching Triple-A with the Gwinnett Stripers in 2018. Shumpert played high school ball at Highlands Ranch High School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado and would play one season at San Jacinto Junior College before the Braves called his name in 2016. Shumpert has a pair of pro baseball connections in his family. His father, Terry Shumpert, spent parts of 14 seasons in the Major Leagues and his cousin is current Major Leaguer Mookie Betts. Shumpert lives in Lone Tree, Colorado.
Players signed 2025:
RHP Zach Willeman
INF Nick Shumpert
OF Dario Gomez
RHP Nick McAuliffe
LHP Jared Wetherbee
RHP Kyle Marman
OF D’Shawn Knowles
LHP Austin Drury
RHP Roy Garcia
IF Joshua Day
RHP Felix Cepeda
LHP Brendan O’Donnell
C Jake Meyer
RHP Heitor Tokar
IF Luis Toribio
IF Abdiel Layer
OF Jose Layer
OF Austin Davis
OF Zac Vooletich
LHP Miguel Pozo
OF Emilio Corona
C/1B Kurtis Byrne
LHP Chase Jessee
OF Henry George
RHP Jeremy Goins
LHP Jaren Jackson
RHP Ben Madison
The Explorers are set to open their 32nd season in the Siouxland on the road Thursday night, May 8, at 6:30 p.m. against the Kane County Cougars. The club will celebrate opening night at Lewis and Clark Park Friday night, May 16 at 7:05 p.m., against the Kansas City Monarchs. Ticket packages for the 2025 season are on-sale now, including Full and Half-Season Tickets as well as 10, 15 and 25-game Flex Packs. More information is available by calling the Explorers front office at 712-277-WINS. Stay tuned to the Explorers social media channels and the club’s website xsbaseball.com for off-season news and updates. The official podcast of the Explorers can be found online and tune into the live show on Facebook Live during the offseason for more news and Explorers content.