My New Roommate

Whenever you join a new team full of players you don't know, you're going to end up with a roommate who you don't know. What you don't know is how many friends you have in common. My new roommate is Luke Sommer who has spent time playing in the Minor League system with the Chicago Cubs as well as playing for the Somerset Patriots in the Atlantic League which is an Independent League. When Luke and I first started talking he started to tell me all the Australian baseball players he has played with. One by one he told me he had played with Ryan Searle at the Cubs as well as meeting Cody Hams and Adam Spencer. He also played with Justin Huber and Chris Oxspring in his time with the Somerset Patriots. It's actually quite amazing that even though baseball is a sport that takes all over the world. The baseball world is actually very small.

His professional career started off as an outfielder in his rookie year with the Cubs before converting to a pitcher in 2008. As a relief pitcher he enjoyed success at all levels of the Minor Leagues from the Rookie Arizona League all the way to AAA in the Pacific Coast League. After an inconsistent start to the 2011 season with the Tennessee Smokies, he was released by the Cubs organization and then went on to sign with the Somerset Patriots where he played alongside Chris Oxspring and Justin Huber. He was used primarily as a reliever with Somerset but at the back end of the season he was asked to assume the starters role which he handled comfortably. He now is one of the starters with Corendon Kinheim where he has delivered quality outing after quality outing to be a workhorse on this team. He was the starter last Sunday and went 8 innings allowing only 2 unearned runs on his way to picking up the win.

Off the field he's a really nice guy and has helped me a lot since being here in Holland. He's showed me around town a bit as well as informing me of all the bike rules so I don't get into any trouble. He also has a sweet handlebar mustache that even Chopper Reid would be proud of.

Luke pitching for Tennessee in AA