GARY, Ind. — The Gary SouthShore RailCats made their first major move of the offseason today, acquiring infielder Jeff Beachum and rookie pitcher Zach Groh from the Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League in exchange for relief pitcher Jon Lewis.

Beachum, 25, was limited to just 16 games in 2008 by a back injury, but still hit .294 and drove in eight runs.  Beachum did not play in 2007 after spending time with four different teams in the New York Yankees farm system in 2006.  A .231 lifetime hitter in 54 professional games, Beachum has shown great patience at the plate with 15 walks against just 11 strikeouts, and has five career stolen bases without being caught.

Beachum is the latest in a line of RailCats to play college baseball at Middle Tennessee State, where the Cordova, Tenn. native was a teammate of RailCats second baseman Eric McNamee in 2005 and former RailCat Todd Martin – now a Cleveland Indians farmhand – in 2005 and 2006.  Beachum had an outstanding college career for the Blue Raiders, setting the Sun Belt Conference and school record for career hits (323) and leading MTSU to four straight league title games.  Beachum also holds school records for games played (225), runs scored (179), at bats (935) and total bases (415), while ranking among the all-time leaders in a number of other categories.  Beachum was a two-time All-Conference selection and earned All-Region honors in 2006 as a senior after hitting .395 and striking out only 14 times in 248 at bats.

Groh, 24, made seven starts for Washington last year, going 3-3 with a 4.79 ERA while piling up 31 strikeouts in 35.2 innings.  The right-hander began 2008 as a senior at Binghamton where he earned a third straight First Team All-Conference nod, going 6-3 with a 3.27 ERA.  Groh was the 2006 America East Pitcher of the Year and had a brilliant career at Binghamton, striking out 251 hitters in 235.2 innings and finishing his four-year career with a 19-8 record and 2.94 ERA.

Lewis, meanwhile, returns to the Frontier League where he was an All-Star closer for Evansville in 2008.  The 25-year-old Lewis was picked up by the RailCats at midseason last year as part of a 3-for-1 swap and pitched well for the RailCats, going 2-1 with a 2.33 ERA in 27.0 innings.

The RailCats are proud of their Tradition of Excellence and begin their seventh season at state-of-the-art U. S. Steel Yard Monday, May 18 at 7 p.m. against the Joliet JackHammers.  Season tickets, group packages, mini-plans and flex tickets for 2009 are available now by visiting the all-new www.railcatsbaseball.com or calling the RailCats at 219.882.2255.  Tickets for the RailCats first-ever Fan Fest, Saturday, February 21 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza are also on sale now by calling 219.882.2255.