Eric Blakeley, the versatile infielder who spent the 2007 and 2008 seasons with the Gary SouthShore RailCats, has announced his retirement from professional baseball to focus on his thriving baseball and softball training complex, Diamond Kings.

Blakeley, 29, enjoyed the best season of his professional career in 2008, batting .310 and setting career-highs in home runs (6), runs batted in (47) and extra-base hits (26), despite playing in just 64 games.  Playing all four infield positions, Blakeley hit a robust .356 in August, driving in 25 runs to help push the RailCats to the playoffs.  Blakeley also authored one of the RailCats’ signature moments of 2008, launching an improbable two out, two-strike, three-run home run in the ninth inning June 27 at Schaumburg to give the RailCats a 5-3 lead in an eventual 6-3 win.

“Eric was a huge contributor to our success the last two seasons,” RailCats Manager Greg Tagert said.  “He exemplifies everything we look for in a RailCat – on and off the field.  He will be a great role model and teacher for young baseball players in the area, and I wish him continued success with Diamond Kings.”

A 21st-round draft choice out of Indiana in 2002, Blakeley spent four seasons in the Seattle Mariners organization, reaching as high as Triple-A Tacoma in 2005.  Blakeley’s best season came in 2004 with Wisconsin (A), when he hit .287 and racked up a career-high 19 doubles.

“It was such a refreshing experience to play for the RailCats and I’m grateful for the opportunity,” Blakeley said.  “The team and the organization gave me a new outlook on professional baseball.  It was great to play fun baseball in a fun atmosphere for the love of the game.  Greg [Tagert], the coaches and the players are all hungry to win and have a great attitude, and that’s what will continue to make the franchise so successful.”

Blakeley was an All-Big Ten star at Indiana, hitting .330 as a senior in 2002.  He is originally from Greenville, Ohio, but now resides in Crown Point with his wife Laura, the RailCats’ Manager of Community Relations.

Blakeley has been the sole owner and operator of Diamond Kings since 2006, and his training complex works with hundreds of Region youths year-round.  The staff at Diamond Kings works with players of all ages, from students as young as six to players with high school and college experience.  Diamond Kings is located at 9566 N. Industrial Drive in Saint John.

The RailCats are the only team in the history of the modern Northern League to reach the Championship Series in four straight seasons, and will try and make it five in a row in 2009.  The RailCats are proud of their Tradition of Excellence, and will begin their eighth Northern League campaign in May 2009.