MINOT, N.D. -- Former Minot State University baseball pitcher
Aaron Kern has signed a contract with the Great Falls Voyagers out of the Pioneer League to begin his professional baseball career.
Aaron Kern was solid out of the bullpen for the Beavers who finished fourth in the NSIC this past season. Kern helped the team clinch home-field advantage for the first round of the conference tournament with his single-season DII program-record eight saves.
Head Baseball Coach
Scott Eul on the success of
Aaron Kern. "
What an awesome achievement for Aaron. Watching Kern develop from a young freshman pitcher to an established veteran leader for us was an exciting journey. He has come a long way and put in more work than most know to get here. I couldn't be more proud of Aaron. I know he's worked and dreamed about this for a long time and I know he will go out there and give this thing everything he's got!"
Coach Eul about what this means for the MSU Baseball program. "This shows where our program is heading. We've got a lot of talented players that put in a lot of work, and hopefully, Kern is just the tip of the iceberg."
The San Tan Valley, Arizona native made 66 career appearances, tossing 92.0-career innings with 95-career strikeouts while holding a .267-career opposing batting average. Kern earned nine career saves working mostly out of the bullpen during his collegiate career. He made four career starts and posted a 10-6 combined record over four years with the team.
Kern posted a 0.74 WHIP during the 2020 season and notched a career-best 1.29 ERA during his 2018 campaign. During the 2021 season, he posted a career-high 39 strikeouts (23.1 IP) which surpassed his previous high of 36 strikeouts (39.2 IP) that he set in 2019.
Minot State baseball pitching coach
Jesse Katz on Kern. "Aaron earned this opportunity by his hard work, diligence, and dedication to his craft. Aaron had a big season for us, breaking the school's single-season saves record, and having a career-best K/9 rate (15.04)."
Coach Katz continued. "His ability to strike hitters out took a giant leap forward this year with the development of his slider to go along with his fastball, curveball, and change-up, and that is something that professional teams look for as they evaluate college pitchers. Aaron's ability to get both right-handed and left-handed hitters out is going to make him valuable in a professional bullpen."
The Voyagers are based out of Great Falls, Montana, and are a member of the MLB Partner League. Great Falls has been a member of the Pioneer League since 1969. The Voyagers have been affiliated with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers (1952-1963, 1984-2002), San Francisco Giants (1969-1983), and Chicago White Sox (2003-2020).
About Minot State
Minot State University is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and NCAA Division II offering 14 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletics programs. The NSIC is a premier NCAA DII, 16-member conference featuring teams in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Iowa. The Beavers are the only public NCAA Division II institution in the state of North Dakota.
