Redhawks Laber Announces Retirement from Baseball

FARGO, N.D. – The man with the most pitching victories in Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks history is hanging up his spikes, Fargo native Jake Laber has announced his retirement from professional baseball.

Laber, 28, ends his RedHawks career with a 46-36 record with a 4.00 ERA in 112 games (102 starts). In addition to topping the RedHawks career victory list, he is also the franchise leader in games started, innings pitched (648.1) and strikeouts (407).

Laber set the wins record on the final game of the 2014 season, when he pitched 8.0 innings of shutout baseball against the Sioux Falls Canaries at Newman Outdoor Field. The Labor Day game, dubbed “Laber Day,” capped a career that saw him top the ten win mark three times in five full seasons with Fargo-Moorhead.

Laber first joined the RedHawks in 2008 after finishing his college career at North Dakota State University. After seven game, he was traded to the River City Rascals of the Frontier League, where he finished the season and pitched a full year in 2009. He was reacquired in an off-season trade in 2010 and became one of the top starter in the Northern League. Laber was 11-4 with a 3.90 ERA in 21 games (19 starts) as he helped lead Fargo-Moorhead to the second of back-to-back championships.

“We are very thankful for the five-plus quality seasons Jake gave us both as a pitcher and as a person,” said RedHawks Manager Doug Simunic. “Jake became a front-line pitcher not only due to talent but to his relentless work ethic. He was an ironman for us who took the ball every fifth day and gave everything he had. He was and is a great example for young players looking to make their way in the game.”