TULSA, OK - The Tulsa Drillers have officially signed pitcher Henry Rowengartner, President and General Manager Mike Melega announced today. The 1993 Rookie of the Year will make his Drillers debut on May 23. It will be his first professional start on the mound in 26 years.

"My old pitching coach, Brickma, once told me that the key to being a big-league pitcher is the three R's: readiness, recuperation, and conditioning. I have been working very hard on all of these, and am ready to bring the high, stinky cheddar to Tulsa!" said Rowengartner.

The 1993 season was a very successful one for Rowengartner. Just 12-years-old at the time, he became the youngest player ever to win the Rookie of the Year award. Some of his accomplishments include an inning where he gave up a homer, hit a man and threw a wild pitch while still managing to pick up a save, and striking out Heddo on the floater pitch to help the Chicago Cubs win the division.

"We first approached Rowengartner with an initial contract offer of wanting a pitcher and not an underwear snitcher. He informed us that he wanted to ask his mom first, but we eventually came to terms and are very excited for him to join us," said Melega.

To celebrate the signing and his first start in 26 years, the Drillers will also be giving away Henry Rowengartner bobbleheads to the first 1,000 fans in attendance on May 23, courtesy of Pepsi.

"We are excited to have Henry Rulenfurter on board with the team. We expect that Rosenburger will get outs for us and help us win games," said Drillers Manager Scott Hennessey.

"He's the best thing to happen to baseball since Cracker Jack," said Drillers Co-Chairman Jeff Hubbard.

Rowengartner will make the start on the mound for the Drillers on Thursday, May 23 against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 PM and tickets are available at TulsaDrillers.com.