LINCOLN, NE – Randolph Oduber has picked up where he left off in 2017.

The Lincoln Saltdogs signed the outfielder on June 19th after he began the year with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks.  Oduber (pronounced OH-duh-BER) was one of the top bats in the Saltdogs’ potent lineup last season.  The Aruban hit .286 and led the team with 17 home runs.  His 60 RBIs were second on the team and he compiled the third-most doubles on the roster.

There must be something about the Saltdogs uniform that suits Oduber, because after struggling to a .250 average and just one homer in Fargo, he has exploded since rejoining Lincoln.  The outfielder is batting .371 and has hits in all nine games since coming to the capital city.  Oduber blasted a solo home run on Wednesday and has collected two doubles and five RBIs over his brief time back.

One area of marked improvement for Oduber has been his pitch selection.  He led the team with 90 strikeouts over 94 games last year.  He avoided the ‘K’ in his first six games back and has only struck out three times over nine games.  Oduber is rocking a solid .389 on-base percentage and an excellent .514 slugging percentage.

In addition to reuniting with his former Saltdogs teammates, Oduber will share the clubhouse with three of his Team Netherlands teammates.  Curt Smith, Dashenko Ricardo and Shairon Martis, who are all from Curacao, were all on the roster with Oduber for the Netherlands’ run to the World Baseball Classic Semifinals in spring of 2017.  Oduber smacked a homer and a double in six WBC games.

Oduber is in his ninth professional season.  He spent his first six years in the Nationals’ farm system and reached as high as Double-A Harrisburg.  He was drafted in the 32nd round out of Western Oklahoma State in 2010.

The Saltdogs are 22-17 and open a three-game homestand against the Gary SouthShore RailCats on Friday night.  It’s a loaded promotional weekend, with Fireworks Friday, Jimmy Buffett Night and a $10 Triple Play Sunday.

For more information on the Saltdogs, follow the team on Facebook and Twitter/Instagram @saltdogsball.  For ticket information visit https://saltdogs.com/tickets/ or call (402) 474-2255.