News

FARGO, ND – Former Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks star pitcher and Fargo native Jake Laber passed away Sunday at the age of 30. A cause of death is not known but Laber, who pitched for the RedHawks in 2008 and from 2010-2014, had recently begun treatments for a curable form of cancer.

Laber first joined the RedHawks in 2008 after finishing his college career at North Dakota State University. After seven games, 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.

Laber ended 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 was a well-known player before his time with the RedHawks. He was a star at Fargo North High School and for the Fargo Post 2 American Legion program before moving on pitch for the North Dakota State University Bison.

“Jake was not only a great pitcher, but he was an even better person,” said RedHawks Vice President & General Manager Josh Buchholz. “This is heartbreaking news. He was a tremendous ambassador for our organization on and off the field, a friend to all who met him and one of the true ‘fan favorites’ at Newman Outdoor Field.”