Baseball Southern Conference

Elon's Acosta, Fratoe Sign Professional Contracts

ELON, N.C. -- Elon University pitchers Adam Acosta (Miami, Fla.) and Mike Fratoe (Springfield, Va.) both signed professional contracts to continue their playing careers on Tuesday. Acosta inked with the St. Louis Cardinals while Fratoe was signed by the Frontier League's Chillicothie Paints.

Acosta will report to the Johnson City Cardinals of the Appalachian League tomorrow. Acosta went 2-4 with eight saves (tied for the fifth-highest single-season total in school history) and a 4.85 ERA in his senior season with the Phoenix. In 29.2 innings of work, he fanned 41 hitters and held opponents to a .236 batting average. In his four seasons at Elon, Acosta posted a 9-14 record with 14 saves. He worked 141.1 innings and struck out 150. His 79 career appearances rank second all-time at Elon. He made 25 appearances in 2004, the fifth-most appearances in a season by a Phoenix hurler. Last summer Acosta led the Coastal Plain League in strikeouts where he was the starting pitcher for the South All-Stars.

Fratoe logged 19.0 innings of work in his senior campaign at Elon, going 2-3 with one save for the Phoenix. He struck out 24 hitters and combined with other pitchers in Elon's 10-0 victory over North Carolina A&T in 2004. For his career, Fratoe posted a 5-11 record with nine saves in 77.0 innings over 57 appearances. Those 57 career appearances rate in a tie for ninth all-time at Elon. Fratoe's 28 appearances in 2002 rank in a tie for the most appearances in a season at the school. His eight saves that same season tie him for fifth with Acosta's eight in 2004.