Georgia Southern Baseball: Summer Update
STATESBORO, Ga. ? Former Georgia Southern standout Kyle Kamppi signed a professional baseball contract with the Evansville Otters of the Independent League this week.
Kamppi went 3-2 with a 4.54 ERA and eight saves in a team-leading 31 appearances, helping the Eagles to a 2009 Southern Conference Tournament title. He struck out 40 batters in 37.2 innings.
Georgia Southern finished the year 42-17 overall and received its first regular season national ranking since 1996.
A.J. Battisto was called up to Triple-A New Orleans this week for a brief one game appearance. Battisto allowed two runs on four hits in three innings, striking out three. He owns a 1-0 record and 3.82 ERA in eight games at Double-A Jacksonville.
In other summer league updates:
Eric Phillips hit .313 with two home runs and 19 RBI in 36 starts. He played for Glen Falls in the New York Collegiate League, which lost in the second round of the NYCBL playoffs.
A.J. Wirnsberger finished second in the Valley League posting a .361 batting average. He drove in 35 runs for the Luray Wranglers (27-20). He scored 29 runs, hit 16 doubles, two triples and three home runs. Wirnsberger also posted a .951 fielding percentage, and in making three relief appearances posted a 5.79 ERA.
Teammates Andy Moye and Jake Brown also played a big role in the team’s winning record. Moye went 3-3 with a 4.05 ERA making nine starts in 10 appearances. Brown finished 4-0 with a 3.94 ERA in 48 innings. He tied for the team lead in wins and threw a complete game, striking out 31.
Dexter Bobo posted a 2-2 record and 5.87 ERA in 15.1 innings. He made 14 relief appearances, helping the Keene Swamp Bats to a 27-13 record in the New England Collegiate Baseball League.
Kyle Blackburn played for the Staunton Braves and hit .325, second-best average on the team. He scored 21 runs and drove in 18 playing in 37 games. Blackburn recorded eight doubles, one triple and three home runs while playing errorless defense at first base. The Braves finished 27-17 on the year, losing in the first round of the playoffs.
Colin Snow went 3-0 with a 1.77 ERA making one complete game. He started in six of his seven appearances as the Sanford Mariners finished 23-16. Snow struck out 33 in 35.2 innings, walking only eight. Teammate Matt Murray went 2-1 with a 0.80 ERA in six starts. He held opposing hitters to a .148 batting average in 33.2 innings of work, striking out 27 to nine walks.
Tony Chisman played for a Peninsula Pilots team that finished 35-21. He went 1-0 with a 1.46 ERA and 12 saves (tied for fourth in the league) in 20 relief appearances. Chisman struck out 27 to only eight walks in 24.2 innings.
The Citadel’s Chris McGuiness and Matt Crim Impress in Minor League Ball
Charleston, S.C. - Two former Bulldogs are garnering attention after producing solid numbers in the Minor Leagues following their 2009 season at The Citadel.
Chris McGuiness, first baseman for the Lowell Spinners (Class-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox), has been selected as a NY-Penn League All-Star. The Red Sox 13th round selection currently leads the Spinners with 31 RBI (second in the NY-Penn League). McGuiness is batting .257 for the season with a team leading 14 doubles (third in the league) and six home runs (tied for the team lead). Earlier this season he set a Spinners franchise record with six straight games with an extra-base hit, part of a 13-game hitting streak from July 17-30.
Matt Crim, left-handed pitcher for the Danville Braves (Rookie Appalachian League), is 8-0 on the season with a 3.06 ERA. The eight wins are tied for the most in franchise history. He has started seven of his nine appearances this season and struck out 37 in 50 innings while walking only seven. Left-handers are batting a minuscule .090 against the southpaw.
Crim was selected in the 21st round by the Atlanta Braves.