Greensboro Grasshoppers Chad Wallach(catcher), Felix Munoz(first base) and Carlos Lopez(LF) have all been named starters for the game…
SOUTH ATLANTIC LEAGUE ANNOUNCES ROSTERS FOR 55th ANNUAL SAL ALL-STAR GAME
ST. PETERSBURG, FL—Eric Krupa, president of the South Atlantic League, has announced the rosters for the 55th Annual SAL All-Star Game, scheduled to be played on June 17, 2014, at L.P. Frans Stadium in Hickory, North Carolina, home of the Hickory Crawdads.
For the Northern Division, two teams each placed six players on the roster. The Greensboro Grasshoppers provide starting catcher Chad Wallach, first baseman Felix Munoz and left fielder Carlos Lopez. The Hagerstown Suns provide second baseman Wilmer Difo. The Delmarva Shorebirds contribute five players, including starting pitcher Hunter Harvey, third baseman Drew Dosch and right fielder Mike Yastrzemski. The Lakewood BlueClaws provide four players, including shortstop J.P. Crawford, who received more votes than any other player on either squad, and designated hitter Willians Astudillo. The Hickory Crawdads and West Virginia Power each provide two players, with Hickory’s Evan Van Hoosier named as the starter in center field. The Kannapolis Intimidators contribute one player to the Northern Division roster.
Hagerstown manager Patrick Anderson will skipper the Northern Division All-Stars. Anderson is in his first season in the league, and his second year as a manager in the Minor Leagues. Anderson will be assisted by Hickory manager Corey Ragsdale, Hagerstown coach Luis Ordaz and Hagerstown pitching coach Sam Narron. Handling the athletic trainer’s duties for the Northern Division will be Hickory’s Sean Fields.
For the Southern Division, the Savannah Sand Gnats led the division with seven players, including starting second baseman Jeff McNeil and shortstop Gavin Cecchini. The Charleston RiverDogs and Greenville Drive each provide four players, with Charleston’s Mike Ford starting at first base and Aaron Judge in right field. Greenville’s Jake Romanski is the starting catcher. Three teams each placed three players on the team. The Asheville Tourists provide starting third baseman Ryan McMahon, center fielder David Dahl and designated hitter Correlle Prime while the Augusta GreenJackets provide starting pitcher Matthew Lujan. The Rome Braves supply left fielder Victor Reyes. The Lexington Legends supply two players to the Southern Division roster.
Savannah skipper Luis Rojas will manage the Southern Division squad for the second consecutive year. Rojas is in his fourth season as a manager, and his ninth overall as a member of the New York Mets organization. Rojas will be joined on the Southern Division coaching staff by Greenville manager Darren Fenster and Greenville pitching coach Paul Abbott. Asheville’s Billy Whitehead will serve as the team’s athletic trainer.
Both all-star teams will be represented by 26 players, selected by the votes of the team’s managers and coaching staffs, local media and front office executives. L.P. Frans Stadium will be hosting it second SAL All-Star Game. The other time the All-Star Game was held in Hickory was in 1994, when the National League All-Stars defeated the American League All-Stars 9-5. The annual SAL All-Star Game dates to 1960, when the All-Stars defeated the Salisbury club, 6-2, in Newton, NC.
“Once again, the amount of talent that will be showcased in this game will be incredible,” said Krupa. “General Manager Mark Seaman and his staff in Hickory have been working for more than a year in order to put together one of the most anticipated events on our baseball calendar.””
A variety of events have been scheduled in Hickory along with the SAL All-Star Game. On Monday, June 16th, there will be a Downtown All-Star Bash “Under the Sails” in downtown Hickory, including a Cornhole Tournament between the All-Star players and fans. On Tuesday, June 17th, there will be an All-Star Luncheon at The Crossing at Hollar Mill where the 2014 SAL Hall of Fame members will be inducted. Luther Beaver, Randy Ingle, George Murphy and Charles Young will be honored as members of the class of 2014. Beginning at 2:30pm in the parking lot at L.P Frans Stadium, the All-Fan Fest will be an opportunity for fans to get autographs from and pictures with the SAL All-Stars. The first pitch of the 2014 All-Star Game is scheduled at 7:00pm. More information can be found on the website of the Hickory Crawdads at www.hickorycrawdads.com.
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2014 South Atlantic League All-Stars
POSITION
NORTHERN DIVISION
MANAGER
Patrick Anderson
Hagerstown
COACH
Corey Ragsdale
Hickory
COACH
Sam Narron
Hagerstown
COACH
Luis Ordaz
Hagerstown
PITCHERS
Hunter Harvey
Delmarva
Cody Forsythe
Lakewood
Domingo German
Greensboro
Cody Kendall
Hickory
Matt Milroy
Greensboro
Nick Pivetta
Hagerstown
Jake Sanchez
Kannapolis
Sebastian Vader
Delmarva
Austin Voth
Hagerstown
Jake Walsh
Hagerstown
Jimmy Yacabonis
Delmarva
CATCHERS
Chad Wallach
Greensboro
Spencer Kieboom
Hagerstown
Reese McGuire
West Virginia
FIRST BASEMAN
Felix Munoz
Greensboro
SECOND BASEMAN
Wilmer Difo
Hagerstown
THIRD BASEMAN
Drew Dosch
Delmarva
SHORTSTOP
J.P. Crawford
Lakewood
UTILITY INFIELDER
Erich Weiss
West Virginia
UTILITY INFIELDER
John Wooten
Hagerstown
RIGHT FIELD
Mike Yastrzemski
Delmarva
CENTER FIELD
Evan Van Hoosier
Hickory
LEFT FIELD
Carlos Lopez
Greensboro
UTILITY OUTFIELDER
Austin Dean
Greensboro
UTILITY OUTFIELDER
Samuel Hiciano
Lakewood
DESIGNATED HITTER
Willians Astudillo
Lakewood
TRAINER
Sean Fields
Hickory
SOUTHERN DIVISION
MANAGER
Luis Rojas
Savannah
COACH
Darren Fenster
Greenville
COACH
Paul Abbott
Greenville
PITCHERS
Matthew Lujan
Augusta
Dario Alvarez
Savannah
Robert Coles
Savannah
Miller Diaz
Savannah
Yean Carlos Gil
Rome
Joe Gunkel
Greenville
Brady Lail
Charleston
Kevin McGowan
Savannah
Akeel Morris
Savannah
Caleb Smith
Charleston
Luis Ysla
Augusta
CATCHERS
Jake Romanski
Greenville
Victor Caratini
Rome
Frank Schwindel
Lexington
FIRST BASEMAN
Mike Ford
Charleston
SECOND BASEMAN
Jeff McNeil
Savannah
THIRD BASEMAN
Ryan McMahon
Asheville
SHORTSTOP
Gavin Cecchini
Savannah
UTILITY INFIELDER
Jantzen Witte
Greenville
UTILITY INFIELDER
Carlos Asuaje
Greenville
RIGHT FIELD
Aaron Judge
Charleston
CENTER FIELD
David Dahl
Asheville
LEFT FIELD
Victor Reyes
Rome
UTILITY OUTFIELDER
Dominique Taylor
Lexington
UTILITY OUTFIELDER
Tyler Horan
Augusta
DESIGNATED HITTER
Correlle Prime
Asheville
TRAINER
Billy Whitehead
Asheville