Greensboro Sports

The Colt baseball tournament continued on Friday July 4 at War Memorial Stadium. Friday’s action showcased the semifinals with the number one seeded Northwest Guilford#1 team battling Dudley#1 in game one and Jamestown squaring off with Grimsley in game number two.

Game number one was delayed nearly an hour when the umpires failed to show but the game finally got going at around 1pm and it was worth the wait, at least if you talk to the Dudley contingency. There is a new breed of of Colt ‘Cat in town and it is called “Dudley Baseball”, as the Panthers defeated the top-seeded NWG#1 team 10-7 to move on to this evening’s finals.

Dudley#1 was down 4-0, 5-2, 5-3, 6-4, 6-5, they tied it at 6-6, then went down again 7-6 before bouncing back with a huge top of the 7th inning to claim the win 10-7. Dudley kept NWG#1 off of the board in the seventh and ended the contest with big-time double play. Dudley’s sponsor APCO R&B Air had to be stoked about this win and the New Cats will meet the Old Cats in the championship tonight at 7pm at War Memorial Stadium.

Dudley got excellent pitching and very timely hitting with Jabirl Shabazz coming up with a key hit to the tie the game for the first of the day at 6-6. The Dudley fan-base continued to to tell NWG#1 not to pitch to Ray Crawford II, but NWG did and they paid the price as RC II went to left and right with run-scoring hits. The entire Dudley team is playing so well and they seem to be on a mission to win that Colt tournament title.

The Old Breed of ‘Cat may have something to say about that as Jamestown topped Grimsley 10-6 in the second of the doubleheader on Friday at WMS. Grimsley jumped on top first going ahead 1-0 in the first inning and Jamestown came roaring back as Tigers are known to do and the Ragsdale boys went in front 3-1 after two innings. Grimsley tied at 3-3 after three, but then Jamestown regained the lead at 4-3 in the top of the fourth. That was the curtain-closer for me as I had to get up the street to the Greensboro Grasshopper game but I got the call from Donnie Stowe that Jamestown prevailed 10-6 over Grimsley.

I gave out the game reports on the radio during the Hoppers’ game and plan on doing the same thing tonight for the Colt finals. That means the Colts are getting some good pub out of this deal. Internet, radio, and Ustream TV coverage on our Web TV broadcast sent to Parts Unknown around the world. Everyone, everywhere, can hear the news if they want to.

In that game two on Friday, Grimsley went with pitcher DJ Russ and he had his ups and downs and that describes the way he likes to pitch. Throw a curve across the plate with it breaking down. Grimsley started George Carter in right field and he had some problems out there and later moved him to first base. Jamestown has some great hitters and they do one thing well that will help you as the games go on, “they put the ball in play”. With Walt Sparks, DeSean Anderson, Joe Bright, and the Jamestown starting pitcher Bennett Hixon leading the way, the Tigers are in the finals.

The championship game is set for tonight at 7pm at War Memorial Stadium with the New Breed of ‘Cat, the Dudley Baseball Panthers, taking on the Old Breed of Cat, the Jamestown(Ragsdale) Tigers for the COLT TITLE.

Again we hope to be sending along updates on this game during the Grasshoppers-Delmarva Shorebirds contest, with communication from our contact man Donnie Stowe permitting.

Good Luck tonight to the ‘Cats.

Third-Largest Crowd in Hoppers History Watches Greensboro Snap Out of Seven-Game Funk

GREENSBORO – Greensboro gave all 10,034 fans in attendance two fireworks shows to cheer about Friday as the Hoppers ended a seven-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory over the visiting Delmarva Shorebirds.

Mike Stanton set of the first fire-cracker with his league-leading, 21st home run of the season in the second inning, but his efforts were quickly erased when Delmarva put up two runs in the top of the third.

Greensboro responded with a run in the home-half of the third to even things up before the skies opened and the rain began.

It continued to rain throughout the remainder of the game, but the Hoppers didn’t allow a little moisture to ruin a perfectly fine Fourth of July.

The Hoppers reclaimed the lead in the sixth inning on another Greensboro blast. Bryan Petersen hit his fourth home run in as many games; it was his 16th of the season in a Hoppers uniform.

With the third-largest crowd in Hoppers history huddled on the concourse, Delmarva again pulled even with Greensboro in the top of the eighth inning before the final in-game display went off.

Greensboro put two runners on base with two out in the bottom of the eighth inning and manager Edwin Rodriguez elected to pinch hit Hunter Mense in place of Tyler Belcher. Mense delivered just what Rodriguez, the fans and the Hoppers needed on the first pitch he saw with a two-run double that put Greensboro on top for good.

Corey Madden came in to pitch the ninth and picked up his second save of the season after striking out two batters and getting the final batter of the game to pop out to Ozzie Martinez at shortstop.

Madden’s inning of work on the mound was just part of the much-needed performance from the Hoppers pitching staff. Kyle Kaminska made his first start since allowing 12 runs on 13 hits in his June 28 outing against Kannapolis; he clearly left that outing in the past as he struck out a career-high, nine batters in six innings.

Kaminska’s only two allowed runs came in the third inning as he gave up a two-run home run to Ryan Adams; he gave up just five hits on the night before giving way to Steven Cishek, A.J. Battisto and Madden. Battisto earned the win to improve to 6-1 on the season.

Greensboro and Delmarva will continue their four-game series Saturday with a 7:00 p.m. game that will see RHP Alex Sanabia (2-2, 5.45) square off against RHP Robert Neigebauer (0-0, 4.00). Saturday’s game will also include a post-game fireworks show.

Postgame Quick Stats
Win – A.J. Battisto (6-1); Loss – Brian Parker (5-3); Save – Corey Madden (2)
Time –2:36; Attendance – 10,034

*****from Justin Stottlemyre Hoppers’ media assistant*****

Here’s the Fireworks Show from Thursday Night - an EXTRA, sponsored by the Wyndham Championship (August 14 - 17, 2008)

Now for the Grasshoppers losing streak… Baseball players are often called very superstitious. From the Grandstand, we have thought about what has gone on since the Hoppers won their last game. That was Wednesday, June 24 - a day game against the West Virginia Power. Something that one of the folks in the Grandstand noticed was that a person not with the team was High-Fiving the team after the game. You can see that around 2 Hours 48 Minutes into the video.

Anybody have any other ideas?

As predicted on Wednesday by GREENSBOROSports.com’s Don Moore, Cecil Carr, and Doug Cockman, Alex Rodriguez and his wife have split up.

NEW YORK - Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez and his wife have split less than three months after the birth of the couple’s second daughter, according to a report in the New York Daily News.

The story on the newspaper’s Web site comes amid reports linking Rodriguez to Madonna. Rodriguez refused to address the topic on three occasions Tuesday, once saying “no” when asked if he had any comment.

The Daily News reported Wednesday night, citing an anonymous source, that Rodriguez and wife Cynthia had separated after having “problems” for about three months.

Cynthia Rodriguez’s mother, Evangeline Scurtis, also denied a gossip Web site report that her daughter had gone on a romantic getaway with rocker Lenny Kravitz in Paris.
*****from YahooSports*****

Let’s suppose, for the sake of discussion, that Curt Schilling has pitched his last game in the major leagues.

Hey, I don’t want to write him off for 2009. But he will be 42 next season, coming off shoulder surgery. Even players as tough as he is eventually find an obstacle they can’t overcome. He’ll probably try rehab and see how that goes before making a final decision.

But if his career turns out to be over, a question arises: Should Curt Schilling be elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame?

The reason I bring this up is because Schilling pitched in Greensboro in 1987, going 8-15 with a bad team, posting a 3.82 ERA and leading the South Atlantic League with 179 strikeouts in 189 innings.

Only one player who has worn a Greensboro uniform through the years has ever been named to the Hall of Fame – Johnny Mize. Now, when Mariano Rivera retires, he’s a lock. And I like Derek Jeter’s chances.

But Schilling is an interesting case. There’s a five-year waiting period after a player retires before his name goes on the ballot. And Schilling’s stats will be thoroughly dissected in that time. So let’s have some fun and start here.

Schilling’s record is 216-146, a winning percentage of .597 with a career ERA of 3.46. He ranks 14th on the all-time strikeout list with 3,116. His 216 wins are tied for 79th all-time. He won 20 games three times but doesn’t have a Cy Young Award. His post-season numbers are sterling – 11-2 overall, 4-1 in the World Series with a 2.06 ERA.

There are merits in that record. But I think you have to put his career in perspective, first with some retired starting pitchers and then with his contemporaries.

There are four retired guys who aren’t in the Hall of Fame that many people think should be – Bert Blyleven, Tommy John, Jim Kaat and Jack Morris. None of them ever won a Cy Young.

Blyleven compiled a record of 287-250 (.534 percentage) with a 3.31 ERA and ranks fifth on the strikeout list with 3,701. He won 20 games once. His postseason record was 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the World Series.

John went 288-231 (.555) with a 3.34 ERA and won 20 games three times. His postseason record is 4-1 overall, 2-1 in the World Series. He missed the 1975 season after the ligament replacement surgery that now bears his name. He was 124-106 (.539) before the surgery and 164-125 (.567) after.

Kaat piled up a 283-237 mark (.544) with a 3.45 ERA. He won 20 games three times and went 1-3 in the postseason and 1-2 in the World Series.

Morris is a personal favorite of mine. He went 254-186 (.577) with a 3.90 ERA. In the postseason he was 7-4, including 4-2 in the World Series. He won two games in the 1984 Series with the Tigers, both complete games, and two more in 1991 with Minnesota against the Braves. His Game 7 effort of 10 shutout innings to beat the Braves is the best postseason game I’ve ever seen pitched (I remember, but didn’t see, Don Larsen’s perfect game).

Now let’s look at some current players. To me, Greg Maddux (350-220, .614, 3.12 ERA), Tom Glavine (305-202, .602, 3.53 ERA) and Randy Johnson (288-156, .649, 3.23 ERA, second all-time in strikeouts) are first-ballot selections. As for Roger Clemens, his numbers are off the charts but it’s an understatement to say there’s a lot to sort out before the final decision is made.

Three other current pitchers are certainly in the discussion – Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz and Mike Mussina.

Martinez probably should go in the same class as Maddux, Glavine and Johnson. His record of 211-94 has produced a .692 percentage with a 2.84 ERA. He has won 20 games twice and has collected three Cy Youngs. He’s 6-2 overall in postseason, 1-2 in the World Series.

Smoltz, who will also try to come back from surgery next season, is 210-147 (.588) with a 3.26 ERA. In addition, he has 154 saves, years that kept his win total down. He ranks 16th all-time in strikeouts with 3,011. He won 20 games once and has one Cy Young Award. He’s 12-12 in postseason overall with a 2.65 ERA, 1-4 in the World Series with a 2.47 ERA.

So, how does Schilling stack up against these candidates?

I’m not taking one side or the other right now. I can be persuaded either way. If you would like to weigh in with an opinion, send it to me at billonbaseball@gmail.com

ALUMNI NEWS: Last week was tough for former Greensboro folks who were coaching in the majors. When the Mets fired Willie Randolph, they also axed first base coach Tom Nieto, who managed the Bats in 1997 and ’98. Exactly how the Mets will benefit from a new first base coach remains to be seen, but Nieto apparently was a “Randolph man” and had to go.

Then the Blue Jays gave the pink slip to manager John Gibbons and three coaches, including hitting coach Gary Denbo, who managed the Hornets in 1989 and 1993.

Bill Hass has watched and covered minor league baseball in Greensboro since 1979.
*****Above article from Bill Hass, read more from Bill at gsohoppers.com*****

The Hogan family is making headlines again. Shocking, right? This time, Linda Bollea filed court documents that claim Hulk Hogan is stalking her. “Husband has a history of violence towards the Wife and is capable of attacking Wife at any moment,” the motion to amend order approving joint stipulation on temporary issues that was filed in a Florida court on Monday. “As recently as the past month, the Husband has engaged in public verbal assaults on the Wife in her presence and in the presence of onlookers.” To read the full story, visit TBO.com.

-In related news (you knew it wouldn’t end there), Hulk appeared on the Bubba the Love Sponge radio show to discuss Linda filing the motion. “I think he’s basically giving her bad advice on purpose to keep this war going,” Hogan said regarding Linda’s lawyer. “Basically, this motion, there’s no basis. Since November, I’ve been working out in L.A. on ‘American Gladiators.’”
*****from prowrestling.net*****

The Proehlific Power defeated a team out of Rockingham County last night 13-9. Joe Wagstaff was the winning pitcher while Robbie McIntosh pitched 3 flawless inings. The losing pitcher was Joseph Hughes out of McMichael High. The Power return to action Saturday night in Lenoir taking on the Caldwell County American Legion team in a game at 7:00. On Sunday the Power travel to Pulaski, Virginia for a wood bat game at 2:00. The Power will return home for games next Monday and Tuesday.
*****from the Power Department*****

Wednesday afternoon Grimsley made quick work of Northern Guilford as the Whirlies topped the Nighthawks 10-0 in four and a half innings. George Carter struck out somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 of the 15 batters he faced. Northern could get nothing going against Carter and all Carter’s teammates had to do was stay back and be ready just in case a ball came their way and very few ever did come out to them.

Grimsley will face Jamestown(Ragsdale) on Friday in the COLT tournament semifinals. Jamestown gave Western Guilford the early part of game number two on Wednesday night but in the end, Jamestown took the game back over and they will face Grimsley on Friday at 2pm at War Memorial Stadium. Jamestown was up on WG 9-4 entering the top of the 7th inning when I pulled out of the park last night.

Western Guilford led 4-1 before everything became unglued for the Hornets. Western was right in the middle of an upset bid before Jamestown made some key plays and got some hits and there was an aborted pick-off play at third that killed WG and kept Jamestown in the game. Once Jamestown tied the game at 4-4 the Tigers were on a roll and they totally took over the ball game.

The word coming out of War Memorial Stadium is that South Carolina is after Jamestown CF DeSean Anderson. The Gamecocks are ready to offer a nice deal to Anderson but after baseball season he still has to quarterback the Ragsdale football team this fall. Anderson is a great athlete, probably one of the best in our area.

Coach Woods has done super job coachng Western Guilford. WG is missing 4 players who are playing travel ball(Macon Smith and Neen Marrero with Scott Bankhead and the NC Baseball Academy) but again Woods really has done a solid job of keeping his Hornets together.

Speaking of together, we saw a lot of the locals at last night’s games including, “The Legend of Pleasant Graden”, Charlie Pannell. We also ran into Kevan, Sharon, and Megan Moore; Rick Carter, Randy Carter, Larry Farrer, James Russ, Ray Crawford, Don Stowe, Donnie Stowe, and quite a few other local baseball fans.

Looking ahead to Friday and the Fourth of July semifinals we have Northwest Guilford#1 vs. Dudley#1 at 12 noon and then Grimsley faces Jamestown at 2pm in the second game of doubleheader COLT semi action at War Memorial Stadium. NWG#1 comes in ranked number one and Dudley will be primed for the upset and in game number two, we have a Jamestown team loaded with talent facing a Grimsley bunch led by Coach Alan Ashkinazy, that looked very confident in their pitching during the 10-0 smackdown of Northern on Wednesday afternoon.

Again that’s NWG#1 vs. Dudley#1 at 12 noon on Friday and
Jamestown vs. Grimsley at 2pm…..Both games at War Memorial Stadium…..

DAVIS LOVE III, TIM CLARK, DAVID TOMS, CARL PETTERSSON, JERRY KELLY AND LUCAS GLOVER COMMIT TO WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIP

2008 Tournament Field Beginning to Take Shape

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Two-time winner Davis Love III leads the latest group of PGA TOUR golfers who have committed to play in the 2008 Wyndham Championship, it was announced today. David Toms, Tim Clark, Carl Pettersson, Lucas Glover and Jerry Kelly have also made plans to play at Sedgefield Country Club during the week of Aug, 11-17, 2008.

These players join defending champion Brandt Snedeker and U.S. Open runner up and two time winner Rocco Mediate in the field.

“We are clearly pleased to announce these early commitments,” tournament director Mark Brazil said. “During my trip to the AT&T National at Congressional Country Club this week, there was a lot of excitement among the players about our move to Sedgefield and the opportunity to play a Donald Ross-designed golf course. We are confident that our field will be substantially improved over what we’ve had the last couple of years.”

Love won the Piedmont Triad’s PGA TOUR event in 1992 and 2006, and he is third on the tournament’s all-time money list with $1,294,850. He and Raymond Floyd are the only North Carolina natives who have won the Piedmont Triad’s PGA TOUR event.

Clark is currently 37th in the Official World Golf Rankings, and he will make his fifth Wyndham Championship appearance in August. The NC State alumnus finished sixth in 2005; it was his best tournament here. Kelly will make his 12th Wyndham Championship appearance; he is 17th on the tournament’s all time money winner’s list with $553,540.

Toms will make his 10th appearance; he tied for fourth in 2004. Toms made a special trip to the region late last year to play the course at Sedgefield Country Club and provide valuable feedback as the decision to move the tournament was being made.

Carl Pettersson, who attended Grimsley High School before going to NC State University, is the player representative on the Piedmont Triad Charitable Foundation Board, the body which oversees the Wyndham Championship. Pettersson’s appearance will be his sixth consecutive visit to the tournament; the Raleigh resident finished fifth in 2007. Pettersson and Clark were roommates at NC State University. Glover will make his fifth consecutive Wyndham Championship appearance this year; the Clemson University alumnus finished 20th last year and sixth in 2006.

The 2008 Wyndham Championship is set for Aug. 11-17 in Greensboro, N.C. Tickets are available online at www.wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office. The tournament thanks title sponsor Wyndham Worldwide and Premier Partners, AIG, BB&T Cadillac, Harris Teeter, and VF Corporation for their continued support. Additional tournament information is available at www.wyndhamchampionship.com or through the tournament office at (336) 379-1570. For more information about Wyndham Worldwide, please visit www.wyndhamworldwide.com.

*****from Rob Goodman, Wyndam media rep with 3-G Sports*****
Also contributing to this release was Jim Modlin of GREENSBOROSPORTS.COM

Andy dropped by Dudley High School to catch some of the Girls Summer League action.

Daniel Tuttle, the kid who tried not once, but twice to hit the Southeast Guilford fans standing along the first base fence at SEG High School in a game between Randleman HS and SEGHS back in April, well my friends, this kid Daniel Tuttle of Randleman HS, he’s headed to Dodger Stadium to play in big-time baseball game on August 9.

Tuttle(3B) tried to intentionally overthrow his RHS Tiger first-baseman during between inning warmups and he sent over some long shots and a one-hopper that almost took out Ed Bigham, Mr. Cockamn(Cam’s dad), Austin Moyer, and Keith Miller.

Bottom Line:the Tuttle kid is heading to Dodger Stadium:
COLUMBUS, Ga. -Aflac announced today during an on-field presentation held at Turner Field that OF/RHP Drew Steckenrider (Greater Atlanta Christian HS) of Lawrenceville, Ga.; OF Donovan Tate (Cartersville HS) of Cartersville, Ga.; C/3B Luke Bailey (Troup HS) of LaGrange, Ga.; RHP Zack Wheeler (East Paulding HS) of Dallas, Ga.; OF Braxton Lane (Sandy Creek HS) of Tyrone, Ga.; INF/RHP Richie Schaffer (Providence HS) of Charlotte; RHP/INF Daniel Tuttle (Randleman HS) of Randleman, N.C.; OF Brian Goodwin (Rocky Mount HS) of Rocky Mount, N.C.; RHP/OF Keyvius Sampson (Forest HS) of Ocala, Fla.; INF/OF Jacson Thompson (Germantown HS) of Germantown, Tenn.; and LHP Ian Krol (Neuqua Valley HS) of Naperville, Ill. have been selected to the 2008 Aflac All-American High School Baseball Game roster. The eleven stars were honored by Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith and Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, who presented them with their official team jerseys.

The premier high school All-American game in the country, the Aflac All-American Game will take place Saturday, Aug. 9 in Dodger Stadium and will be broadcast live on FOX Sports Net at noon Pacific Time.
*from Foxsports*

Last night the Proehlific Power split a pair of games with the Winston-Salem Fighting Pumpkins American Legion team at Reynolds High School. Logan Self was the winning pitcher in the first game for the Power while Zack Kornblum took the loss in the second. Jacob Cadle and Matt Nettesheim had home runs for the Power last night.

In the first game the Power played errorless ball giving up only one run, while in the second the Power made 5 errors.. Zack Kornblum pitched good enough to win taking away the errors.

The Power is back in action tonight playing at Northern at 7:00.
*****from the Power staff*****

The ESPY’s are coming up and the Sports Talk shows are hitting this topic hard. The BIGGEST UPSET of the Past Year……

Was it:
#1)Appalachian State over Michigan(College Football)
#2)Fresno State over Georgia(College Baseball World Series)
#3)New York Giants over New England(The Super Bowl)
#4)Big Brown losing the final leg of The Triple Crown(Horse Racing)

*****In my own opinion I will take them in the order I have listed above, at least that’s how they impacted me. App #1, Fresno State #2, NYG #3, and Big Brown, Big Deal or No Deal…..*****

+++++What do you the GREENSBOROSports.com reader think?????+++++

In the area high schools over the past year, I would say Southeast Guilford losing in the first round of the state baseball playoffs was huge, the Grimsley girls basketball team falling in the regionals and not even making it back to the State Finals was big, and Dudley winning that State Footall Championship still looms large when you look at our area’s recent success in state footall titles over the past 20 years…..*****

In last night’s Colt baseball tournament quarterfinals at War Memorial Stadium, NWG#1 defeated Northeast Guilford 14-4 and Dudley#1 topped Dudley-Smith#2, 11-4.

Tonight Grimsley faces Northern Guilford at 6:30 and then Jamestown(Ragsdale) meets Western Guilford at 8:30pm. We will get the chance to watch Alan Ashkinazy and Johnny Smith match wits in game one and then Donnie Manness will encounter mind games with Chris Causey in game number two.

Grimsley has George Cater and company while Northern has the young guys that battled in their first varsity season this past spring. Jamestown has DeSean Anderson, the veteran, who’s been battle-tested over the course of many baseball and footall seasons while Western Guilford is a bit of an unknown group of Hornets and we will learn more about them this evening.

Northwest Guilford#1 continues to move through the COLT tournament as the heavy favorite and they re-inforced that last night with their quarterfinal win over NEG. I haven’t had the chance to see them play at length yet this summer, but they do have Mekita and Plante and others from the Vikings talent base which has never seen a bare cupboard over the last 30 years. Last night’s 14-4 finish over Northeast shows that NWG is still the team to beat.

I saw most of the game with Dudley#1 and Dudley#2(Dudley-Smith) and wouldn’t you know it, #2 went up early 4-0 and then they never scored another run last night with the 11-4 final and Dudley#1 out in front. Chabrill Shabazz got the start for Dudley#1 and got rocked a bit but when coaches Crawford and Neal made the move and brought in Eric Kimber it seemed to settle down #1 and they went on to get the win. Number two had three errors right after they had grabbed that early 4-0 lead and that let #1 right back in the game.

AJ Williams, Ray Crawford, and Kimber led the #1 hitters and they have a few little guys that come in and draw walks. Number one had the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning but they couldn’t get up by ten, but still the most important thing is that Dudley#1 will move on to face Northwest Guilford#1 Thursday night in the semifinals of the COLT tournament at WMS.

*****Anyone have any current Palomino Baseball news or standings? We have been updating this on Mondays and our next scheduled visit to Stoner-White Stadium is set for Monday July 9. If you have anything on the Palominos for us, feel free to send it durhamandy@live.com.*****

Double-A Southern League All-Star Game to Feature Some of Grasshoppers’ Former Finest

Greensboro, N.C. – Five former Greensboro Grasshoppers will be on display at the 2008 Southern League All-Start Game on July 14 at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, N.C.

The Double-A event will include former Hoppers and current Carolina Mudcats Chris Coghlan, Chris Mobley, John Raynor, Gaby Sanchez and Chris Volstad. Mobley was with the Grasshoppers during their inaugural 2005 campaign while Sanchez and Volstad carried the 2006 Greensboro squad; Coghlan and Raylor put their talents on display at NewBridge Bank Park last season.

Sanchez was a 2006 South Atlantic League all-star selection and finished the season with a .317 batting average, 14 home runs and a .603 slugging percentage. This season, Sanchez leads the Mudcats with a .314 batting average, which ranks seventh in the league entering Monday’s action. Sanchez is fifth in hits (88) and tied for second in doubles (26).

Coghlan, who played in both the 2007 XM Satellite Radio Futures Game in San Francisco and the South Atlantic League All-Star Game, is second on the Mudcats roster in hitting with a .302 average, while he sits fourth in the league with 92 hits. Coghlan has also swiped 18 bases and leads the club with 45 RBI. Last season with Greensboro, Coghlan recorded a .325 average in 81 games and hit 10 home runs while stealing 19 bases.

Raynor, the South Atlantic League MVP last season, leads a Mudcats’ running attack, which is on pace to shatter team records. Raynor is tops in the loop with 29 stolen bases and third in the league with 60 runs scored. Carolina has 120 stolen bases through the first 82 games, 88 shy of the club record. With the Hoppers, Raynor stole 54 bases and posted a .333 average in 116 games. Raynor hit 13 home runs and finished the year with a .519 slugging percentage for Greensboro en route to being named the Florida Marlins’ Minor League Player of the Year.

Volstad, who nearly made the Florida pitching staff out of spring training, is 4-3 and has been a fixture in the league’s top-10 in ERA for practically the entire first half. Volstad has an ERA of 3.28 over 85 innings, and has not permitted a home run since last August in Montgomery, spanning nearly 95 frames. In 2006, while suiting up for the Grasshoppers, Volstand made 26 starts and posted an 11-8 record with a 3.08 ERA. His earned run average was the seventh best in the 16-team South Atlantic League.

Mobley played in a career-high, 54 games with Greensboro in 2005 and struck out 74 batters in only 60 2/3 innings of work while collecting a 2.33 ERA. He recently overtook the closer’s role for the Mudcats when an injury opened up the position. Mobley, currently third in the league in saves, has not disappointed, converting 13-of-17 saves for the Mudcats, while his ERA rests at a paltry 2.88.

Along with the five former Hoppers, the Mudcats’ Cameron Maybin has also been selected to play participate in the all-star festivities. Maybin, a two-time Futures Game star who is widely regarded as one of the premier minor leaguers in the game, leads the Mudcats in triples (6) and in home runs (12), with a .266 average.

*****from Justin Stottlemyre Hoppers’ media assistant*****
Some information courtesy of the Carolina Mudcats Media Relations Department