Six Miners Voted 2015 All-Stars
July 6, 2015 - Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release
Marion, Ill. (July 6, 2015) - The Southern Illinois Miners are proud to announce that six players have been voted to represent Southern Illinois at the 2015 Frontier League All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 15th at Boomers Stadium in Schaumburg, with second baseman Frank Martinez and shortstop Niko Vasquez voted in as starters for the East Division and outfielder Aaron Gates, catcher Toby DeMello and pitchers Matt Bywater and Adam Lopez also voted into the showcase.
The six selections by the league's general managers, managers, coaches, broadcasters and media members represent the most Miners selected to participate in the game since 2010, when Southern Illinois had a league-record 10 all-stars in the season that Rent One Park hosted the game.
Martinez, the senior member of the Miners roster in his fifth and final season in the league, is selected to his first Frontier League All-Star. Coming off of a 2014 season with Southern Illinois in which he ranked sixth in the league with a .317 average, the best of his career, the switch-hitter from the Dominican Republic is hitting .287 with three homers and 17 RBIs through July 5th. Having hit safely in 12 straight games earlier this season, Martinez is tied for second in the league in walks with 30 in 44 games played. He is the third Miner voted to start at second base after Ralph Santana (2007) and Will Block (2011).
Vasquez is also a first-time all-star selection in his third season in the Frontier League after one season with Joliet and one with Gateway. Traded to the Miners from Gateway last season, the Las Vegas native is leading the league with 40 RBIs through July 5th along with a .282 batting average and a Miners team-high nine home runs. Like Martinez, Vasquez is in his second season with Southern Illinois, and hit for a career-best .309 average last year, including a .336 mark in 39 games with the Miners to help lead the team to the 2014 East Division title. He is the fourth Miner to start the game at shortstop after Mike Scanzano (2008), Tony Roth (2009) and Ryan Cavan (2014), and with Martinez gives the Miners the starting middle infield for the East Division.
The Miners' leadoff hitter this season and a first-time Frontier League all-star, Aaron Gates is enjoying the best season of his career. After hitting .284 with 10 home runs and 59 RBIs last season for the Miners, the outfielder from Villa Park, California is batting .344 with four home runs, a league-best five triples and 19 RBIs. He currently ranks in the top-10 in seven different offensive categories- batting average, hits, on-base percentage, runs scored, triples, walks and slugging percentage.
A tremendous defender behind the plate, DeMello is voted to the all-star game in his first season with the Miners. He has thrown out 37% of opposing baserunners this season (19 of 52), while Miners pitchers own a 2.43 ERA with the Roseville, California native behind the dish. Hitting .217 in 30 games, he had a memorable Miners debut when he hit a solo homer in his first at-bat and his first career triple in his second at-bat on May 15th at Lake Erie.
The reigning Frontier League Pitcher of the Year, Bywater has turned in another stellar season so far, going 6-2 witha 2.71 ERA in ten starts. The Miners' ace left-hander is tied for the league lead in wins, and leads the Frontier League with 74 strikeouts against just 24 walks in 63 innings pitched, which ranks second in the league through July 5th. He has also surrendered just 50 hits on the season, and made history on June 12th against the Evansville Otters by throwing the second no-hitter in Miners franchise history and first of nine innings in length.
Lopez makes the all-star roster in his first season in the Frontier League. A right-hander from Fredericksburg, Virginia, Lopez has also had an excellent season so far, going unbeaten in eight starts with a 6-0 record, tying him for first in the league in wins with Bywater among others. His 1.52 ERA ranks second in the league among qualifying pitchers, and opposing batters' .198 average against him also ranks in the top five in the league through July 5th. He has struck out 50 batters in 53 1/3 innings while allowing only 38 hits and walking only 14.
The Southern Illinois Miners are the 2014 Frontier League East Division Champions and the 2012 Frontier League Champions. They have been awarded the Frontier League Organization of the Year award three times since their inception, and also set a new Frontier League attendance record in 2007, their inaugural season. For ticket information, contact the Rent One Park box office at 618-998-8499. For any additional information, visit our website at www.southernillinoisminers.com.
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