Beach Bums Add Miller And Cole
Published on April 16, 2008 under Frontier League (FL)
Traverse City Beach Bums News Release
TRAVERSE CITY - The Traverse City Beach Bums have announced the signing of shortstop Brad Miller and right-handed pitcher Zac Cole.
Miller, 22, is native of Ada, Oklahoma, and spent the 2007 season playing for the West Virginia Power, the class low-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. In West Virginia, Miller was was teammates with current Beach Bums' pitcher JT King and hit .231 in 117 at-bats with 6 doubles, 2 home runs, and 4 stolen bases.
The 6'0" 185-pound shortstop played collegiately for Cowley County Junior College where he was named the Jayhawk Conference Freshman of the Year in 2005 after turning in a .379 average with 8 home runs and 77 RBI. His RBI total was the second highest in school history behind current Cleveland Indians' Designated Hitter Travis Hafner, and ranked
him 3rd in all of NJCCA DI that year. Miller also pitched at Cowley County, going 9-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 68.2 innings. For his performance he was drafted in the 39th round by the Milwaukee Brewers after signing a scholarship to play for Oklahoma State University where head coach Frank Anderson called him "the best junior college player in the country."
Miller hit .326 with seven home runs and 39 RBI during his sophomore season at Cowley County and passed up playing at Oklahoma State to sign with the Brewers shortly before the 2006 MLB draft, when he would have been eligible to be drafted by a different team.
"Miller is an outstanding athlete," said Jason Wuerfel, the Beach Bums' Director of Baseball Operations. "He comes highly recommended for his defense and the scouting report is that he threw consistently over 90 miles per hour when he pitched in junior
college. At the plate he provides us with a right-handed bat we were missing in our lineup and he has some pop in his bat that could result in a lot of extra-base hits in our park. We are very excited to sign a player of his caliber."
Cole, 23, pitched for the Gulf Coast Orioles in 2007, the rookie level team in the Baltimore Orioles farm system. For the Orioles, the 6'4" 200-pound right-hander had a 5.84 ERA in 12.1 innings with 11 walks and 11 strikeouts while locking down 2 saves and holding opponents to a .277 average. Originally from Coral Gables, Florida, Cole pitched collegiately for Tennessee Tech University before being signed by the Orioles.
"Zac has an electric arm, with many scouting reports saying he consistently sat around 91 mph last year and can run it up to 93 or 94," said Wuerfel. "He is going to compete for a spot in the starting rotation and also could be used in the back end of the bullpen. We expect him to be successful in either role."
The Traverse City Beach Bums are holding their Third Annual FanFest this Saturday, April 19. Gates and ticket windows open at 8 am. This will be the first opportunity fans have to buy tickets for the '08 season as well as for the Frontier League All-Star Game (July 16) and the Homerun Derby & Skills Competition (July 15). Traverse Bay Marine will be holding a boat show in the fan parking lot showcasing their 2008 boating lineup. Fans are invited to check out Wuerfel Park's new GameDay XPE Astroturf and watch a local high school baseball tournament (Frankfort, Elk Rapids, Bellaire, and Mason County Eastern) at no charge. Concessions will be half price throughout the day.
Frontier League Stories from April 16, 2008
- Country Star Andy Griggs To Appear At Wuerfel Park - Traverse City Beach Bums
- Beach Bums Add Miller And Cole - Traverse City Beach Bums
- Otters and Jacob's Village Announce Exhibition Game - Evansville Otters
- Defensive Whiz Signed by Otters - Evansville Otters
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