MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Cardinals '09 Draft Pick Makes Splash in QC

Published on July 1, 2009 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


In 2008, Cardinals' top pick Brett Wallace jumped straight from the college ranks to the Quad Cities and exploded onto the scene, finishing last season in Double-A and currently knocking on the door of the big leagues.

On Wednesday, the 2009 River Bandits roster got a makeover with this year's new crop of draftees.

Already on the Quad Cities roster is Jason Stidham, an eighth-round pick out of Florida State who registered five hits in his first two games over the weekend. Now, Stidham has been joined by a pair of big hitters in third baseman Matt Carpenter and outfielder Kyle Conley, as well as lights-out reliever Nick McCully.

Of the four 2009 draft picks, the only to see action before arriving in the Quad Cities was Carpenter, who has already impressed during a brief stint with the New York-Penn League's Batavia Muckdogs. The 13th-round pick out of Texas Christian University batted .484 in eight games with the Muckdogs, including three doubles, three RBI and three walks. He hit safely in all eight contests, including five multi-hit games and a pair of three-hit games. The third baseman set a single-season school record with 23 doubles this spring as a Horned Frog. He finished his TCU career with a batting average of .312 and left as the program's all-time leader in games played (141) while checking in second in doubles (57), tied for second in hits (263), and fourth in RBI (159).

Conley, a seventh-round selection out of the University of Washington, was honored as an All-Pac 10 selection for the second straight year after his redshirt junior season this spring that featured a .303 batting clip with 19 home runs and 55 RBI. The home run total matched his previous high, a feat which he had accomplished just a year earlier. The mark stands as the third-highest single-season total in school history, and his 42 career home runs are also tied for a school record.

Like Conley, McCully, a ninth-round pick from Coastal Carolina, will be making his professional debut in his first appearance with the River Bandits. He was named to the All-Big South First Team as a junior this spring after posting an 8-1 record with eight saves and a 2.10 ERA. In 73 innings on the hill, the righty struck out 64 and walked 26. McCully posted a 3.07 ERA in his career as a Chanticleer with 179 strikeouts in 216.2 innings.

The players assume the roster spots vacated by infielder Brett Lilley, outfielder Paul Cruz and pitcher Andres Rosales. Rosales was transferred to Batavia after posting a 5.53 ERA in 40.2 innings with Quad Cities this season, while Lilley and Cruz were both released from the organization. Lilley's .367 on-base percentage was the third-best mark on the team, but his batting average had fallen to .229. Cruz hit .371 in April, but was unable to maintain his hot start and posted a .236 mark in the games since.

UP NEXT: July rolls in on Wednesday with a Rhythm City Casino Guaranteed Prize WINS-day and Faith Night. The Quad Cities' first Independence Day party will take place on July 2 at Modern Woodmen Park on a Thirst-day Thursday which will include $2 draft beer and fountain Pepsi products before an extravagant post-game fireworks show. The homestand concludes on July 3 as the City of Davenport's Red, White and Boom fireworks show kicks off at Modern Woodmen Park after the game for another huge Fourth of July party!

ABOUT THE BANDITS: The Quad Cities River Bandits drew more than 103,000 fans in the first half of the season for only the third time in team history. Ticket sales, concessions, merchandise sales, sponsorships and even Kids' Zone revenues are all up over last season, which was one of the team's best in history! Banditwear, mini-plans, and individual game tickets are on sale for the 2009 season by calling (563) 3-BANDIT or heading to www.RiverBandits.com. But hurry - good seats are going fast!

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Midwest League Stories from July 1, 2009


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