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MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Cards number one pick to join Swing

July 22, 2006 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


Adam Ottavino, the Cardinals' top pick in the 2006 draft, has arrived in the Quad Cities and will be activated over the next few days, the Swing of the Quad Cities announced on Saturday. The 20-year-old righthanded pitcher became the second-highest player ever to be drafted out of Northeastern University when he was selected by St. Louis with the 30th pick of the first round.

Ottavino, who last started for State College on Wednesday, will likely be activated in time to make his Swing debut against Southwest Michigan early next week.

The Brooklyn native began his pro career with six starts for the State College Spikes (Short Season-A, New York-Penn League), where he went 2-2 with a 3.14 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 28.2 innings. After not allowing any earned runs through his first four outings (19.2 IP), Ottavino gave up 10 earned runs, including his first professional home run, in nine innings over his final two starts for the Spikes.

The 6-5, 215-pounder capped a stellar career with the Huskies by breaking his own single-season record with 120 strikeouts in 2006, going 4-5 with a 2.98 ERA. His final campaign included five games in which he fanned 12 or more batters, including a 14-strikeout performance on April 7 in which he tossed a no-hitter against James Madison, the nation's highest scoring team. Ottavino had previously catapulted onto the prospect radar when he struck out 12 against No. 1 ranked Georgia Tech in his first start of the season on March 7.

In his career at Northeastern, Ottavino went 13-13 with a 3.09 ERA and shattered the previous record for career strikeouts that had been set at 241. The hard-throwing righty fanned 290 batters in 253.1 innings while holding opponents to a .218 batting average. Ottavino earned America East Pitcher of the Year honors in 2005 while being named first-team All-Conference as a sophomore, following that up by being named first team All-CAA (Colonial Athletic Association) after Northeastern switched conferences for his junior season.

The Swing of the Quad Cities roster currently stands at 24 active players, one less than the maximum allowed by the Midwest League.

UP NEXT: The Swing of the Quad Cities will continue their series against the Cedar Rapids Kernels with a doubleheader on Saturday evening, as RHP Donnie Smith will make his first start for the Swing this season in game one and RHP Victor Moreno (0-1, 6.75) will follow in game two. Cedar Rapids will put RHP Moose Mosebach (7-4, 3.13) on the mound in the opener, and he will be followed by RHP Tommy Mendoza (8-5, 3.81). First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. and coverage on Progressive Talk AM-1270 will begin at 4:45 p.m.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS: The first 800 fans that come to Saturday's doubleheader will get a Clyde the Orangutan Bobblehead Doll thanks to US Cellular, and post-game fireworks will keep the crowd at the park late courtesy of KWQC and Star 93.5. The first 400 kids at Sunday's game will receive baseballs thanks to New Choices, Inc day at the ballpark on a Mix 96 Family Fun Day.

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Midwest League Stories from July 22, 2006


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