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CarL1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Five Pelicans Headline Carolina League All-Star Team

June 9, 2011 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release


MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Five Myrtle Beach Pelicans have been named to the Carolina League All-Star team for the Tuesday, June 21 California-Carolina League All-Star Game at John Thurman Field in Modesto, California. Pitchers Robbie Ross and Joe Wieland make up two of the circuit's nine-man pitching staff while outfielder Ryan Strausborger was voted a starter and catcher Zach Zaneski a reserve among position players. Pelicans third baseman Mike Olt received enough votes to start but will not be able to participate in the game due to a broken collarbone he suffered Monday night against Winston-Salem. Myrtle Beach's five All-Star selections lead all Carolina League teams.

Strausborger has made his name known with a breakout season in his first full year of professional ball. A 16th-round draft selection out of Indiana State by the Texas Rangers in last year's MLB First-Year Player Draft, the outfielder has etched his name in a myriad of league leaderboard categories offensively. Upon being named to the team, Strausborger checks in at first in the league in hits (70), third in stolen bases (18), runs scored (39), and total bases (113), fourth in triples (5), and fifth in batting average (.299). He is also tied for the league lead in games played (59) and leads the loop with 234 at-bats. Additionally, his seven outfield assists are third-most in the Carolina League. The 23-year-old will be joined in the Carolina League's starting outfield by Jose Martinez of the Winston-Salem Dash, and the Wilmington Blue Rocks' Whit Merrifield, a South Carolina native and former University of South Carolina Gamecocks standout.

Zaneski's surprising road to prospect status continues with his All-Star nod. The Pelicans' unheralded backstop has wrecked Carolina League pitching this season to the tune of a .308 average, six home runs, and 27 runs batted in. Zaneski, undrafted in 2008 out of the University of Rhode Island, signed with the Rangers and turned heads last year when he batted .310 with a .380 on-base percentage in 85 games for the Class A Hickory Crawdads, 64 of them behind the plate. For that campaign, the Waterford, Connecticut native was named an MLB.com Texas Rangers Organizational All-Star. This year, Zaneski is batting .429 against left-handed pitching. On May 3 at Potomac, the 24-year-old experienced a once-in-a-lifetime day when he went 5-for-6 with two homers, including a grand slam, three doubles, and seven runs batted in. All totals marked career bests. On that day alone, Zaneski raised his batting average from .233 to .306 and his OPS from .655 to .958. Salem's Dan Butler will get the starting nod behind the dish for the Carolina League squad.

Ross and Wieland highlight a Pelicans staff that leads the Carolina League in nearly every positive pitching category including lowest team ERA (3.23), most strikeouts (516), and fewest runs allowed (209). Ross, a second-round pick by the Rangers in 2008, leads the Carolina League with seven wins, and his 2.59 ERA is sixth-best in the circuit. The lefty from Nicholasville, Kentucky has dropped just one decision on the year and has wins in seven of his last ten times on the mound. Ross's rotation-mate Wieland has been arguably Myrtle Beach's best starter this season on a loaded staff. Wieland, a Reno, Nevada native and a fourth-round Rangers pick in that same 2008 draft class, has logged an eye-popping 81 strikeouts against just four walks in 72 innings this year. Wieland's average of 0.38 walks per nine innings pitched is the third-best in all of Minor League Baseball. Like Strausborger, Wieland's name litters the Carolina League leaderboard throughout pitching categories. The righty's strikeout total leads the league while his 2.13 ERA checks in as the circuit's third-best, and his innings tally ranks fourth. Wieland's 0.96 WHIP is also best among active Carolina League performers and second-best overall behind former teammate Robbie Erlin, now of the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders.

Pelicans third baseman Mike Olt took the Carolina League by storm in his full-season debut, earning Texas Rangers Player of the Month accolades for a torrid April in which he batted .317 with three homers, 16 runs batted in, and a .961 OPS. On Monday night at BB&T Coastal Field, Olt collided with Winston-Salem catcher Jason Bour while thrown at the plate trying to break a 2-2 tie to end the eighth inning. In the collision, Olt broke his left collarbone and was subsequently placed on the disabled list. The University of Connecticut product received the votes to start at the hot corner in the 2011 California-Carolina League All-Star Game but will be out of action for around two months while recovering from his injury. At the time of his injury, Olt's .903 OPS, ten homers, and 34 RBIs led all Pelicans players. His .286 average still ranks tenth in the league while his homer total is third, his .395 on-base percentage is second, and his 35 walks are tied for the league lead.

The five All-Star selections for the Pelicans are the most the team has had in a year since Myrtle Beach's record-setting 2008 squad sent six representatives to that year's game on the Grand Strand. In the Pelicans' final two seasons under the Atlanta Braves, the team sent five players combined to the 2009 game in Lake Elsinore, California, and last year's affair back at BB&T Coastal Field.

All-Stars Strausborger, Zaneski, Ross, and Wieland lead the Pelicans down the stretch run of the Carolina League Southern Division's first half with a three and a half-game lead over the Kinston Indians. Thursday night at BB&T Coastal Field, the Pelicans wrap up a four-game intradivisional series with the Winston-Salem Dash looking for a split. The Pelicans head on the road Friday through Sunday for a three-game showdown with the Indians at Grainger Stadium in Kinston, North Carolina before a three-game swing through the Northern Division to take on the Potomac Nationals. In search of their first division title and playoff appearance since 2008, Myrtle Beach wraps up the first half with four games at home against the Frederick Keys from Thursday, June 16 through Sunday, June 19 at BB&T Coastal Field. Tickets for all Pelicans games may be purchased by stopping by the ballpark, calling (843)918-6000 or (877)918-TIXX, or by visiting the Tickets page at MyrtleBeachPelicans.com.

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