Five Tourists Named to South Atlantic League All-Star Squad
Published on June 5, 2012 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Asheville Tourists News Release
Five members of the Asheville Tourists have been selected to the Southern Division squad for the 2012 South Atlantic League All-Star Game, slated for Tuesday, June 19, at Joseph P. Riley Park, home of the Charleston RiverDogs. Harold Riggins and Delta Cleary, Jr., have been named starters at first base and center field, respectively, while catcher Will Swanner, infielder Sam Mende and outfielder Tyler Massey have been tabbed as reserves on the 26-player squad.
A seventh-round draft pick in 2011 out of North Carolina State, Riggins has been a consistent force in the middle of the Tourists' lineup while helping guide Asheville to its current first-place spot in the Southern Division with a remarkable 40-17 record. Riggins is hitting at a .301 clip and paces the team with 45 RBIs while adding nine home runs. He also has been one of the circuit's best defensive players at the first turn, with a fielding percentage of .993.
Cleary will join Riggins in the starting lineup for the Southern Division. The 38th-round draft pick from 2008 enters Tuesday's games with a .320 batting average, good for 10th in the SAL. The center fielder also has 11 stolen bases and 33 RBIs while contributing a team-best 62 hits as the Tourists' primary leadoff hitter. He has added nine doubles, two triples and three home runs.
Swanner, a 15th-round draft pick in 2011, is one of three catchers named to the Southern Division roster. Swanner owns a .341 batting average but just narrowly misses qualifying for the SAL batting race with 123 at-bats. Nevertheless, the hard-hitting receiver has contributed 17 doubles, good for second on the team, along with a triple, seven home runs and 30 RBIs.
Mende, the Tourists' starting second baseman who was drafted in the 31st round last year out of the University of South Florida, ranks eighth in the SAL with a .324 batting average. He also paces the circuit with 21 doubles and is fourth with 29 extra-base hits and fifth with a .553 slugging percentage. He has added two triples, six home runs and 36 RBIs.
Massey is in his fourth season with the Tourists and is enjoying a breakout campaign while ranking fourth in the SAL with a .335 batting average. The 14th-round draft pick in 2008 from Chattanooga, Tenn., is tied with Cleary for the team lead with 11 stolen bases while adding eight doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 32 RBIs.
Asheville's total of five players equaled the number of Charleston players selected to the team and ranked second in the Southern Division behind Lexington, which has seven representatives. Greensboro, which is tied with the Tourists for the league's best record, had a SAL-best eight players selected to the Northern Division roster. This year's contest will be the 53rd all-star game in league history, with Joseph P. Riley Park hosting the matchup for the fourth time.
The Tourists open a three-game series at Savannah on Tuesday night before returning home to McCormick Field on Friday, June 8, for a three-game series against the West Virginia Power. For more information, contact the Tourists' front office at (828) 258-0428.
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