SAL1 Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

Game Notes: Kannapolis Intimidators (White Sox) vs. Greenville Drive (Red Sox) - April 3, 2014

Published on April 3, 2014 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers News Release


KANNAPOLIS INTIMIDATORS vs. GREENVILLE DRIVE

0-0 (Chicago White Sox) 0-0 (Boston Red Sox)

Thursday, April 3, 2014 - 7:05 p.m.

CMC-NorthEast Stadium - Kannapolis, N.C.

Game #1

RHP James Dykstra (0-0, 0.00) vs. LHP Cody Kukuk (0-0, 0.00)

Today's Preview: The Intimidators open the 20th season of baseball in Kannapolis and the team's 14th season as a White Sox affiliate at home against the Greenville Drive (A, Red Sox). Kannapolis, which went 3-3 against the Drive in 2013, opens at CMC-NorthEast Stadium for the second time in the last three seasons. The Intimidators last opened the season against the Drive in 2008, when Kannapolis won 3-2 in Greenville.

Opening Day: Kannapolis 4-6 on Opening Day since 2004, including a 9-2 win at Lakewood in last season's opener on April 4, 2013. The Intimidators are 5-5 in the last 10 home openers, including 2-3 on the season's Opening Day. This is the sixth time in the last 11 years Kannapolis has opened the season at home.

Intimidating Starter: James Dykstra, 23, makes his first career start and Class A debut today when he takes the ball against the Drive in his first appearance against a Red Sox affiliate. Dykstra made six appearances with Advanced Rookie Great Falls in his professional debut, working 5.1 innings, going 0-0 with a 5.06 ERA. The White Sox selected Dykstra in the sixth round of the June 2013 draft out of Cal State San Marcos. During his senior year in 2013, Dykstra went 9-4 with a 2.02 ERA in 13 starts, working 89 innings en route to being named All-Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) First Team for the second straight season.

Going for Greenville: Southpaw Cody Kukuk, who turns 21 next week, makes his season debut and his 25th start at the Class A level after spending the 2013 season in Greenville, going 4-13 with a 4.63 ERA in 26 games (24 starts). He struck out 113 batters in 107.0 IP but walked 81 batters, second-most in the league. His 13 losses were tied for tops in the SAL. The Red Sox selected Kukuk in the seventh round of the June 2011 draft out of Free State High School in Lawrence, Kansas. In his lone appearance against Kannapolis, Kukuk worked just 1.1 innings, allowing a run on two hits with two walks and a strikeout before rain cut short his outing in an eventual Drive win, 9-5.

Everyone's coming to town: The Intimidators will host all 13 other South Atlantic League opponents in 2014, the first time Kannapolis has hosted 13 opponents since 2009 when the league comprised 16 teams. Asheville, Greensboro and West Virginia will each make a pair of visits to CMC-NorthEast Stadium while in-state rival Hickory visits four times.

Five in Top 30, according to Baseball America, will open the season with the Intimidators, including RHP Tyler Danish (No. 10) the White Sox second-round selection (55th overall) in the June 2013 First-Year Player Draft; 3B Trey Michalczewski (19), OF Adam Engel (22), INF Cleuluis Rondon (26), and RHP Andrew Mitchell (27). Both Danish and Rondon return to Kannapolis after finishing the 2013 campaign with the Intimidators.

2013 Draftees: will open the season with Kannapolis, with second-round Danish and fourth-rounder Mitchell the highest picked among the bunch. RHP James Dykstra (sixth round) and 3B Trey Michalczewski (seventh round) were also selected by the Sox within the first 10 rounds. LHP Andre Wheeler (15th round) spent time with the Intimidators in 2013 after a late-season promotion from Advanced Rookie Bristol.

Familiar Faces: The Intimidators return seven players who spent time on the 2013 roster, include OF Kale Kiser, who appeared in 120 games with Kannapolis.

Last Time Out: Kannapolis ended last season with a bang, literally. Jacob May sent the Intimidators into the offseason with a walk-off homerun to beat the Hagerstown Suns on the final day of the 2013 season. It was the first walk-off bomb for Kannapolis since May 31, 2012, when Cyle Hankerd's blast beat the BlueClaws.

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