Gnats Game Notes: Thursday, April 7 at West Virginia

Published on April 7, 2011 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Savannah Sand Gnats News Release


Savannah Sand Gnats (0-0) @ West Virginia Power (0-0)

Game #1 - Road Game #1 - Thursday - 7:05

RHP Greg Peavey (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Brandon Cumpton (0-0, 0.00)

Appalachian Power Park, Charleston, WV

Radio: News/Talk 630 & sandgnats.com

Tonight: The 2010 First-Half Champion Gnats open the 2011 regular season in Charleston, WV against the WV Power, SAL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Home Opener: The Gnats will begin the season with eight straight road games in WV and Hickory, NC before returning home for their home opener on Friday, April 15th against the Greenville Drive with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 PM. Fireworks will follow the game on Opening Night and gates will open two hours prior to game time. The first 5,000 fans to visit Grayson Stadium on Opening Weekend will receive a Magnet Schedule courtesy of the Coast Guard.

Now Pitching: RHP Greg Peavey is scheduled to make his professional debut tonight. The Mets selected Peavey in the 6th round of the 2010 draft out of Oregon State. Peavey was the second Oregon State Beaver to be selected in 2010 after Tyler Waldron, who was picked by Pittsburgh in the 5th round. Waldron, who is assigned to West Virginia, is slated to start against the Gnats on Saturday night. In 2010 with Oregon State, Peavey was an All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention and a two-time conference Player of the Week. Peavey had been drafted twice before: in the 24th round of the 2007 draft out of Hudson's Bay High School by the New York Yankees and in the 32 nd round of the 2009 by the Houston Astros. He was named Washington's Class 3A baseball Player of the Year in 2007. Peavey has had national-level success for a long time, helping pitch the Hazel Dell Metro Little League team to the Little League World Series in 2000, and the Hazel Dell Metro teams that won Babe Ruth Championships in 2001 and 2002.

New Skipper: Manager Ryan Ellis begins his first season as a manager in professional baseball tonight. This is Ellis' third season with Savannah after working as the team's hitting coach each of the last two years. Ellis joined the Mets as a coach for AAA Norfolk in the middle of the 2006 season, so this will be his fifth full season with the organization. Ellis, a 28thround pick of the Montreal Expos in 2000, played two seasons with the Vermont Expos in the New York-Penn League in 2000 and 2001 before finishing his playing for the independent Washington Wild Things in 2002 and 2003 with one game in 2004. In 2001, in a game against Williamsport, Ellis played all nine defensive positions. In order, he played first base, second, short stop, third base, left field, center field, pitcher and concluded with an inning as a catcher.

Vs. West Virginia: Savannah was 4-4 against the Power last year. Each team won three of four games in their home park. The Gnats' played their longest game of 2010 by time, against West Virginia, dropping a 7-6 contest in 15 innings on July 22 that took four hours and fifty-seven minutes. This is the second straight year the Gnats have opened their season against the Power. Last year, the Gnats won 9-3 on Opening Night, and took three of four to begin the season, outscoring the Power 19-9 in the four-game series.

Major League Staff: Both the Gnats new pitching coach, Glenn Abbott and hitting coach, Benny Distefano played in the Major Leagues. Abbott pitched 11 years going 62-83 with a 4.39 ERA. He pitched for the final two A's teams that won three straight World Series from 1972-4. Distefano, who played five years with the Pirates and Astros, holds the distinction of being Major League Baseball's last left handed-throwing catcher.

Playoff History: Savannah made the playoffs last year for the first time since 1996. The Savannah franchise has won 10 SAL Championships, most recently, capturing the 1996 SAL Championship. Savannah won three titles in four years, emerging with the League title in 1993 and 1994. Savannah's first SAL Championship: 1906.

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