Sports stats



CarL1 Potomac Nationals

It's baseball season

April 5, 2006 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Potomac Nationals News Release


While the temperature may still say winter, the 'Boys of Summer' are finally here as the Potomac Nationals hit the field for the first time tonight as they will play an exhibition game with the George Mason University baseball team at 7:05 p.m.

The tune-up for the regular season will see a pair of unfamiliar faces on the mound as Chris Lugo and Terrance Engles will take the mound against Mike Modica, a freshman. Lugo and Engles are coming in for the game so the pitching staff can be fresh for the season opener at Salem on Thursday.

Modica is 1-1 on the season with an 8.55 ERA for the Patriots. He's thrown 20 innings and struck out nine.

Look for Patriot bats in Robby Jacobsen (.330, seven home runs, 21 RBI and 11 stolen bases), Brent Weiss (.301, 15 RBI) and Jason Bour (.297).

The P-Nats, who's pitching staff will be the talk of the town this season, feature outfielder Marvin Lowrance and infielder Brandon Powell. Lowrance batted .292 with six home runs and 44 RBI in 2005 with GCL (Rookie) and Savannah (A-South Atlantic). Powell batted .287 with 17 home runs and 69 RBI with High Desert in the Kansas City organization.

Returning to the P-Nats include infielder Marcos Yepez who batted .270 with 16 RBI last season and outfielder Ender Chavez who drove in 28 while batting .251.

When the P-Nats hit the road Thursday to open up the season, they'll spend three nights with the Salem Avalance before taking the short ride over to Lynchburg.

The P-Nats went 8-12 against both Salem and Lynchburg last season and were 4-6 at Salem while posting a 3-4 record at Lynchburg.

The Avalanche, Carolina League affiliate of the defending National League champion Houston Astros finished last season seven games under .500 and return 13 players who saw time with them in 2005. Catcher Jeff Mackor will be back for his third stint in Salem while Ervin Alcantara, who led all Avalanche players in games played last year, will be patrolling centerfield.

Five pitchers return for Salem from a staff that posted a 3.77 ERA. Jimmy Barthmaier, Rodrigo Escobar, Troy Patton, Rory Shortell, and Robert Stiehl come back for another season of Carolina League play.

Following three games in Salem, the P-Nats will trek over to Lynchburg, a quick ride down US-29 from northern Virginia.

If you head to Lynchburg, you'll see a pair of familiar faces coming out of the Lynchburg clubhouse in Vince Rooi and Brad Correll. Rooi played for Potomac in 2005 while Correll played for the last Potomac Cannons team in 2004. Like Salem, thirteen players also return from a 2005 team that captured the first half Northern Division title. Highlighting the returnees include outfielder Nyjer Morgan who led the Hillcats in stolen bases last season.

Look for talent and experience out of the Hillcats as 2004 second-round draft pick Brian Bixler takes the field and John Suomi looks to regain his all-star status after missing all of last year due to injury. Suomi was an a California League all-star in the A's organization.

You can catch all of the Potomac Nationals games with Dan Laing on the internet at www.potomacnationals.com.

------------------------------------------------------------

* Potomac Nationals Events *

Randy Knorr Fantasy Baseball League Standings

Who's on top in the first week?

The first week of the Randy Knorr Fantasy Baseball League shows a log jam at the top of the standings with four teams tied for second, all one point behind the leader.

Leading the way through games played up to April 4 are the Trappers with eight points. Tied for second with seven points each are Virginia Nationals, Lorton Lumber Company, Bad News Bears and EAZY DUZ IT.

The first period of the RKFBL will conclude April 15 so there is still plenty of baseball to be played. Participation is free and the period winner will receive two Grandstand vouchers. If you would like to participate, visit www.potomacnationals.com and click on the "Randy Knorr Fantasy Baseball League" logo.

------------------------------------------------------------

Season Long Promotions

Fun every night of the week

Fun abounds when you come to a Potomac Nationals game and that's not going to stop in 2006 as the Potomac Nationals have something planned for every night of the week!

Here's a look at what's happening, day-by-day.

Monday: Dollar Night presented by The Washington Post. Get $1 Grandstand tickets, then once inside, enjoy $1 hot dogs, $1 Pepsi products and $1 pop corn. The first Dollar Night presented by The Washington Post will be April 24 vs. Wilmington at 7:05 p.m.

Tuesday: Two-for-Tuesday. Purchase a Reserved or Grandstand ticket and receive another ticket FREE!!! The first Two-for-Tuesday will be April 18 vs. Lynchburg at 7:05 p.m.

Wednesday: Military Appreciation Night presented by Classic Rock 94.7. All active and retired military receive half-priced Reserved or Grandstand tickets for every Wednesday home game. The first Military Appreciation Night will be April 19 vs. Lynchburg at 7:05 p.m.

Thursday: Family Night Thursday presented by The Washington Post. Any family that presents The Washington Post Family Night ad that will appear in The Washington Post, will receive complimentary Grandstand tickets for their immediate family members (limit of four complimentary tickets per family). Families that do not have the coupon from The Washington Post, can get a free Grandstand or Reserved ticket with the purchase of a full-price adult ticket (limit one free ticket per paid adult). The first Family Night Thursday presented by The Washington Post will be April 27 vs. Wilmington at 7:05 p.m.

Friday: Kids run the Bases! Following every Friday game, all kids will be invited down onto the field to run the bases like their favorite ballplayer. The first Kids Run the Bases will be April 28 vs. Frederick at 7:05 p.m.

Saturday: Fireworks presented by Classic Rock 94.7. After every Saturday home game, Classic Rock 94.7 will present a great fireworks show. The first fireworks show of the season is coming up April 29 vs. Frederick following the 7:05 p.m. game.

Sunday: Autograph Sunday and Kids Run the Bases. Before all Sunday games, you'll have the chance to meet a couple P-Nats players, get their autographs and take their pictures. Following the game, all kids will be invited to run the bases like their favorite ballplayer. Our first Autograph Sunday with Kids Run the Bases will be April 30 vs. Frederick at 1:05 p.m.

For more information on the Potomac Nationals promotional schedule, visit www.potomacnationals.com/promotions.html.

------------------------------------------------------------

* Potomac Nationals Information *

Are You A "Star" Writer?

Write about a P-Nats experience and find out!

Would you like to write an article and have it published in the E-Newsletter? If so, then the Potomac Nationals want to see your writing!

That's right, throughout the season we'll be featuring "Star" writers to write about anything involving the P-Nats. It can be a story about a game, seeing Uncle Slam in the community, running into a player at the mall, anything as long as it has to do with the Potomac Nationals. Because of space limitations, please limit your articles to a page. They may be edited for space and content.

So if you've got the writing bug, then scratch it by sending in your articles to jwronski@potomacnationals.com. All submissions become property of the Potomac Nationals and must be submitted in type-written format. Scans or pictures of hand-written work will not be accepted.

------------------------------------------------------------

Uncle Slam on the Internet

Web site, MySpace and more

Great job Uncle Slam who is up to 52 friends on his MySpace page at www.myspace.com/potomacnationals. The big guy has been hard at work adding a calendar of upcoming games on the page and talking with a few of his mascot friends all around the country. If you would like to become one of Uncle Slam's friends, visit his MySpace and add!

The question of who is/was the best mascot that's ever graced Pfitzner Stadium has been thrown around the office lately and of course, we all know who wanted to be #1. But truly, is Uncle Slam the best mascot professional baseball has had in Potomac?

As of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, Uncle Slam had 36.3% of the vote, on top of the four candidate race with Boomer (27.2%), Big Shot (18.1%) and the original mascot Prince Willie (18.1%).

If you would like to vote on who your favorite mascot has been to entertain the fans at 'The Pfitz', simply visit the web site at www.potomacnationals.com and vote today. We'll be adding new polls throughout the season, so make sure to check out the site often!

Uncle Slam has also added the P-Nats roster! Check it out and bring it with you to the game tonight!

Check out the Potomac Nationals Statistics



Carolina League Stories from April 5, 2006


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central