FL Southern Illinois Miners

Miners Collect Postseason League Awards

Published on September 2, 2010 under Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release


MARION, Ill. - The Southern Illinois Miners once again took home many honors as the 2010 Frontier League postseason awards were announced today. Joe Augustine has won the Brian Tollberg Award for being the Pitcher of the Year. He and Miners centerfielder Jereme Milons were also voted to the Post-Season All-Star Team. Also, for the second year in a row, the Miners were voted the Organization of the Year. It is the third time in the franchise's four years of existence that the Miners have won the honor.

Augustine has posted a 10-3 record with a league-leading 1.97 ERA and 121 strikeouts this season. He is missing the final two weeks of the season after having an emergency appendectomy on Aug. 23. At the time of the surgery, he led the league in wins, strikeouts and ERA and had a chance to become the first pitcher in league history to win the pitching triple crown. He is expected to return for the postseason, which begins Thursday, Sept. 9. Augustine is the second Miners pitcher to win the Brian Tollberg Award. Ryan Bird won the honor in 2008.

"It's a great honor that I don't really think about during the season," Augustine said, "but it's nice to have at the end of the year. I want to thank Mike (Pinto) for putting me in situations to succeed and the entire coaching staff for working with me to help me improve. Thanks to my mom and dad and all my friends and family back home for have been there for me, and of course, I want to thank (Miners trainer) Chris Stone for keeping me upright and healthy, which has been a challenge as of late.

"Looking at the bigger picture, it would be nice to have this award along with the championship later this month."

Milons is hitting .283 with 10 home runs and 57 RBIs. He leads the league with 75 runs scored. He ranks second in stolen bases (41) and fourth in hits (106). The second-year Miner has appeared in all 93 Miners games this season and played near flawless defense in centerfield, committing just two errors.

This is the third year in a row that the Miners have had two representatives on the Postseason All-Star Team.

The Miners lead the league in attendance for the fourth year in a row and are once again the only team in the league to surpass 200,000 fans. In addition, the organization hosted the 2010 People's National Bank All-Star Week, which featured a concert, home run derby, a celebrity softball game and the 2010 Frontier League All-Star Game.

"It's a great honor to be recognized by your peers with the Organization of the Year Award," Miners Vice President and C.O.O Erik Haag said. "I truly enjoy winning this type of award because it recognizes everyone who is associated with the Miners; coaches, players, front office staff, part-time staff and our sponsors for their hard work and dedication both on and off the field."

The Miners also received award-winning coverage this season as The Daily Republican was honored as the Frontier League's Newspaper of the Year for the first time.

The Miners completed their final regular season homestand on Wednesday and will visit the Gateway Grizzlies on Friday to begin their final three-game road trip. For playoff tickets and the latest news about the Miners and events at Rent One Park, visit www.southernillinoisminers.com.

Check out the Southern Illinois Miners Statistics

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Frontier League Stories from September 2, 2010


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