SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

Power Game Notes

Published on April 7, 2011 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


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

Game 1 | April 7, 2011 | Appalachian Power Park | Charleston, WV

Play-by-Play: Adam Marco Radio: Power Baseball Network and wvpower.com

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP

RH Greg Peavey (NR) vs. RH Brandon Cumpton (NR)

Peavey: 6th Round Mets selection in 2010 draft from Oregon State, but did not play after 8/16 signing

Cumpton: Went 0-1 with a 2.53 ERA over 4 G (3 GS) with 6 K and 5 BB for State College in 2010

OPENING DAY: West Virginia opens the 2011 season at Appalachian Power Park tonight. The Power are 3-3 in season openers since being renamed in 2005 and have lost the last two season debuts.

West Virginia, however, is 5-1 in home openers since 2005, with the lone home opener loss coming in 2009 to Lexington by a 1-0 final. The Power won the 2010 home opener 5-4 when Kyle Morgan drove in Evan Chambers with the go-ahead and eventual winning run in the seventh against Asheville.

NEW SKIPPER: Gary Robinson takes over the helm for the 2011 season. Robinson hold a career record of 71-80 after two seasons with State College in the New York-Penn League. Former Power manager Gary Green is still in the Pirates organization, now serving as a roving minor league infield coordinator.

SOME NEW AND ONE OLD: Dave Howard and Gera Alvarez join manager Gary Robinson as new additions to the Power dugout, but Jeff Johnson returns for his third season in Charleston. Howard will serve as he club's hitting coach, a role he previously held with Bradenton at High-A, while Alvarez joins the staff as a bench coach after serving as manager of the Oakland County Cruisers in the Frontier League last year. Johnson returns for his third season with the Power, having been originally assigned here in 2009 when the affiliation changed from Milwaukee to Pittsburgh.

SAND GNAT SET: West Virginia faces Savannah seven times this season, including this four game series to begin the year. The Power lead the all-time set 15-9 and split a four home, four away series last year at fourwins and four losses. The Sand Gnats beat the Power 9-3 last year on Opening day in Savannah.

ROSTER RUNDOWN: The 2011 Power roster features 16 players drafted by Pittsburgh within the last two years, four players who saw South Atlantic League action in 2010 with the Power, and four ranked within Baseball America's top 25 for the entire Pirates organization. Rogelio Noris, Zach Foster, Jairo Marquez, and Andy Vasquez all saw action in 2010 with the Power. Zack Von Rosenberg rates ninth followed by Colton Cain (13), Zach Dodson (18), and Mel Rojas Jr. (23).

BACK FOR MORE: Rogelio Noris hit 15 home runs for West Virginia during the 2010 season and enters the year eighth all-time in Power history in the category. Stephen Chapman hold the single-season record with 24, which is also the most by any player during his stint with West Virginia. Noris is two behind Andrew LaFave's 17 for seventh all-time and four away from moving into the top five.

HISTORY IN THE PAST: West Virginia teams have gotten off to rough starts in five of their six previous seasons, regardless of affiliation. Power clubs were 5-13 combined during their first series of each season from 2005 though 2010.

POWER POINTS: West Virginia plays 14 home games during April and nine on the road. The Power went 9-12 during April of 2010, hit .239, and held a staff ERA of 3.80... Justin Howard and Andy Vasquez are listed as infielders on the official Power roster, but both will see time in the outfield during the 2011 season... 24 of the 25 men on the initial roster were originally drafted or signed by Pittsburgh..

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh lost 8-1 to Washington at PNC Park... Indianapolis opens its season at home against defending IL champion Columbus... Altoona travels to Erie to start the year... Bradenton begins 2011 on the road at Charlotte.

ON THE AIR: All 140 West Virginia Power games can be heard on ESPN 104.5 FM and 1490 in Charleston, WV, across the state on the Power Radio Network, and online at milb.com. Adam Marco will call the action for each of the 70 home games this season, while the home team will provide coverage while the Power are on the road.

Check out the Charleston Dirty Birds Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



South Atlantic League Stories from April 7, 2011


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