RiverHawks Take Foursome in Frontier League Draft
May 5, 2004 - Frontier League (FL)
Rockford RiverHawks News Release
WASHINGTON, Penn. â The Rockford RiverHawks took four players in today's Frontier League tryout draft, including a player with prior league experience and a former Anaheim farmhand.
The RiverHawks spent their first pick on left-handed pitcher Derrick Ellison, who threw 87-89 miles per hour during the tryout camp at Falconi Field in Washington. Ellison, 25, was 0-1 with a 4.38 earned-run average in four starts for the Richmond Roosters last year. Ellison, who also had brief stints with the Roosters in 2001 and 2002, is 3-1 with a 3.15 ERA in his three-year career. The Aldie, Va. resident has rookie status in the FL.
"He was 89 with a cutter at 83 and a changeup," manager Bob Koopmann said. Koopmann said Ellison missed the better part of the last two years because of shoulder surgery. "He came back too soon, but he looks real good right now. I thought we were lucky to get him with the seventh (overall) pick."
The second- and third-round picks have no prior professional experience. Lefty Fabian Gomez, who previously pitched for El Paso Junior College, threw 84-88 mph and was taken in the second round. Third-rounder Eddie Guessford, a right-handed hitting outfielder, is out of Averett University.
Fourth-rounder Scott McClain is a veteran. Anaheim took the righty with its ninth-round pick in the 1998 draft and used him primarily as a reliever during his five seasons in the organization. He split the 2002 season between Class A Rancho Cucamonga of the California League, where he was 2-4 with a save and a 6.00 ERA in 40 appearances, and Arkansas of the Double-A Texas League, where he was 1-1 with a save and a 4.63 ERA in eight games. McClain was released in spring training last year and landed with the Atlantic League's Pennsylvania Road Warriors, where he was 1-9 with a save and an 8.66 ERA in 36 games. He is 16-25 with six saves and a 6.87 ERA in his career.
Spring training begins with a workout at 9 a.m. Sunday. The RiverHawks begin their third season on May 21 at the Windy City Thunderbolts. The âHawks open the home schedule at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday, May 25 against Springfield/Ozark at Marinelli Field. The RiverHawks are members of the Frontier League, a 12-team independent professional baseball league in its 12th season.
Frontier League Stories from May 5, 2004
- Roosters Announce Exhibition Game - Richmond Roosters
- Roosters Sign Two At FL Tryout Camp - Richmond Roosters
- RiverHawks Take Foursome in Frontier League Draft - Rockford RiverHawks
- Wild Things Draft Two from Frontier League Try-Out - Washington Wild Things
- Wild Things Gearing Up For Winner's Day at The Park - Washington Wild Things
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