Saltdogs Nominate Darby for 'Man of Year'
Published on July 27, 2016 under American Association (AA)
Lincoln Saltdogs News Release
LINCOLN -- The Saltdogs are proud to announce the nomination of OF Austin Darby for the American Association's inaugural Brian Rose/Scott Miller Man of the Year award.
Darby serves as a counselor at Camp Erin, a three-day, overnight bereavement camp for children and teens ages six through 17 who have experienced the death of someone significant in their life, such as a parent, sibling, family member or friend.
The 23-year old former Nebraska Cornhusker was an inspirational speaker at the Mourning Hope of Lincoln breakfast in May, alongside former MLB pitcher Jamie Moyer. Darby shared stories of learning to cope with the deaths of two brothers.
Darby played in the 2016 Homer's Heroes game at Haymarket Park. The Homer's Heroes division of Junior Saltdogs is for boys and girls with physical or intellectual disabilities, ages 5 to 17.
The talented outfielder also serves as the lead youth baseball instructor at the Lincoln Racquet Club.
Through July 26, Darby is hitting .260 with two home runs, 10 doubles and 17 RBI over 33 games in his rookie campaign. He's hitting .308 with a home run, seven doubles and 10 RBI so far in July.
A four-year starter at Nebraska, Darby ranks in the top 20 of the storied program's all-time hits list.
For the second time in three years the American Association lost a valuable member of their fraternity to melanoma. Scott Miller, the voice of the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks passed away in late February. Brian Rose, the bench coach for the Wichita Wingnuts, passed away in late January, 2013.
The award will represent what these two men stood for: dedication to their craft, hard work and determination, kindness and community service. Each of the 12 American Association teams will nominate one player from their team that exemplifies these characteristics.
The players will be those that play within the rules of the game during the season, give it their all game-in-and-game-out plus give back to their community through charitable work and community appearances during the season.
Each of the 12 representatives will be revealed during the August 2 All-Star Game in St. Paul. The league office will then narrow these 12 representatives down to three finalists.
The three finalists will appear on the Post-Season award ballot that goes out to all the teams and will be voted on by two representatives from each team: the manager and a media representative.
American Association Stories from July 27, 2016
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- RailCats Take Rubber Match in Kansas City Behind Five-Run 6th Inning - Gary SouthShore Railcats
- Goldeyes and RedHawks Split Doubleheader - Winnipeg Goldeyes
- Dominant All-Around Performance Gives Blasters Series Win - Joplin Blasters
- 'Dogs Blank Wichita for Historic Victory - Lincoln Saltdogs
- Wingnuts Game Recap: Wichita Two-Hit by Saltdogs in Finale - Wichita Wingnuts
- X's Fall To St. Paul On Rain Filled Wednesday - Sioux City Explorers
- Four Pitchers Combine on One-Hitter as Saints Win Rain Delayed Game 1-0 - St. Paul Saints
- Saltdogs Nominate Darby for 'Man of Year' - Lincoln Saltdogs
- Saints Sign Another Twins Prospect, Third Round Pick Corey Williams - St. Paul Saints
- Second Inning Sinks Blasters in Loss to AirHogs - Joplin Blasters
- Homers by Rodriguez, Miller Key Game 2 Win - Texas AirHogs
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