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Northwoods Green Bay Rockers

Seven Former Bullfrogs Selected in 2015 MLB Draft

June 10, 2015 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Green Bay Rockers News Release


Former Green Bay Bullfrog Matt Beaty
Former Green Bay Bullfrog Matt Beaty
(Green Bay Rockers)

Green Bay, Wis.- Former Bullfrogs Matt Beaty '14 (Belmont), Ryan Howell '14 (Nevada-Reno), Ivan Vietez '14 (Lenoir-Rhyne), Dean Long '14 (Emporia State), Matt Esparza '13 (UC-Irvine), Mitch Ghelfi '13 (UW-Milwaukee), and Christian Cecilio '12 (San Francisco) were all selected today in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.

Beaty, Howell, Veitez, and Long all played with Green Bay in 2014. Beaty (C/INF) was selected in the 12th Round as the 372nd overall pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Oakland Athletics took Howell in the 15th Round as the 457th Selection. Ivan Veitez was also chosen by the Dodgers in the 27th round, 822nd overall. And Emporia State's Dean Long was drafted in the 38th Round by the Texas Rangers. He was the 1, 128th overall taken in this year's draft.

Matt Beaty was the Bullfrogs 2014 team MVP. It was for good reason. He led the Bullfrogs with a .296 AVG and was selected to the Big League Dreams showcase, finishing the year on a six-game hit streak. From June 16-24, Beaty went 12-for27 with 3 RBI. Beaty also had 15 multi-hit games as he finished with 31 walks and just 25 strikeouts.

From Dresden, TN, Beaty completed a monster 2015 senior season for the Belmont Bruins. He hit .382 with 12 HR and 76 RBI. Beaty finished with a .668 SLG and .469 OBP. He also swiped 12 bases. Throughout his four years in college, Beaty has improved with each season. In his junior campaign, Beaty had a .352/.478/.536 slash line and lead the Bruins in batting average and on-base percentage. As a freshman, Beaty was named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team.

Ryan Howell led the Bullfrogs with 11 HR and 44 RBI last summer. In 227 at-bats, Howell had 58 hits, 45 runs, and 31 BB. From June 4-12, to start his Northwoods League season Howell went 13-for-36 with nine runs, two home runs, four doubles, and 16 RBI.

With the Wolf Pack in 2015, he hit a .312/.421/.642 slash line and led the team with 17HR and 65RBI. A first baseman, Howell started all 56 games for Nevada's 41-15 season. Amid his first Division 1 season, Howell finished seventh in the nation in home runs, and eighth in RBI. The Brentwood, CA native was the NCBWA District VIII Player of the Year.

Ivan Veitez, was taken from Lenoir-Rhyne. He pitches and plays the outfield. As a Bullfrog, Vietez was an accountable, everyday player. He hit .280 with 3 HR and 39 RBI. He also struck nine doubles. As a pitcher, he sported a 1.42 ERA in 12 2/3 IP in eight appearances out of the bullpen.

In 2015, Vietez hit .288 in 277 at-bats with the Bears. He was tied for second on the squad with 12 doubles. He also racked up 5 HR and 38 RBI. As a pitcher, he started the most games on the team, 12, and also led Lenoir-Rhyne with 58 IP.

Dean Long played for the Bullfrogs as an infielder and hit 4 HR and 33 RBI with the team. Long led the team with 25 stolen bases. He had a .357 on-base percentage.

A break out year at Emporia State, Long bashed 23 home runs with 81 RBI in the spring. His home run total was seventh best in all of Division II. Long also flashed an impressive .794 SLG. He swiped 12 bases for the Hornets.

Matt Esparza, a right-handed pitcher, and Mitch Ghelfi, a catcher, played with the Bullfrogs in 2013. The Cleveland Indians in the 14th Round as the 424th pick selected Esparza. The Brewers took Ghelfi in the 28th Round as the 841st chosen player.

The 2013 Bullfrog, and UC-Irvine Anteater, Esparza, amassed 72 2/3 innings for the Bullfrogs and was a mainstay in the rotation. He started 12 games on the hill and struck out 60 hitters.

Esparza led the 2015 Anteaters with 16 pitching starts. He accumulated a 3.38 ERA, 8-2 record, with 98 2/3 IP, 81 strikeouts, and a .249 opposing batting average.

Catcher, Mitch Ghelfi, played in 20 games during the 2013 summer. In 63 at-bats he had 16 hits, three doubles, two home runs, and five RBI for the Bullfrogs. Hailing from La Crosse, WI, Ghelfi went 2-for-2 in a 1-0 victory against Lakeshore on May 31st, 2013, driving in the lone score on a solo home run shot.

He hit for an eye-opening line of .356/.463/.514 with the UW-Milwaukee Panthers. His fielding percentage was .983 as he played catcher on a 39-20 Horizon League club.

Christian Cecilio, selected in the 22nd round, 657th pick, was dominant in his June 2012 stretch for Green Bay. He finished with a 0.69 ERA, 13 IP, 14 K, and eight combined shutout innings against Madison on two appearances.

Cecilio was one of the best in the West Coast Conference this year. With the Dons, Cecilio logged a 2.05 ERA in 109 2/3 IP, both team highs. He struck out 91 batters and held opposing swingers to just a .226 batting average.

Single game tickets are on sale now. Visit www.greenbaybullfrogs.com to purchase tickets. The Bullfrogs' business hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.




Images from this story

Former Green Bay Bullfrog Matt Beaty
Former Green Bay Bullfrog Matt Beaty
   



Northwoods League Stories from June 10, 2015


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