FL Southern Illinois Miners

Shepard, Tinius Added to Experienced All-Star Team

July 5, 2018 - Frontier League (FL)
Southern Illinois Miners News Release


Marion, IL - The Southern Illinois Miners are proud to announce that Chance Shepard and Kyle Tinius have been added by manager Mike Pinto to the Experienced all-star squad, giving the Miners three all-stars in 2018, with Romeo Cortina having previously been voted to the Rookie team earlier this week.

As the Miners are in first place in the Frontier League's West Division following play on July 4th, Pinto and his coaching staff will manage the Experienced team at the 2018 Frontier League All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 11th at CarShield Field in O'Fallon, Missouri. In addition to the two Miners, Pinto has also added Gateway's Alec Kisena and Trae Santos to the squad with Schaumburg first base coach Bill Fratto being named to the coaching staff.

Shepard has been one of the premier power hitters in the Frontier League all season long. Following Wednesday's action, the Wilmington, North Carolina native has hit .271 this year with 14 home runs and 32 RBIs. His homers are tied for first in the league as of this release and his RBIs also rank inside the league's top-10, with Shepard leading the Miners in both categories. His .578 slugging percentage is also second-highest among all qualifying hitters in the circuit. He had played two years in the Washington Nationals organization before coming to Southern Illinois this season.

A third-year Miners reliever, Tinius is having his best season to date out of the bullpen, with a 3-0 record, four saves and an ERA of 0.83 in 21 appearances. Ranking second in Southern Illinois history with 104 career games overall across the three years, the Broomfield, Colorado native has struck out 22 against seven walks and 19 hits over 21 2/3 innings in 2018. He joined the Miners in 2016 after completing his collegiate career at Division-II West Texas A&M University.

"Both Chance and Kyle have had tremendous first halves for us and are well-deserving to represent the Miners and the Frontier League as all-stars," Pinto said. "Our staff is incredibly proud of them, and we look forward to watching them showcase their skills against the league's other best players."

"Bill (Fratto) and I have been friends since being teammates in the MSBL World Series back in the late '80s, and we coached together when I was at Oakton Community College," Pinto added. "This is a rare treat for us to be on the same team again."

The Miners will look to bounce back and win their road series against the Traverse City Beach Bums in the rubber match tonight at 6:05 p.m. before returning home for their last series before the all-star break, pitching Steven Ridings against the Beach Bums at Wuerfel Park against Traverse City's Matt Murphy.

The Southern Illinois Miners are the Frontier League's winningest franchise since debuting in 2007, winning the 2012 Frontier League Championship as well as division titles in 2010, 2014, 2015 and 2016. They have been awarded the Frontier League Organization of the Year award three times since their inception, and also set a new Frontier League attendance record in their inaugural season. For ticket information, contact the box office at (618) 998-8499. For additional information, visit our website at www.siminers.com.

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Frontier League Stories from July 5, 2018


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