Skyhawks Alumni Report
September 25, 2009 - Canadian American League (Can-Am)
Sussex Skyhawks News Release
As the 4th season of Skyhawks baseball comes to a close, it's time to take stock of former Skyhawks players and coaches and see where they are now. Former Skyhawks First Baseman Matt Weston, who owns team records in runs scored, home runs, RBI's, and slugging percentage in a single season, was signed by the Houston Astros in mid-June and assigned to their High-A team in Lancaster, CA, the Lancaster JetHawks. In 86 games for the JetHawks, Matt hit .300 with 17 home runs, 67 RBI's and a .946 OPS.
Two former Skyhawks made appearances in the short season New York-Penn League this year. Scott Grimes, a Skyhawk in 2006 and 2007 who hit .281 in his two seasons in Sussex, played in 27 games between the Gulf Coast Mets and the Brooklyn Cyclones, hitting .234 in limited action with 3 home runs, 13 RBI's and 12 runs scored. Former Hawks set-up man Mike Laluna, who appeared in 26 games with the Skyhawks in our 2008 championship season with a 2-1 record and a 2.79 E.R.A. made his affiliated debut this season appearing in 22 games for the Oneonta Tigers, the short season affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. He finished the season 3-5 with a 4.96 E.R.A. with 53 strikeouts and an opponent batting average of .237 Laluna's best month was June when he went 0-1 in 3 games with a 2.00 E.R.A. with 15 strikeouts in 9 innings pitched and a .156 batting average against.
A few former members of the Skyhawks coaching staff have made the transition to working in affiliated baseball. Former manager Brian Drahman is now the pitching coach for the Great Falls Voyagers, a rookie league team affiliated with Drahman's former club the Chicago White Sox. Former hitting coach Jeremy Booth had transitioned to a role with the front office of the Milwaukee Brewers, serving as their area scout for southern Texas and Louisiana.
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Carey leaving Skyhawks
For the past two seasons, Brooks Carey has overseen the Skyhawks pitching staff, a staff that was dominate through the 2008 championship run. Carey has accepted a position with the San Luis club in the Mexican Northern League as their field manager. Carey, a Tampa, FL resident, has managed in the New York State League, the Arizona winter league and served as the head coach at Key West High School. However, the role with San Luis was an opportunity that was bittersweet for Carey. "Anytime you leave you a good situation, such as my time in Sussex, it is a difficult decision; however, the opportunity to manage at the level of the Mexican Northern League was just an opportunity that I could not pass on" commented Carey. Carey will have former MLB player Ozzie Virgil as one of his coaches in San Luis.
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Canadian American League Stories from September 25, 2009
- Skyhawks Alumni Report - Sussex Skyhawks
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