MWL1 Quad Cities River Bandits

Two Bandits Rewarded for Big Week

Published on June 30, 2008 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Quad Cities River Bandits News Release


The Quad Cities River Bandits slugged their way to a 5-2 record last week, and on Monday they reaped the rewards.

Matt Arburr was named the Midwest League Co-Player of the Week for the period lasting from June 23-29, while Mark Diapoules was promoted to Palm Beach by the St. Louis Cardinals. In a corresponding roster move, the River Bandits added the Cardinals' eighth-round pick to their starting rotation.

Arburr, a 22-year-old first baseman, hit a blistering .391 for the week while blasting a league-best four homers and slugging a league-high 1.000 in just six games. He also drove in eight runs and collected six extra-base hits. The third River Bandits player to earn a weekly league award this year, Arburr is hitting .250 with a team-high 13 homers on the season, checking in second on the club with 33 RBI.

Meanwhile, Diapoules receives a promotion to the Florida State League on the heels of one of his best starts of the year. The sinkerballing right-hander held Clinton to just two hits over 6.2 innings of work on Friday night, out-dueling LumberKings' ace Neftali Feliz to improve to 5-1. A 20-year-old from Florida, Diapoules was the lone representative of the Quad Cities pitching staff at the Midwest League All-Star Game. He leaves the River Bandits with a 3.56 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 55.2 innings, holding opposing hitters to a .229 batting average.

Replacing Diapoules on the River Bandits' roster is a new draft pick, left-hander Ryan Kulik. A southpaw out of Rowan (NJ) University, Kulik was taken by the Cardinals in the eighth round, making him the highest Division III player selected in the 2008 draft. The 22-year-old made two appearances with the Batavia Muckdogs (NYP) before being promoted to Quad Cities, striking out five batters over six innings of work while allowing just three hits and no earned runs.

During his four-year college career, Kulik posted a 29-10 record with a 2.81 ERA and 337 strikeouts. As a senior in 2008 he went 10-2 with a 1.72 ERA and a school-record 144 strikeouts, which was the highest strikeout total in all of Division III. Kulik also led all Division III players with 13.74 strikeouts per nine innings. The southpaw left Rowan University as the school's all-time record holder for strikeouts in a game (15), season (144) and career (337), strikeouts per nine innings in a season (13.77), and career innings pitched (330).

The River Bandits roster currently stands at 25 active players, the maximum allowed by the Midwest League. An updated roster accompanies this release.

UP NEXT: The River Bandits wind down a four-game series in Clinton against the LumberKings on Monday before returning to Modern Woodmen Park on Tuesday for a seven-game homestand. The home stretch kicks off on July 1 against the Cedar Rapids Kernels with Halloween in July, also the Davenport Noon Optimists' Youth Appreciation Night, a Margarita Monday, and a Two-for-Tuesday! A Wacky WINS-day follows with guaranteed prizes for everyone in attendance on an IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union Night. As Independence Day looms, Thursday, July 3, will be a Thirst-day Thursday with half-price drink specials while the game will be followed by the City of Davenport's Red, White, and BOOM fireworks display. The River Bandits will celebrate the Fourth of July one night later with the biggest fireworks extravaganza of the season on Friday while also honoring those that serve our community on Hometown Heroes Night. After Cedar Rapids leaves town, the homestand continues July 5-7 against the Peoria Chiefs, as Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg makes his final regular season trip to Modern Woodmen Park. Bandit Wear featuring the new team name and logo is currently available by visiting the Modern Woodmen Park team store, and season ticket packages, mini-packages, and the popular You-Pick-10 Plan are on sale at the park or by calling (563) 3-BANDITS!

Check out the Quad Cities River Bandits Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Midwest League Stories from June 30, 2008


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central