United We Stand

September 1, 2010 - United League Baseball (ULB)
San Angelo Colts News Release


San Angelo, TX---The votes are in for the annual United League post-season awards, for everything both on and off the field. Awards on the field include MVP, Manager, Rookie, and Pitcher of the Year and off the field there are awards for playing surface, motel, newspaper, mascot and broadcaster of the year. "In congratulating all the winners I feel this shows how good this league is as a whole. We look to continue all our success and expand into bordering states in the near future", said United League President Byron Pierce".

The Most coveted of the awards is the Most Valuable Player which this year goes to Leivi Ventura. Ventura hit .326, finished first in the league in RBIs (84), second in homeruns (24), had a slugging percentage of .585 and an on base percentage of .403. Leivi also had 20 doubles, 2 triples, 121 hits and scored 76 runs. Ventura who began the year with the Coastal Bend Thunder finished the season with the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings and helped guide them to a playoff birth.

Amarillo Dillas Adam De La Garza and Jonathan Cisneros of the Laredo Broncos were Co-Rookies-of-the-Year. The Dillas switch hitting outfielder helped lead the two-time defending ULB champs to the 2010 regular season title. Adam hit .305 with 7 homeruns and 55 RBIs. Adam also had 112 hits, 20 doubles, 2 triples, and scored 73 runs. The Dillas leadoff man had an on base percentage of .396 with 9 stolen bases. Cisneros, who began the season in Amarillo hit .379 with 4 homeruns and 37 RBIs, had 80 hits, 16 doubles, and scored 29 runs. Jonathan also had an on-base percentage of .455 and a slugging percentage of .512.

The ULB Pitcher-of-the Year was Edinburg's Wardell Starling who was 8-3 with a 2.94 ERA. The Roadrunners right-hander lead the league in ERA, was tied for second in wins and starts (18), and had three complete games two of which were shutouts. In 101 innings pitched, he allowed 104 hits, with a better than 4:1 strikeout to walked ratio, having 88 strikeouts and 21 walks.

Fireman-of-the-Year went to Amarillo Dillas closer Julio Castro who went 2-0 with 1.46 ERA and lead the league with 22 saves. In 37 innings he allowed just an amazing 9 hits and just 6 earned runs this season. Castro had a near 6:1 strikeout to walk ration, striking out 59 and walking just 9, while opponents batted just .074 against him.

The Manager-of-the-Year went to Dan Firova of the Laredo Broncos. Firova's team went 47-45 making a late surge and rocketing to a third place finish. Firova was a former big leaguer and was drafted by Seattle in the second round of the 1980 draft, playing at the major league level for three seasons with both the Mariners and the Indians. While with the Indians he played for another ULB manager Doc Edwards who won last year's award.

Behind the mic, play-by-play announcers Ira Liebman "Voice of the San Angelo Colts" and Jonah Goldberg "Voice of the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings" were named Co-Broadcasters-of-the-Year in the ULB. Liebman returned to the ULB for his second season after broadcasting at Triple-A, as well as doing some work for Major League Baseball in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Ira the Colts Director of Community Relations and Broadcasting just finished his sixth year of professional baseball. Jonah who won last year's award is the WhiteWings Director of Communications and the longest tenured broadcaster in the United League. Goldberg also handles public/media relations and is a radio broadcaster for the NBA Development League Champion Rio Grande Valley Vipers.

Co-awards also went to the San Angelo Colts and Edinburg Roadrunners who were named Co-Franchises-of-the Year. Both teams brought in over a 100,000 fans this past season. The Colts brought in 112,164 fans averaging 2,336 at 48 home games this season as well as bringing in a brand new state of the art video scoreboard, the biggest one in West Texas. The Roadrunners, even with Hurricane Alex reeking havoc, drew 101,620 averaging 2,605 during 39 home games.

San Angelo also won both the playing Surface-of-the-Year and Newspaper-of-the Year with coverage by the San Angelo Standard-Times. The WhiteWings famed "Wild Wing" mascot won the Mascot-of-the Year and the Team Hotel-of-the Year went to the Coastal Bend Thunder where visiting teams stayed at the Red Roof Inn located in Corpus Christi.

Laredo's President and General Manager Jose Melendez won the United League's Executive-of-the-Year award. Melendez's team finished third in the United League, bringing in record crowds in Laredo, and signed former major leaguer Jose Canseco to play for his Broncos down the stretch where the former MLB Rookie-of-the-Year, MVP, and World Series Champ hit .385 with 4 homeruns and 13 RBIs in 11 games.



United League Baseball Stories from September 1, 2010


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