Wendle Leads 2012 Steamers Draft Class
June 12, 2012 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Edenton Steamers News Release
EDENTON, NC - The Edenton Steamers of the Coastal Plain League announce today that three former and four current Steamers were selected in the 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. 2011 second baseman Joey Wendle, first baseman Adam Giacalone and shortstop Tim Saunders were the three alumni selected. Right-handed pitchers Casey Shiver and Travis Huber, left-handed pitcher Tim Flight, and shortstop Ryan Dineen comprised the current Steamers chosen.
Wendle, out of West Chester University (PA), was drafted in the 6th round, 203rd overall by the Cleveland Indians, becoming the highest-drafted position player in Edenton history. He played in 53 games for the Steamers in 2011. He finished batting .377, tying the Steamers franchise record for batting average in a season. His 81 hits set a new Coastal Plain League mark and he scored 46 runs, hit 12 doubles, four home runs, drove in 39, drew 24 walks, stole nine bases and struck out only 14 times. He led the team in slugging at .507 and on-base percentage at .448 while also breaking the Steamers franchise record in assists by a second baseman with 158, concluding one of the best overall single seasons in Steamer history. He was rewarded by being selected as a 2011 CPL All-Star and was the Steamer recipient of the Gieseke Gold Award at season's end. For the Rams this spring, Wendle continued the success he began in Edenton over the summer, batting .399 and starting all 56 games. He scored 64 runs, picked up 79 hits, adding 19 doubles, nine triples and 12 home runs. He drove in 59 and slugged .768, taking 29 walks and had an on-base percentage of .479, while going 12-for-13 in stolen base attempts. Wendle was a three-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Association Player of the Week this spring and was also named a First-Team All-American by the American Baseball Writers Association and a 2012 Eastern College Athletic Conference Division II All-Star. Wendle can add these accolades to PSAC East Division Player of the Year and Division II National Champion.
Giacalone, from Neosho County Community College (KS), was drafted in the 16th round, 515th overall by the Milwaukee Brewers. A summer ago, Giacalone played in 39 games for the Steamers. He finished batting .271, scoring 26 runs, hitting nine doubles and a team-leading seven home runs. He drove in 27 and took 27 walks, finishing with a fielding percentage of .994. On the mound for the Steamers, Giacalone went 1-0 with a 4.72 ERA in six appearances. For the Panthers this spring, Giacalone finished batting .396 in 65 games. He scored 57 runs, led the team with 25 doubles, 12 home runs, 59 RBIs, 141 total bases, .754 slugging percentage, .521 on-base percentage and 45 walks. On the mound he went 8-3 with a 1.90 ERA. In 14 starts he pitched 95.2 innings, allowing 95 hits, 26 earned runs and issuing only seven walks to 88 strikeouts. Giacalone, also a University of Tennessee signee, currently owns 12 single-season or career records for the Panthers. He was twice named the Jayhawk Conference Player of the Year, First Team All-Conference First Baseman and Pitcher, First Team All-Region First Baseman and Second Team All-Region Pitcher. As a freshman he was named the Freshman of the Year as well as being named a First Team All-American, an honor which he is expected to earn again this season.
Saunders, a senior from Marietta College (OH), was selected in the 32nd round, 974th overall by the Chicago Cubs. In 44 games with the Steamers in 2011, Saunders batted .306, scoring 31 runs, and collecting six doubles, three triples, two home runs and 16 RBIs. He drew 12 walks and stole 17 bases. For Marietta this spring he finished with a .441 batting average, 80 runs scored, 19 doubles, seven triples, five home runs, 48 RBI, a .667 slugging percentage, a .512 on-base percentage and he went 41 of 47 in stolen base attempts. Saunders was named an American Baseball Coaches Association First-Team All-American, a D3baseball.com First-Team All-American and Ohio Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
Shiver, a junior at Southern Polytechnic State University (GA), was taken in the 10th round, 336th overall by the Texas Rangers. In limited time with the Steamers this summer he went 2-0 in two starts. In 10 innings pitched he finished with an ERA of 2.70. He allowed 10 hits, three runs, four walks, and he struck out 11. For the Hornets this spring he finished 9-4 in 15 starts. In his 102.1 innings pitched he logged a 3.17 ERA, allowing 108 hits, 36 earned runs, 32 walks and he struck out 90 hitters.
Flight, from Southern New Hampshire University, was drafted in the 17th round, 547th overall by the New York Yankees. He finished 9-1 with a 1.31 earned run average in 15 starts while recording 140 strikeouts in 102.2 innings of work while holding opposing batters to a .203 average against. He was named the American Baseball Coaches Association and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II Pitcher of the Year and also finished as the runner-up for the Tino Martinez Award, given to the top player in Division II baseball. He was also the Northeast-10 Pitcher of the Year and a consensus First Team All-American. His 140 strikeouts this season shattered the previous SNHU record of 100 and he ranks first in career ERA (1.75), second in career strikeouts (229) and third in career victories (15).
Huber, a junior at the University of Nebraska, was drafted in the 23rd round, 700th overall by the Minnesota Twins. In four appearances so far this summer for the Steamers, Huber has no record and a 1.35 ERA. In 6.2 innings pitched he has allowed six hits, one run and two walks. He has struck out 10 batters and held opposing hitters to a .222 batting average against, becoming a key member of the Steamers bullpen during their 9-0 run to begin 2012. For Nebraska, Huber finished 1-2 with a 3.32 ERA in 20 appearances. He recorded a team-leading seven saves in 21.2 innings pitched.
Dineen, from Eastern Illinois University, was drafted in the 25th round, 759th overall by the Houston Astros. Dineen finished his spring season batting .335 in 57 games. He scored 37 runs, hit nine doubles, one triple, seven home runs and drove in 36. He drew a team-leading 32 walks and led the squad in on-base percentage at .429 and stole 15 bags for the Panthers.
The Edenton Steamers are a proud member of the Coastal Plain League, the nation's hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 16th season in 2012, the CPL features 14 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with the use of wooden bats. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. Furthermore, the CPL has had over 930 alumni drafted and 51 alums - including 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander - make their Major League debut thus far. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at http://www.coastalplain.com, and be sure to friend us on Facebook (at http://www.facebook.com/coastalplainleague) and follow us via Twitter (as cpleague).
Coastal Plain League Stories from June 12, 2012
- Fish Leads Tobs Past Steamers - Wilson Tobs
- Dogs Stay Hot at "The Swamp" - Fayetteville SwampDogs
- Steamers Take First Loss To Wilson - Edenton Steamers
- Sharks Launch Three Home Runs, Down Marlins 9-3 - Morehead City Marlins
- Wendle Leads 2012 Steamers Draft Class - Edenton Steamers
- Yarbrough Leads List of 79 CPL Alums Taken in 2012 MLB Draft - Coastal Plain
- HiToms Have Pair of Upcoming Games - High Point-Thomasville HiToms
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.
