FL Washington Wild Things

Wild Things Sign Three

Published on April 27, 2009 under Frontier League (FL)
Washington Wild Things News Release


Washington, PA - The Washington Wild Things, presented by Washington Federal Savings Bank, announced the signing of three pitchers Monday. RHP Kyle Heyne, LHP Aaron Furhman, and RHP Rob Hedrick will report to training camp in May.

Heyne, a Coldwater, Ohio native was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 32nd round of the 2008 First Year Player Draft from Ball State University. He split his first season between the AZL Padres and Eugene of the Northwest League where he went 3-4 with a 3.89 ERA, striking out 28 batters and allowing 39 hits in 41.2 innings pitched in 26 games between the two stops. He went 2-1 with a 1.85 ERA in his final seven appearances allowing three earned runs and three walks, while striking out ten in 14.2 innings pitched.

Heyne anchored the Ball State bullpen in 2008 with a record of 4-4, a 1.34 ERA, and eight saves. He is the Ball State all-time leader in appearances with 100 and the Mid-American Conference's all-time saves leader with 32 in his career.

He was also drafted in 2007 by the Minnesota Twins following his junior year at Ball State where he went 5-3 with a 2.31 ERA and ten saves in 26 games striking out 28 and walking only five in 35 innings pitched.

"Kyle has put up solid numbers in pro ball and will be used out of the pen," said Mark Mason, field manager for the Wild Things.

Furhman, a Saylorsburg, PA native, was selected by the Detroit Tigers from Pleasant Valley High School in the 23rd round of the 2006 First Year Player Draft. He made his professional debut that summer appearing in four games for the Gulf Coast Tigers striking out four in 3.1 innings pitched.

Last season he went a combined 3-4 with a 4.18 ERA in 15 appearances, including three starts, for Class A Short-Season Oneonta and Class A West Michigan. He allowed two runs and struck out six over three innings to pick up a win in his season debut on June 19 against Class A Short-Season Vermont. He struck out a season-high seven over four scoreless frames in a win over Tri-City on August 4, and he did not allow a run over 10 innings in four home appearances for Oneonta. Furhman went 1-0 with a 1.32 ERA in four August outings. Following his promotion to West Michigan, he tossed two scoreless innings in his debut against Dayton on August 23. He made his first start for the White Caps on August 25th allowing one earned run and in 4 2/3 innings pitched versus Great Lakes while striking out three.

Furhman spent the 2007 season with the GCL Tigers where he went 2-7 in 12 games, striking out 56 in 60 innings while allowing only 61 hits. He ranked fifth among league starters with 8.78 strikeouts per nine innings. He tossed a two-hit shutout in the first game of a doubleheader, striking out six and walking none on August 3 vs. the GCL Blue Jays. He was tied for the league lead with one complete game and one shutout. He played for Pleasant Valley High School, where the Bears won three Mountain Valley Conference championships in four years. As a senior he had a 7-0 record and a 1.40 ERA, striking out 71 batters and walking 17 in 40 innings pitched.

"Aaron comes to us with three seasons of pro ball and is someone we see who can fit into our starting rotation," added Mason.

Hedrick was a three-time, first-team all-PSAC conference honoree at California University of Pennsylvania. He was a dual threat for the Vulcans as a relief pitcher and infielder.

As a relief pitcher, Hedrick was 1-4 with four saves in 10 appearances in 2008. He struck out 14 batters in 11.2 innings pitched and allowed only 12 hits. Last season, as a senior, he hit .361 with seven home runs, 30 RBI and nine stolen bases in 45 games. Hedrick finished the season with a team-high 56 hits and 10 doubles. He scored 35 runs and tallied a .587 slugging percentage.

"Rob played at Cal U and is someone that we've been able to watch and workout. We like what we've seen in the workouts and want to give him an opportunity to be a relief pitcher for us," said Mason. "We're happy to have signed all three players and look forward to seeing them in camp next week."

The Wild Things open the season on May 22nd when they'll host the Lake Erie Crushers for a three game set. Tickets are available at the CONSOL Energy Park Box Office.

The team is accepting applications for potential host families. Interested families are asked to contact Wayne Herrod (wherrod@washingtonwildthings.com) for information.

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Frontier League Stories from April 27, 2009


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