SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

WV Power Game Notes - April 10, 2015 vs. Savannah

Published on April 10, 2015 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


Savannah Sand Gnats (0-1) at West Virginia Power (1-0)

Game #2 | April 10, 2015 | Appalachian Power Park | Charleston, WV

Radio: Charleston's ESPN 104.5 & 1490 - wvpower.com Airtime: 6:45 p.m.

TONIGHT'S MATCH-UP

LHP Brad Wieck (No Record) vs. RHP Alex McRae (No Record)

Wieck: Went 1-1 with a 1.40 ERA in 16 relief outings with short-season Brooklyn

Coley: Started 15 games with short-season Jamestown and went 3-6 with a 6.21 ERA

THE LEAD OFF: West Virginia snapped their six-year Opening Day losing streak with a thrilling 7-6 walk-off victory against the Savannah Sand Gnats on Thursday night at Appalachian Power Park. Jeff Roy used his speed to give the Power its first victory of 2015 after he entered the game in the tenth inning as a pinch runner. The 23-year-old stole second but a throwing error by the Savannah catcher allowed him to advance to third. He scored on a chopping ball off the bat of Jerrick Suiter to shortstop and beat the throw home. Pittsburgh Pirates first round draft pick Cole Tucker had a big day at the plate, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs, a run scored and to stolen bases in his SAL debut.

ALL THE WAY, McRAE: Tonight the Power will send RHP Alex McRae to the bump in his first start of the 2015 season. The 22-year-old is making his South Atlantic League debut after he spent all of last season in short-season Jamestown. McRae was drafted by the Pirates in the tenth round of the 2014 MLB Draft out of Jacksonville University. Last year with the Jammers, McRae went 3-6 with a 6.21 ERA in a league-most 15 starts.

THEY'RE HERE: The current 25-man roster features 16 players taken in the MLB Draft. Of the 16 athletes, 14 were taken in last year's draft alone. Eight players who were signed as non-drafted free agents and one player selected in the Rule 5 draft will suit up for the Power this year. Additionally, six countries are represented on the Power including the United States, Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Colombia, Lithuania, and Australia.

GNAT ATTACK: West Virginia will battle Savannah seven times in the 2015 season with four of the games being played during Opening Week. Last season, the Power dropped all three games played against the Sand Gnats but still hold the lead in the all-time series with a 27-21 record.

NEW CAPTAIN AT THE HELM: The Power open up their season with a new manager replacing Michael Ryan, who is now managing up in High-A Bradenton. Brian Esposito becomes the eighth manager in West Virginia Power history after he spent all of last season with short-season Jamestown. Last season, the 36-year-old led Jamestown to a 35-40 record in his first year ever as a manager. Originally selected in the fifth round of the 2000 MLB draft, Esposito played professionally for 13 years, including time with the Colorado, Houston, and Chicago Cubs organizations before joining the Pirates as a player/coach in 2013.

WHO TO WATCH FOR: West Virginia's 2015 Opening Day roster features several prospects featured in popular publications. Leading the prospect rankings is shortstop Cole Tucker. Rated by Baseball America as the number eight prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, Tucker was drafted in the first round (24th overall) in last year's draft. Joining Tucker in the prospect rankings is outfielder Tito Polo who is tabbed by B.A. as the No. 29 prospect in the Pirates farm and catcher Taylor Gushue is rated by MiLB.com as the No. 28 prospect.

POWER PROMO UPDATE- APRIL 25: The West Virginia Power will honor the 1990 Charleston Wheelers, the last team to bring a South Atlantic League title to Charleston. The entire team will be inducted into the Charleston Baseball Hall of Fame and the first 1,000 fans will receive a commemorative t-shirt celebrating the 25th anniversary of the championship.

POWER POINTS: Catcher Kevin Krause and outfielder Carl Anderson are currently listed on the Power Disabled List...Cole Tucker is the youngestplayer on the Power and is also the only teenager on the current roster...The average age of the Power team is 22 years old.

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: An error on a line drive by Gregory Polanco proved fatal to the Pirates who were swept by Reds in three games...Nick Kingham tossed six innings and allowed just one run but took the loss as Indianapolis was shutout by Columbus 4-0...Altoona moved above .500 for the first time since April 2013 when Willy Garcia hit a game winning RBI single in the ninth for the 1-0 victory...Bradenton lost 7-2 after a rough night from Cody Dickson who surrendered four runs over three innings.

ON THE AIR: West Virginia Power games can be heard on Charleston's ESPN 104.5 FM and 1490 AM in Charleston, online at wvpower.com and on the TuneIn Radio App. Adam Marco will call the action once again and will be joined by Mike Baggerman when the team plays at Appalachian Power Park.

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