SAL1 Charleston Dirty Birds

WV Power Game Notes - April 11, 2015 vs. Savannah

Published on April 11, 2015 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Charleston Dirty Birds News Release


Savannah Sand Gnats (0-2) at West Virginia Power (2-0)

Game #3 | April 11, 2015 | Appalachian Power Park | Charleston, WV

Radio: Charleston's ESPN 104.5 & 1490 - wvpower.com Airtime: 1:45 p.m.

TODAY'S MATCH-UP

RHP Casey Meisner (No Record) vs. RHP Dovydas Neverauskas (No Record)

Meisner: Went 5-3 with a 3.75 ERA in 13 starts with short-season Brooklyn

Neverauskas: Started 26 games with West Virginia and went 6-12 with a 5.60 ERA

THE LEAD OFF: Jerrick Suiter delivered again in the clutch as he provided a game-tying triple in the fifth and scored the winning run in a 3-1 Power victory over the Sand Gnats on Friday night in Charleston. With West Virginia trailing 1-0 entering the fifth, Chase Simpson led off the frame with a walk and scored on Suiter's triple to right-center. Just a few pitches later, Tyler Filliben floated a ball which dropped in center to score Suiter and gave the Power the lead. In the eighth, Pablo Reyes' solo home run provided insurance as Yeudy Garcia picked up the save. Starting pitcher Alex McRae was magnificent after he surrendered two hits through five innings to earn his first victory of the season.

NEVER HAVE I EVER: The Power have started the season 2-0 for the first time in franchise history and will send RHP Dovydas Neverauskas to the bump to try and make it three straight. It was a tough 2014 for the native of Lithuania as he went 6-12 with a 5.60 ERA though he showed improvements in his ERA during the second half of last season. In 2014, Neverauskas faced the Sand Gnats once and gave up three runs (two earned) on four hits over four frames.

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 28-21 record. Following the conclusion of this series on Sunday, the Power will welcome the Sand Gnats back to Charleston from June 9-11.

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. 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 youngest plyer on the Power and is also the only teenager on the current roster...The average age of the Power team is 22 years old...West Virginia has five stolen bases which is the second most in the league behind Asheville's ten.

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION: Pittsburgh picked up their first win of the season by knocking off the Milwaukee Brewers 6-2...Indianapolis's offensive woes continue as they were shutout for the second straight night, 3-0...Jason Creasy pitched effectively for Altoona but the Curve dropped extra innings in Harrisburg 3-2...Bradenton fell to St. Lucie 6-1 with Jordan Steranka driving in the Marauders' lone run.

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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