BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- As the calendar turns to August and the football, volleyball and soccer teams on campus are preparing for their fall seasons, several former baseball Hilltoppers are putting together strong seasons on their respective minor league teams. Here is an update on several members of this year's draft class and more.
Matt Ridings - Burlington Royals
Ridings was been named the pitcher of the week for the Appalachian League, announced Monday. The Tennessee native is 2-3 this season with a 2.70 ERA in nine starts. Ridings recorded his first win in a month on Thursday, giving up no runs on three hits in six innings.
"It's a good honor. It felt good last week pitching, I had good defense behind me," Ridings said after learning of the announcement. "We got ahead early; it's easy to pitch with the lead. I think we were up six or seven runs in the first two innings. It makes pitching a lot easier knowing you have a big lead like that."
In his last two starts, Ridings has given up one run in 12 innings, with 13 strikeouts. Ridings leads the team in innings pitched, and is third in strikeouts. His ERA is second on Burlington's roster, and he is scheduled to make his 10th start of the season Tuesday night in Greeneville.
The right hander is the first Royal to be honored by the Appalachian League's player and pitcher of the week awards this season, and is tied with teammate Matt Murray for the second best WHIP in the Appalachian League. Ridings has the fifth best ERA, and has pitched the fifth most innings.
Matt Rice - Hudson Valley Renegades
Rice continues to have a strong first season with the Hudson Valley Renegades. In 34 games played, Rice has a .293 average, good for fourth on the team. Rice has 36 hits, five doubles, three home runs all while driving in 17 runs. Other numbers include a .407 slugging percentage and a .389 on-base percentage.
In a 6-1 win over Williamsport earlier this month, Rice went 2-for-5 with an RBI. The Hudson Valley Renegades are 25-25 this season, fourth in the New York Penn League McNamara Division. Recently, Micheal Compton of the Bowling Green Daily News caught up with the former Hilltopper catcher, click here to read more.
Kes Carter - Hudson Valley Renegades
Carter departed this week for Port Charlotte, Fla., home of the Tampa Bay Rays spring training facilities, where he'll rehabilitate the shin splints that have sidelined him since the opening week of the season.
"After I heard my named called, it's an ecstatic feeling," Carter told the Poughkeepsie Journal in June, the day before the Renegades' season opener in Aberdeen. "Words can't describe what was going through my mind. I'm ready to get it going."
That opening-week injury had hampered Carter's rookie season as the outfielder went 3 for 13 in his only three pro games, posting a .231 average while driving in a run.
Phil Wetherell - Staten Island Yankees
Wetherell has a 3-1 record, two saves and a 1.93 ERA as a reliever for Class A Staten Island Yankees. In 17 relief appearances this season, Wetherell has 29 strikeouts and nine walks in 18-2/3 innings. In his last outing, Wetherell suffered his first loss of the season, 1-0 to Williamsport, after allowing one run on two hits in two-thirds of an inning. As a team, Staten Island leads the league with 460 strikeouts and is fourth with a 3.56 ERA. The Yankees are 34-17 on the season, first in the McNamara Division in the New York Penn League.
Chris Bullard - GCL Braves
Bullard has a .265 average with a home run and 14 RBIs in 31 games for the Gulf Coast League Braves this year. Other numbers include seven stolen bases, three doubles and two triples. On Saturday, Bullard went 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. He is hitting .360 against left-handed pitching this season.
Logan Robbins - GCL Braves
Robbins is hitting .231 with five home runs, 11 RBIs and 10 stolen bases in 29 games for the Gulf Coast League Braves this year. Other numbers include four doubles, two triples, 12 walks and 23 runs along with a .444 slugging percentage. In a pair of games last week against the GCL Tigers, Robbins went 2-for-8 with a double.
Rye Davis - GCL Phillies
Davis has a 0-1 record, three saves and a 1.93 ERA as a reliever for the Gulf Coast League Phillies. In 11 relief appearances, Davis has 15 strikeouts and seven walks in 18-2/3 innings with opponents hitting only .164 against him. In his last outing, he suffered his first loss of the season after allowing one run on two hits with three strikeouts in 2-1/3 innings. Davis picked up his third save of the year on July 27th with a pair of scoreless innings while striking out four.
Brian Edelen - AZL Royals
Edelen has a 1-0 record and a 7.83 ERA as a reliever for the Arizona League Royals. In 11 relief appearances, Edelen has 28 strikeouts and 12 walks in 33-1/3 innings. He earned his first win of the year on August 3 against the AZL Mariners. He allowed three runs on four hits with a walk and a strikeout in 3-1/3 innings.
Bart Carter - Beloit Snappers
Carter is 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 26 games this season between the Class A Beloit Snappers and the Elizabethtown Twins. With the Snappers, Carter is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in nine relief appearances over 13-1/3 innings. He has 15 strikeouts while walking only two. He picked up his first win for Beloit on August 9 with two scoreless innings, allowing two hits with a pair of strikeouts against Quad Cities.
Wade Gaynor - Lakeland Flyers
Gaynor is hitting .224 with nine home runs and 49 RBIs in 105 games this season with the Lakeland Flying Tigers in the Florida State League. He has 92 hits, 26 doubles and 33 walks. Gaynor ranks third on the team with his 49 RBIs. In a loss to Brevard County on Monday, he went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run.
Terrence Dayleg - Jamestown Jammers
Dayleg has a .305 average with four home runs and 26 RBIs in 45 games this year with the Jamestown Jammers of the New York Penn League. Dayleg has 10 doubles, two triples with 11 walks and two stolen bases. Other numbers include a .367 on-base percentage and a .452 slugging percentage. On Sunday against State College, Dayleg went 2-for-5 with a run and an RBI.
