DeBruin, Williams, Van Orden headed to SAL All-Star Game
HAGERSTOWN, MD - The Hagerstown Suns in conjunction with the South Atlantic League announced today that three Suns players will be representing the team at the 56th annual South Atlantic League All-Star Game later this month. The game will be played in Asheville, NC on Tuesday June 23 at McCormick Field, the home of the Asheville Tourists.
The three players who will be representing the Suns this season in Asheville are RHP Austen Williams, RHP Drew Van Orden, and INF Grant DeBruin. Williams was the Suns opening day starter and has gone 6-1 this season with a 1.65 ERA over nine starts. He has 46 strikeouts in 49.0 innings pitched this season, and has given up just nine earned runs. He was even called up to make a spot start at triple-A Syracuse last week. A sixth round draft pick by the Nationals last year, Williams split last season between the Gulf Coast League (GCL) Nationals and Auburn. He went a combined 4-3 with a 4.36 ERA in 11 starts. Overall in his minor league career thus far Williams is 10-5 with a 3.27 ERA and a .265 batting average against in 21 games (all starts).
Van Orden is 2-1 this season with a 1.85 ERA over nine games (six starts). In each of his three relief outings this year Van Orden has earned a save. In 39.0 innings pitched he has given up just nine total runs on 24 hits, holding opposing hitters to a .188 batting average against. Van Orden was the Nationals fifth round draft choice last June out of Duke University. He is a Manhattan Beach, California native and split last season between the GCL Nationals and Auburn, going a combined 2-4 with a 4.30 ERA in 12 games (nine starts).
DeBruin leads the Suns in hits (59), and RBI (27), is first on the team among those who qualify in batting average (.317), and on base percentage (.380), and ranks tied for second on the team in total bases (75). His .317 average is tied for the fifth highest average in the league among those who have accumulated enough at-bats to qualify. This is DeBruin's first year in the Nationals farm system and his first year in affiliated Minor League Baseball. DeBruin spent 2013 and 2014 with the Joliet Slammers of the independent Frontier League. Combined in those two seasons he hit .304 (196-644) with 41 doubles, three triples, and 13 homeruns in 172 games.
To catch your 2015 Hagerstown Suns All-stars in action all season and to reserve your seats at Municipal Stadium, call 301-791-6266, or go to www.hagerstownsuns.com.