Six Suns Players Headed to SAL All-Star Game
HAGERSTOWN M.D. - The Hagerstown Suns in conjunction with the South Atlantic League announced today that six Suns players, along with the entire coaching staff, will be representing the team at the 55th annual South Atlantic League All-Star Game later this month. The game will be played in Hickory, NC on Tuesday June 17 at L.P. Frans Stadium, the home of the Hickory Crawdads.
The six Suns players named to the Northern Division team matches the Greensboro Grasshoppers for the most players named to the team by any South Atlantic League Northern Division club. It is also the same number of players the Suns had named to last year's South Atlantic League All-Star game. The Six players who will be representing the Suns this season in Hickory are RHP Nick Pivetta, RHP Austin Voth, LHP Jake Walsh, Catcher Spencer Kieboom, 2B Wilmer Difo, and INF John Wooten.
Pivetta is 7-2 this season with a 3.27 ERA in nine appearances (all starts). He is currently on the DL, but his seven wins are still tied for the league lead. Pivetta was drafted by the Nationals in the fourth round last June out of New Mexico Junior College. He spent 2013 pitching with the Gulf Coast League (GCL) Nationals and Auburn.
Voth is 2-3 this season with a 2.49 ERA in 10 appearances (all starts). His 2.49 ERA ranks ninth in the league. Voth was selected by the Nationals in the fifth round last June out of the University of Washington. He split time last season between the GCL Nationals, Auburn and Hagerstown.
Walsh is 0-1 this season with a 1.74 ERA in 15 appearances (no starts). He leads the Suns in saves this year with five saves in six opportunities. Walsh was selected by the Nationals in the 34th round last June out of the University of Missouri Columbia. He pitched for the GCL Nationals and Hagerstown last season.
Kieboom is hitting .317 (33-104) in 27 games this season. He has a .342 on base percentage and a .500 slugging percentage, as 12 of his 33 hits have gone for extra bases. Kieboom missed the majority of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery (played in four games for the GCL Nationals in 2013). Kieboom was drafted by the Nationals in the fifth round in 2012 out of Clemson University. He spent 2012 playing for Auburn.
Difo is hitting .308 (73-238) in 56 games this season. He leads the league in games played, at-bats, RBI (46), and hits. He also ranks tied for fourth in the league in total bases (108) and second in lowest total plate appearances/ strikeout ratio (12.75). Difo was signed by the Nationals as a non-drafted free agent on June 3, 2010. He spent last season playing for the GCL Nationals, Auburn, Hagerstown, and Potomac.
Wooten is hitting .319 (61-191) in 49 games this season. He leads the team in doubles (15) and is tied for second on the team with four homeruns. Wooten was acquired by the Nationals in a trade with Oakland in November 2013 that sent LHP Fernando Abad to the Athletics. He was originally selected by Oakland in the 37th round in 2012 out of East Carolina University.
The Suns coaching staff headed to Hickory includes manager Patrick Anderson, pitching coach Sam Narron, and hitting coach Luis Ordaz. Anderson is in his first year at the helm of the Suns, and thus far he has guided Hagerstown to a 38-19 record, which puts the team in first place in the South Atlantic League's Northern Division standings. Anderson is in his second season as a member of the Nationals Organization. Last year he guided the GCL Nationals to a 49-9 regular season record, which established a Minor League Baseball record for the best domestic regular-season winning percentage. Narron is in his third season as a coach in the Nationals Organization, and Ordaz is in his fourth season working in the Nats farm system.
To catch your 2014 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.