Four Tourists named to All-Star team

Four members of the Asheville Tourists have been named to the South Atlantic League's Southern Division All-Star team, which will meet the Northern Division on Tuesday, June 23, 2009, at Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, West Virginia. The contest will mark the 50th anniversary of the annual South Atlantic League All-Star Game.

Catcher Jordan Pacheco and center fielder Scott Robinson were named starters to the Southern Division squad. Jimmy Cesario was tabbed as a utility infielder on the team, while Christian Friedrich was selected to the pitching staff.

Pacheco and Robinson have been two of the most consistent players in manager Joe Mikulik's lineup. Pacheco enters Monday's game at Lexington with a .328 batting average, five home runs and 28 RBIs while providing steady defense behind the plate. Robinson has been one of the batting order's primary tablesetters by hitting at a .318 clip and leading the Tourists with 18 stolen bases and 35 runs scored. Cesario, who has played at least 10 games at first base, second base and third base, owns a .304 batting average with three homers, 26 RBIs and eight steals.

Friedrich, who was the Colorado Rockies' first-round draft pick in 2008, has been promoted to Advanced A Modesto since the balloting concluded. Friedrich went 3-3 with a 2.18 ERA in eight starts with Asheville and will not participate in the SAL All-Star Game.

The all-star rosters consist of 27 players for each of the two teams and were determined via ballots distributed to the 16 teams' coaching staffs, front office personnel and local media.

"Once again, the talent that will be showcased in this game will be tremendous," said SAL president Eric Krupa. "The expectations of the fans are high, and I believe they will have a fun time during this exciting event."