Dragons Press Box Notes April 12

Dragons GameDay

Sunday, April 12, 2015  l Game # 4

Fifth Third Field l Dayton, Ohio l 4:00 p.m.

TV: WHIO 7.2 l Radio: Fox Sports 980 WONE

South Bend Cubs (2-1) at Dayton Dragons (1-2)

RH Zach Hedges (2-1, 1.37 w/AZL Cubs) vs. RH Tejay Antone (2-3, 5.76 w/Billings/AZL Reds)

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Today's Game: The Dayton Dragons (affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds) meet the South Bend Cubs (affiliate of the Chicago Cubs) in the first game of a three-game series. This is the Dragons 2015 Home Opening Day game.

Changes: Following the 2014 season, the South Bend franchise ended their working agreement with the Arizona Diamondbacks and partnered with the Chicago Cubs on a new player development contract. The team changed its nickname from the Silver Hawks to the Cubs.

Today's Dragons Starting Pitcher: Tejay Antone was drafted by the Reds in the fifth round in 2014 out of Weatherford College in Texas. He spent the 2013 season at TCU. Antone was 2-3, 5.94 in 12 starts at Billings in 2014 after briefly pitching with the AZL Reds. He had signed to play at Auburn University in 2015 before being drafted by the Reds. His father was a backup quarterback on the University of Oklahoma 1975 national championship team under Barry Switzer, and his uncle was a baseball player drafted by the Baltimore Orioles.

                        
                        
                        Individual Notes 

• Aristides Aquino led the Pioneer League in RBI, extra base hits, doubles, and total bases in 2014 with Billings. He finished second in the league in home runs, stolen bases, and slugging percentage. He was selected to the Pioneer League post-season all-star team and was selected by Baseball America as the league's top prospect.
• Brennan Bernardino was the top relief pitcher in the Pioneer League in 2014 with Billings, posting a 1.01 ERA and nine saves.
• Gavin LaValley led his high school team to three straight state championships in Oklahoma, belting 54 home runs in high school.
• Seth Varner was the 2014 Mid American Conference Pitcher of the Year at Miami University…Wyatt Strahan was First Team All-PAC 12 at USC…Jimmy Pickens was First Team All-Big Ten at Michigan State…Garrett Boulware was 2nd Team All-ACC at Clemson…Brian O'Grady was 3rrd Team All-America Athletic Conference at Rutgers…Jake Ehret was a member of the 2013 college baseball national championship team at UCLA…Narciso Crook hit four home runs in one game in 2013 in junior college, leading his team to the national Junior College World Series title.
• Five members of the Dragons are rated among the Reds top 30 prospects according to Baseball America: OF Aristides Aquino (#9), 3B Gavin LaValley (#17), RHP Wyatt Strahan (#23), RHP Tyler Mahle (#26), and RHP Jeremy Kivel (#29).
• Five members of the Dragons return from last season's club. They include RHP Alejandro Chacin, C Jose Ortiz, C Julio Morillo, INF Ronald Bueno, and INF Avain Rachal.   
• The Dragons roster includes four players who were drafted in the first five rounds. Mark Armstrong was the Reds third round pick in 2013 and Wyatt Strahan was a third round selection in 2014. Gavin LaValley was a fourth rounder in 2014. Tejay Antone was a fifth round pick in 2014.

 

Team Notes

• The Dragons have collected exactly seven hits in each of their first three games (all at West Michigan; two were seven-inning games).
• The Dragons roster includes 14 players who played for the 2014 Pioneer League champion Billings Mustangs.

 

Tuesday, April 14 (7:00 p.m.): South Bend RH Ryan Williams (2-1, 1.35 w/Boise/AZL Cubs) at Dayton RH Mark Armstrong (4-3, 4.23 w/AZL Reds)