P-Rays News & Notes-October 22

**Former 1997 P-Ray Paul Hoover had his name in the news as part of the 2007 late season major league pennant race. On September 29, as a member of the Florida Marlins, Hoover broke up a no-hitter that had been sustained by the New York Mets' John Maine for 7 2/3 innings. The hit by Hoover, the only one by the Marlins for the game, prevented Maine from recording the first no-hitter in the 46-year history of the New York Mets.

**Pitcher Victor Zambrano, also a member of the 1997 P-Rays, was released by the Baltimore Orioles on October 1. Zambrano, still on the mend from ligament replacement surgery in 2006, appeared on the mound for the big league Orioles late in the season after also pitching in both the Toronto and Pittsburgh organizations earlier in 2007.

**It was announced recently that Sam Mejias will not be returning to the coaching staff of the Baltimore Orioles in 2008. Mejias, who managed the Princeton Reds in 1991-1992, is third in Princeton franchise history in career managerial victories behind Jamie Nelson and Edwin Rodriguez. He was also the manager of the Princeton Reds' team that won the Mercer Cup (1992) in the Cup's first year of existence.

**Only one name of a former P-Ray, pitcher Jose "Enger" Veras of the 1999 Princeton squad, appeared on the rosters of the eight teams that qualified for major league postseason play. Veras, who is now a member of the New York Yankees, did take the mound for two relief appearances for the Yankees versus the Cleveland Indians in their 2007 American League Divisional Championship Series.

**Brian LeHeup, who was a front office intern for the 2003 P-Rays, was recently named as Director of Promotions for the Athletic Department at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, GA. LeHeup, who received his Masters Degree from the University of Southern Mississippi this past August, has also worked for the Tennessee Smokies, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association since leaving Princeton.

**One name from deep in the past of professional baseball in Princeton showed up among the 2007 league leaders in the independent American Association. James Lofton, who played here as a 19-year old infielder for the 1993 Princeton Reds, finished tenth in the AA's batting race with a .326 batting average. Lofton saw major league service earlier this decade as a member of the Boston Red Sox.