Chiefs announce list of Hot Stove award winners
The awards will include the Jake Meyers Great Guy Award, Tom Higgins Bullpen Chief Award, and Pre-season Player of the Year Awards for softball and baseball at both the high school and college levels.
The Jake Meyers Great Guy Award recipient will be Jeff Costello, coordinator of the Everything irish Night that takes place every season during a Chiefs game. This award is given annually to an individual who devotes a great deal of their own time to further enhance Chiefs Baseball in Central New York. Previous winners include Al Halstead, Jim Durkin, Jeff Morey, Paul Kiniry, Dick Rockwell, Bill Dutch, Steve Grilli, and current Chiefs President Ron Gersbacher.
The Tom Higgins Bullpen Chief Award will go to John F.X. Mannion and Patrick Mannion of Unity Mutual Life Insurance. This award is given annually to a community leader who has provided exemplary support for professional baseball in Syracuse. Previous winners of this award include John Melveney, Bob Scalione, Fred Matt, Doug Logan, Gord Ash, Charlie Rich, and Mike Bragman
The Pre-season College Softball Player of the Year is Amy Kelley of Syracuse University. Kelley, a Bend, Oregon native is a senior catcher for SU. In 2008 she played 53 games and had 53 hits, including 10 doubles, 11 homeruns, 32 RBI with a .627 slugging percentage. Kelley joins former LeMoyne players Sarah Reed and Jennifer Winters as recipients of this award.
The Pre-season College Baseball Player of the Year will go to Matt Nandin of LeMoyne College. Nandin is a Syracuse native and son of former Chiefs infielder Bob Nandin. The second baseman batted .341 with 47 runs, 13 doubles, 34 RBI and 11 stolen bases as a sophomore last year. Nandin also played this past summer in the New England Collegiate League with the league champion Sanford Mainers and batted .319 (11th in the league) with 1 HR and 14 RBI. Nandin follows LeMoyne alums Eric Beaulac (2008), Bobby Blevins (2007), and Mike Affronti (2006), all of whom were drafted by Major League teams, in receiving this award.
The Pre-season High School Softball Player of the Year will be awarded to Ashley Snyder from Pulaski High School. Snyder is a four-time Section III, Class C All-Star and she holds the honor of being named 2008's All-CNY "Pitcher of the Year" to go with three All-CNY First Team selections. In years past the award has gone to Stephanie Hartquist and Brittany Lindley in 2008, Jessica Phillips in 2007, and Colleen Ryan in 2006.
The Pre-season High School Baseball Player of the Year award will be awarded to Kody O'Connor of Mexico High School. O'Connor has earned First Team All-League honors multiple times while at Mexico High School as well as a selection as CNY Player of the Year in 2008. He also was named Second Team All-State in addition to being a member of the Empire State Games Central Team. O'Connor plans to attend LeMoyne College, following in the footsteps of 2007 Pre-season Player of the Year Cory Nelson. Other past winners include Matt Wessinger in 2008 and Ryan Cole in 2006.
Tickets for the Hot Stove are $50 for adults and $20 for children 12 and younger and can be purchased in person at the Chiefs' ticket office or by calling 315-474-7833. Tables of ten are also available for $450. The event will be held at the Holiday Inn Liverpool with the silent auction set to begin at 5:30pm and the dinner program scheduled for 7:00pm.