Sally League announces All-Star rosters

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Eric Krupa, president of the South Atlantic League, has announced the rosters for the 55th Annual SAL All-Star Game, scheduled to be played on June 17, 2014, at L.P. Frans Stadium in Hickory, North Carolina, home of the Hickory Crawdads.

For the Northern Division, two teams each placed six players on the roster. The Greensboro Grasshoppers provide starting catcher Chad Wallach, first baseman Felix Munoz and left fielder Carlos Lopez. The Hagerstown Suns provide second baseman Wilmer Difo. The Delmarva Shorebirds contribute five players, including starting pitcher Hunter Harvey, third baseman Drew Dosch and right fielder Mike Yastrzemski. The Lakewood BlueClaws provide four players, including shortstop J.P. Crawford, who received more votes than any other player on either squad, and designated hitter Willians Astudillo. The Hickory Crawdads and West Virginia Power each provide two players, with Hickory's Evan Van Hoosier named as the starter in center field. The Kannapolis Intimidators contribute one player to the Northern Division roster.

Hagerstown manager Patrick Anderson will skipper the Northern Division All-Stars. Anderson is in his first season in the league, and his second year as a manager in the Minor Leagues. Anderson will be assisted by Hickory manager Corey Ragsdale, Hagerstown coach Luis Ordaz and Hagerstown pitching coach Sam Nerron. Handling the athletic trainer's duties for the Northern Division will be Hickory's Sean Fields.

For the Southern Division, the Savannah Sand Gnats led the division with seven players, including starting second baseman Jeff McNeil and shortstop Gavin Cecchini. The Charleston RiverDogs and Greenville Drive each provide four players, with Charleston's Mike Ford starting at first base and Aaron Judge in right field. Greenville's Jake Romanski is the starting catcher. Three teams each placed three players on the team. The Asheville Tourists provide starting third baseman Ryan McMahon, center fielder David Dahl and designated hitter Correlle Prime while the Augusta GreenJackets provide starting pitcher Matthew Lujon. The Rome Braves supply left fielder Victor Reyes. The Lexington Legends supply two players to the Southern Division roster.

Savannah skipper Luis Rojas will manage the Southern Division squad for the second consecutive year. Rojas is in his fourth season as a manager, and his ninth overall as a member of the New York Mets organization. Rojas will be joined on the Southern Division coaching staff by Greenville manager Darren Fenster and Greenville pitching coach Paul Abbott. Asheville's Billy Whitehead will serve as the team's athletic trainer.

Both all-star teams will be represented by 26 players, selected by the votes of the team's managers and coaching staffs, local media and front office executives. L.P. Frans Stadium will be hosting it second SAL All-Star Game. The other time the All-Star Game was held in Hickory was in 1994, when the National League All-Stars defeated the American League All-Stars 9-5. The annual SAL All-Star Game dates to 1960, when the All-Stars defeated the Salisbury club, 6-2, in Newton, NC.

"Once again, the amount of talent that will be showcased in this game will be incredible," said Krupa. "General Manager Mark Seaman and his staff in Hickory have been working for more than a year in order to live up to that tradition and host one of the great events on our baseball calendar."

A variety of events have been scheduled in Hickory along with the SAL All-Star Game. On Monday, June 16th, there will be a Downtown All-Star Bash "Under the Sails" in downtown Hickory, including a Cornhole Tournament between the All-Star players and fans. On Tuesday, June 17th, there will be an All-Star Luncheon at The Crossing at Hollar Mill where the 2014 SAL Hall of Fame members will be inducted. Luther Beaver, Randy Ingle, George Murphy and Charles Young will be honored as members of the class of 2014. Beginning at 2:00pm in the parking lot at L.P Frans Stadium, the All-Fan Fest will be an opportunity for fans to get autographs from and pictures with the SAL All-Stars. The first pitch of the 2014 All-Star Game is scheduled at 7:00pm. More information can be found on the website of the Hickory Crawdads at www.hickorycrawdads.com.