North Carolina State University Athletics
Summer Baseball Update
6/4/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
RALEIGH, N.C. - Even though the baseball season has ended for the Wolfpack on May 16, stay tuned to GoPack.com for weekly updates throughout the summer as we follow our current and former NC State players. Each week, we’ll feature various performances by our current Wolfpackers and occasionally we will highlight those that are in professional baseball.
In this week’s edition, several current Wolfpack players are making noise in the Coastal Plain League and the Northwoods League, with Andrew Brackman and Aaron Bates having solid weeks at the professional level.
John Gianis - Rochester Honkers (Northwoods League)
Gianis scored four runs in the Honkers’ first three games of the season and had a solid pair of performances in a home-and-home matchup with the Madison Mallards. Gianis went 1-for-3 with two RBIs in the first game, following that up by going 3-for-5 with a stolen base the next night. Despite Gianis’s efforts, the Honkers dropped both games to the Mallards.
Overall, Gianis is hitting .241 with four runs, three RBIs, three walks, and three stolen bases.
Russell Wilson - Gastonia Grizzlies (Coastal Plain League)
Wilson has shown steady production early on for the Grizzlies, reaching base at a .462 clip, and is tied for the league lead in walks (7) and leads in stolen bases (6) and stolen base attempts (8). In the second game of the season in Thomasville, Wilson went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases in a 3-2 victory. One day later, he again collected two hits, including an RBI-double, and scored a pair of runs to lead the Grizzlies to a 6-1 victory over Martinsville.
Wilson is hitting .263 with a double and four runs scored on the season. He is one of only two Grizzlies to start all six games to begin the season.
Harold Riggins - Madison Mallards (Northwoods League)
The 2009 summer campaign has started off slow for Riggins, but not all is lost. Riggins factored in big in a 7-6 win over Rochester on June 1. He went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs, and two runs scored.
In seven games, Riggins is hitting .241 (7-for-29) with a home run, a double, four runs scored, and three RBIs. Riggins has also shown a little speed on the bases with two steals. Riggins never attempted a stolen base in 32 games for the Wolfpack during his freshman season.
Pratt Maynard - Forest City Owls (Coastal Plain League)
Through five games played, Maynard has made a name for himself as one of the CPL’s top offensive players with a .300 average (6-for-20) with five runs scored and four RBIs.
Maynard had solid games in a home-and-home with Asheboro earlier in the week. On May 29, Maynard collected two hits and scored two runs in a 14-5 rout of the Copperheads in Forest City. The next night in Asheboro, Maynard hit a run-scoring single, scoring two runs and stealing a base in a 10-8 victory for the Owls. Two days later against Thomasville, Maynard went 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and three RBIs en route to a 10-2 win over the Hi-Toms.
Vance Williams - Outer Banks Dare Devils (Coastal Plain League)
Through three appearances out of the bullpen, Williams has allowed just one hit while striking out 10 and walking two in 5 2/3 innings pitched. Williams ranks third in the CPL in opponent batting average (.059).
Outer Banks ranks second in the CPL in pitching, posting a 1.89 ERA in 57 innings.
Andrew Brackman - Charleston River Dogs (South Atlantic League - Yankees, Class A)
Through 11 starts, Brackman is 1-4 with a 3.53 ERA in 58 2/3 innings. He has struck out 53, walked 32, and has held opponents to a .243 batting average.
Brackman had a pair of outstanding games against the Lexington Legends (Astros, Class A). On May 11, Brackman went eight innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits. He struck out nine and walked one. Ten days later, Brackman again went eight strong innings, scattering five hits and allowing just one run. He struck out six and walked one.
Aaron Bates - Portland Sea Dogs (Eastern League - Red Sox, Class AA)
In his second season at Portland, Bates is hitting .351 (67-for-191) with 13 doubles and seven home runs in 48 games. He’s driven in 37 runs, scored 39 and has amassed a .947 OPS.
Bates has been particularly on fire in his last 10 games. He is hitting .439 (18-for-41) with a pair of doubles and three home runs. He’s driven in 11 runs and scored 12. Bates has hit safely in eight of the 10 games, with multiple hits coming in seven of those contests.
In this week’s edition, several current Wolfpack players are making noise in the Coastal Plain League and the Northwoods League, with Andrew Brackman and Aaron Bates having solid weeks at the professional level.
John Gianis - Rochester Honkers (Northwoods League)
Gianis scored four runs in the Honkers’ first three games of the season and had a solid pair of performances in a home-and-home matchup with the Madison Mallards. Gianis went 1-for-3 with two RBIs in the first game, following that up by going 3-for-5 with a stolen base the next night. Despite Gianis’s efforts, the Honkers dropped both games to the Mallards.
Overall, Gianis is hitting .241 with four runs, three RBIs, three walks, and three stolen bases.
Russell Wilson - Gastonia Grizzlies (Coastal Plain League)
Wilson has shown steady production early on for the Grizzlies, reaching base at a .462 clip, and is tied for the league lead in walks (7) and leads in stolen bases (6) and stolen base attempts (8). In the second game of the season in Thomasville, Wilson went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases in a 3-2 victory. One day later, he again collected two hits, including an RBI-double, and scored a pair of runs to lead the Grizzlies to a 6-1 victory over Martinsville.
Wilson is hitting .263 with a double and four runs scored on the season. He is one of only two Grizzlies to start all six games to begin the season.
Harold Riggins - Madison Mallards (Northwoods League)
The 2009 summer campaign has started off slow for Riggins, but not all is lost. Riggins factored in big in a 7-6 win over Rochester on June 1. He went 3-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs, and two runs scored.
In seven games, Riggins is hitting .241 (7-for-29) with a home run, a double, four runs scored, and three RBIs. Riggins has also shown a little speed on the bases with two steals. Riggins never attempted a stolen base in 32 games for the Wolfpack during his freshman season.
Pratt Maynard - Forest City Owls (Coastal Plain League)
Through five games played, Maynard has made a name for himself as one of the CPL’s top offensive players with a .300 average (6-for-20) with five runs scored and four RBIs.
Maynard had solid games in a home-and-home with Asheboro earlier in the week. On May 29, Maynard collected two hits and scored two runs in a 14-5 rout of the Copperheads in Forest City. The next night in Asheboro, Maynard hit a run-scoring single, scoring two runs and stealing a base in a 10-8 victory for the Owls. Two days later against Thomasville, Maynard went 2-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and three RBIs en route to a 10-2 win over the Hi-Toms.
Vance Williams - Outer Banks Dare Devils (Coastal Plain League)
Through three appearances out of the bullpen, Williams has allowed just one hit while striking out 10 and walking two in 5 2/3 innings pitched. Williams ranks third in the CPL in opponent batting average (.059).
Outer Banks ranks second in the CPL in pitching, posting a 1.89 ERA in 57 innings.
Andrew Brackman - Charleston River Dogs (South Atlantic League - Yankees, Class A)
Through 11 starts, Brackman is 1-4 with a 3.53 ERA in 58 2/3 innings. He has struck out 53, walked 32, and has held opponents to a .243 batting average.
Brackman had a pair of outstanding games against the Lexington Legends (Astros, Class A). On May 11, Brackman went eight innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits. He struck out nine and walked one. Ten days later, Brackman again went eight strong innings, scattering five hits and allowing just one run. He struck out six and walked one.
Aaron Bates - Portland Sea Dogs (Eastern League - Red Sox, Class AA)
In his second season at Portland, Bates is hitting .351 (67-for-191) with 13 doubles and seven home runs in 48 games. He’s driven in 37 runs, scored 39 and has amassed a .947 OPS.
Bates has been particularly on fire in his last 10 games. He is hitting .439 (18-for-41) with a pair of doubles and three home runs. He’s driven in 11 runs and scored 12. Bates has hit safely in eight of the 10 games, with multiple hits coming in seven of those contests.
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