Current And Former Frogs Shining In Summer Ball
7/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
July 22, 2005
Fort Worth, Texas - Several current and former TCU baseball players are enjoying successful seasons with their respective teams this summer. Current frogs Omar Arif, Shawn Ferguson and Chad Huffman have starred in their respective collegiate summer leagues, while former TCU players Eugene Espineli, Robbie Findlay and Ryan Weems have enjoyed fine pro campaigns.
Arif is the ace of the DuPage County Dragons' pitching staff as well as the team's leading hitter. He is currently in the midst of a 19-inning scoreless streak and has a 3-0 record to go along with a miniscule 0.71 ERA. He has struck out 31 batters in 38 innings pitched and is holding opponents to a .187 batting average. At the plate, Arif is hitting .339 with 19 hits. He has driven in 10 runners and smacked three doubles. His impressive summer earned him the starting nod on the mound for the North All-Stars.
Ferguson has spent the summer playing in the Texas Collegiate League for the Weatherford Wranglers. Recently named to the TCL Future's game white team, he has worked the majority of the season as a starting pitcher and boasts a 3-2 record to go along with a 4.72 ERA. Ferguson has struck out 26 batters in 26 innings of work. The future's game is slated to be played on Sunday, July 24 at Ameriquest Field in Arlington following the Rangers-A's game.
Chad Huffman is excelling at the plate in the Cape Cod League playing for the Falmouth Commodores. Huffman has appeared in 31 contests for Falmouth, spending most of his time patrolling the outfield. He is hitting .282 in the wood bat league with four home runs. He is second on the team with 20 RBI and ranks first in the league with 29 runs scored. His on-base percentage of .423 is the fourth best in the league.
In just his second season in the minors, Espineli, a left-handed pitcher, has moved up the ranks, as he was promoted to the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies on July 8. Espineli has made four appearances for the Grizzlies and is 1-1. He was called up from the Single-A San Jose Giants, where he posted a 2-0 record with a 3.00 ERA in 32 games. He struck out 45 in 51 innings pitched.
After sitting out a season due to visa issues, Findlay, a former Frog closer, is having a spectacular season in rookie ball with the Princeton Devil Rays. He earned his league-leading 10th save on July 21 and is 1-1 with a 0.75 ERA. Findlay has struck out 19 batters in just 12 innings pitched. He was named the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Week on July 12 after earning four saves in four appearances that week.
Ryan Weems was named to the Central League all-star team as a pitcher. Weems has spent the past two summers pitching for the Fort Worth Cats, an independent baseball team. He is 7-3 with a 3.83 ERA in 14 starts this season . He has struck out 92 batters in 84 innings of work.
