University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Former Bulldogs Play Well in Minor Leagues This Year
09.24.2010 | Baseball
The UNC Asheville baseball program had three former players playing minor league baseball this past summer and all three enjoyed successful seasons as they continue their journey to someday hopefully making it to the major leagues.
Former Bulldog Kevin Mattison played for three different teams in the Florida Marlins organization this year. He played the majority of his season for the Jupiter Hammerheads in center-field where he hit .218 with 44 stolen bases and three home runs. Early in the year, Kevin was called up to Florida's Triple A franchise New Orleans due to some injuries with the Marlins. He played in seven games and hit .207 during his time there.
Late in the season, Kevin got called up to Florida's Double A club in Jacksonville (FL.) He ended up being on a team that would win a championship as the Jacksonville Suns captured the Southern League title for the second straight year. The former Bulldog hit .222 with four stolen bases and a triple. He played in 16 games and scored 10 runs with four doubles.
Right-handed pitcher Alan DeRatt had a busy summer, as well. He began the year in extended spring training before being sent to the Asheville Tourists in May. DeRatt pitched very well for the home team as he went 3-1 with a 2.28 ERA. He was promoted to Modesto, the Colorado Rockies High A team, where he helped the Nuts earn a wild-card playoff berth with a late-season surge. Alan went 3-1 with Modesto with a 4.76 ERA. For the season, the 2008 Big South Pitcher of the Year went 6-2 with a 3.27 ERA. He had 71 strikeouts in 71.2 innings of work with just 21 walks.
Justin Schumer, who finished his career with the Bulldogs this past spring, was a free agent signee by the San Francisco Giants in July. Justin pitched for two clubs during the year as he was with the Arizona Giants for a few weeks before being promoted to the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes. Schumer did a great job in both places as he went 1-0 with both clubs. He did not allow a run in Arizona and allowed three earned runs while pitching for the Volcanoes. Schumer pitched in 27 innings with both clubs and struck out 18 as he finished with a 1.00 ERA.
"We're proud of what all three of our players did in the minor leagues this year," stated Bulldog coach Tom Smith. "All three of them did a great job and advanced during the season which you don't see all that often."
