December 2004

Welcome! While Baseball’s “Hot Stove” League continues to buzz about the Red Sox’ World Championship, Barry Bonds’ seventh MVP Award and best available free agents, the Volcanoes approach the holidays and the 2005 season with great enthusiasm. The new Northwest League schedule has been announced and it’s even better than the one we had last year. The Stadium Pro Shop is now open extended hours every day through December 24 and new ticket plan purchasers can take advantage of special offers that will reward them with Volcanoes Gift Cards worth $20-$50. Happy Holidays!

The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes will open their ninth season with a five-game road trip against the Tri-City Dust Devils on Tuesday, June 21. The Volcanoes home opener will be Sunday evening, June 26, against the Yakima Bears at 5:05 p.m. The 76-game Northwest League season will conclude on September 7.

Once again, the Volcanoes have an exceptional home schedule. Salem-Keizer will be home on the Fourth of July (vs. Tri-City), play 17 of 38 home games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and have only one six-game homestand (7/21-7/26 vs. Everett and Vancouver).

Game times are unchanged. Monday through Thursday games begin at 6:35. Friday-Saturday games start at 7:05 and Sunday contests will continue at 5:05. Season tickets and ticket packages for the 2005 season are now available at the Stadium ticket office or by calling (503) 390-2225, Ext. 3007.

Keizer resident Steve Decker has been named manager of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes for the 2005 season by the San Francisco Giants. Decker, who served as Salem-Keizer’s hitting coach in 2001 and 2002, has spent the last two seasons as the hitting coach at Fresno in the Pacific Coast League under former Volcanoes skipper Fred Stanley. He and his family have lived in Keizer since 1992. The Giants also announced that Jerry Cram will return as the Volcanoes pitching coach.

The 39-year old Decker (born 10/25/65 in Rock Island, Illinois) played professionally for 13 years. He broke in with Everett after being selected by the Giants in the 21^st round of the 1988 draft out of Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. After hitting .520 for Everett (22 for 42) in 13 games, he was quickly promoted to San Jose where he batted .320 in 47 games. In 1990, he hit .293 with 15 home runs for Shreveport, earned a late-season call-up and made his major league debut with the Giants on September 18.

A catcher for San Francisco from 1990-92 and in 1996, Steve also played for Florida (1993, ’95), Colorado (1996) and Anaheim (1999). In seven big league seasons, he batted .221 with 13 HR’s and 72 RBI’s in 263 games. His career minor league average was .302 (975-3228) with 101 home runs. He played portions of eight seasons in the PCL and retired as an active player in 2000 after splitting the campaign between Edmonton and Sacramento where he hit .284 with 12 HR’s.

An excellent student of hitting who has done extensive private tutoring in the Willamette Valley, Decker made an easy transition from the playing field to coaching. Under manager Fred Stanley, the Volcanoes (51-25) won the 2001 Northwest League Championship as Decker helped S-K hitters set franchise records in home runs (54), doubles (141) and fewest strikeouts (483). He returned as Salem-Keizer’s hitting coach in 2002 before being promoted to Fresno. He becomes the Volcanoes sixth manger following Shane Turner (1997), Keith Comstock (’98), Frank Reberger (’99), Stanley (2000-02) and Joe Strain (2003-04).

Veteran pitching coach Jerry Cram, who turns 57 on December 9, will mark his 39^th season in professional baseball and his second with Salem-Keizer this coming year. He served as pitching coach for the Giants’ single A team in San Jose for three years before joining the Volcanoes. In 2004, Salem-Keizer pitchers set a franchise record with 686 strikeouts.

A native of Los Angeles, Cram was originally signed by Minnesota in 1967 and made his pro debut with St. Cloud (MN). He was selected by Kansas City in the expansion draft and made his major league debut with the Royals in 1969. He was traded to the Mets in 1973 and appeared in 10 games with New York in 1974 and four games in 1975.

Cram was an American Association All-Star with Omaha in 1976 when he finished 11-3 with a 3.44 ERA and 9 Saves in 51 games. He remained in Omaha as a coach after retiring as an active player and spent 14 years as a pitching coach in the Royals’ organization. He coached in the Colorado Rockies minor league system from 1998-2000. Cram lives in Las Flores, California.

For the second consecutive year, the Volcanoes are offering Christmas ticket specials for new ticket plan buyers. The limited time offer combines Volcanoes Gift Cards with new five-game and 10-game ticket purchases made by December 24. Here’s how the program works.

Purchase a five-game ticket package for $40 and receive a $20 Volcanoes Gift Card FREE. If you buy a 10-game ticket package ($80), you’ll receive a $50 Volcanoes Gift Card FREE. Both ticket packages will include many of the season’s top games. There is a limit of one gift card per person (or family)

and, again, this offer is good only for new account purchasers.

You may also purchase four reserved seats for Opening Night for the 2005 season (Sunday, June 26) and get a Volcanoes light gray fitted wool cap—a $22 value—FREE. For information, contact the ticket office at Volcanoes Stadium at (503) 390-2225, Ext. 3007.

The Pro Shop and ticket office at Volcanoes Stadium has extended its hours for the holiday season and is now open every day until Christmas. Hours are 9:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday and noon ‘til 5:00 on Saturday and Sunday.

Always a popular destination for baseball fans of all ages, the Pro Shop features a complete line of Volcanoes team apparel, souvenirs and collectables including jackets, sweatshirts, dress, casual and t-shirts and an extensive selection of fitted and adjustable team hats.

The Pro Shop has added baseball caps and visors from the World Champion Boston Red Sox for the holidays; and, for the first, time is offering rare Babe Ruth baseball bats from Louisville Slugger for just $95.

The Babe Ruth bat is an exceptional collectable. These mint condition bats are authentic and were made to the Babe’s personal specifications by Hillerich & Bradsby (makers of Louisville Slugger). The bats are made of New York white ash (as were all of Ruth’s bats). Each bat weighs 43 ounces (most of today’s players use 31-33 oz. bats) and measures 34 inches in length. All bats contain two marks of authenticity. One is the burned in “Babe Ruth” signature on the barrel; the other is the R1935 code used by H&B to identify the player and the year for which it was designed. Ruth’s final season was 1935.

The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes and News Talk 1430 KYKN have signed a new three-year broadcast agreement. The station has carried the Volcanoes broadcasts, home and away, since the team’s inaugural season in 1997. In addition to the game broadcasts, the popular “Bullpen” show, the Volcanoes one-hour sports talk show, will continue to air prior to every game. Veteran Oregon sportscaster Pat Lafferty will return for his ninth season behind the mike and again serve as the host of the Bullpen show.

Volcanoes co-owner Jerry Walker said, “We’re very pleased to extend our broadcast agreement with KYKN. KYKN is the dominant station in this market. Their staff is very experienced and their professional approach to radio offers Volcanoes fans and our sponsors the very best in sports broadcasting. We are proud to be associated with such a fine station.”

KYKN general manager Mike Frith commented, “We’re excited to extend our agreement with the Volcanoes. They have done a terrific job in building their team, organization and facilities. They are an excellent complement to our other sports affiliations with the Portland Trail Blazers, the University of Oregon, National Football League and area high school sports.

Cutting the list of “most memorable” games to the final 10 is always a challenge, yet it’s always fun to look back through the box scores and share some of the summer’s best memories with our fans. So, without further ado, here—in chronological order—are 10 games to remember from 2004.

Simon Klink blasted two home runs and a double and drove in five runs to lead the Volcanoes to victory in the sixth game of the season. Klink tied the franchise record for total bases in a game (10) as he drove in a pair of runs with a double in the first and homered in back-to-back innings in the 6^th and 7^th. Clay Timpner added three hits and three RBI’s and starting pitcher Darren Sack notched his first victory, striking out nine and allowing only four hits and one run in 5 innings.

Kevin Frandsen homered inside the right field foul pole leading off the 9^th to tie the game 1-1 before the Volcanoes won it in the 10^th on Nick Conte’s sacrifice fly that brought home Ryan Strain. This was a terrific pitcher’s duel. S-K’s Jesus Reina pitched one-hit shutout ball with 10 strikeouts in 5 innings before giving way to Garrett Broshuis who allowed two hits and a run in 4 innings to earn the win. Reina, Broshuis and Mike Kunes held the Bears to only three hits and struck out 18.

The Volcanoes were 14-10, one game behind Everett in the West. Salem-Keizer lost starting 2B Kevin Frandsen for the season in the 2^nd when he was run down in the baseline while fielding a ground ball and suffered a broken collarbone. The Volcanoes built a 7-2 lead after 6 and took a 10-6 lead to the 9^th only to see Tri-City rally for four runs on three walks, a hit and an error. Matt Miller’s home run in the 11^th handed the Volcanoes their most disappointing loss of the season.

After losing three straight at home to the Dust Devils (11-10, 7-4 and 17-4), Salem-Keizer won a thriller with two runs in the bottom of the 10^th off the league’s top reliever, All-Star Jim Miller. An infield single and back-to-back walks with two out loaded the bases for Brian Horwitz who doubled home two runs to win the game. Horwitz, a free agent who won the league batting title (.347), was 2-5 with three RBI’s and 1B Will Thompson was 2-4 with a HR and four runs batted in.

Trailing 4-2 going to the 9^th inning, the Volcanoes scored six runs with one out to win the game. Salem-Keizer had eight consecutive batters reach base with seven hits and a walk in the inning. Reserve catcher Maximo Felix—who entered the game hitting .111—went 3-3 and started the big rally with his third base hit. Jeff Palumbo’s two-run single tied the game, 4-4. After Palumbo stole second, Simon Klink drove in the go ahead run with a single to center as S-K improved to 18-16.

Pitchers Craig Whitaker, Anthony Moreno and Adam Gardner combined for a franchise record 19 strikeouts. Gardner fanned nine, baffling the Dust Devils with a slow curve to earn the win with 3 2/3 innings of shutout relief. On a hot night (91 degrees) with almost no wind, S-K pounded out 15 hits. Brian Horwitz (4-5) tied a franchise record with three doubles and Charlie Babineaux blasted a three-run homer, the first hit by either team in the 20 games they’ve played at Tri-Cities Stadium.

John Acha’s leadoff home run in the 10^th inning broke up a brilliant pitcher’s duel and gave S-K the win. Volcanoes starter Craig Whitaker had allowed just three hits in 5 1/3 innings while Vancouver starter, Steven Sharpe, had checked the Volcanoes on two hits over 6 frames. Adam Gardner and Justin Hedrick kept the Canadians off the board with 4 2/3 innings of one-hit relief. Acha, a reserve infielder, was mobbed by his teammates as he crossed home plate before 4,195 cheering fans.

Everett had led the West since Opening Day and had a three-game lead on S-K when the teams met for the first time on August 16. Twelve of their final 20 games would be against one another. Trailing 1-0 going to the 9^th in the series’ second game, the Volcanoes tied the score on Charlie Babineaux’ RBI single. In the 12^th, Kyle Haines doubled and scored on Jeff Palumbo’s single. Craig Whitaker, Anthony Moreno, Matt Minor and Chase Smith held the AquaSox to just five hits.

After Everett had taken four of the first five games in the six-game home and home series, the Volcanoes faced a virtual “must win” in the finale. S-K starter Jonathan Sanchez allowed only one hit in 5 innings while striking out 11 but left trailing 1-0. The Volcanoes (who had but three hits) tied the game in the 6^th on a bases loaded walk to Will Thompson. Everett opened the 10^th with three consecutive hits to win. The Volcanoes were seven games out of first with 14 games to play.

Against all odds, the Volcanoes would move to within one game of Everett on September 2 after sweeping a three-game series against the Sox at Memorial Stadium (9-7, 13-3 and 10-2). Brian Horwitz (3-4) went 7-14 in the three games to virtually lock up the league batting title while Simon Klink hit his 11^th HR and Craig Whitaker earned his fourth win. However, Vancouver—which had surged past slumping Everett—eliminated S-K on 9/3 with a victory in Eugene and would win the Western Division title by a single game.

The Baseball Winter Meetings will be held next week in Anaheim, California. This annual gathering of about 3,000 baseball executives formally kicks off the 2005 season. The Volcanoes will be well represented at the meetings with nine people in attendance. A significant agenda item for this years meeting will be a new Professional Baseball Agreement (PBA). The PBA is the agreement the governs the relationship between Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball. A new ten year agreement is expected to be adopted extending through the 2014 Season.

Welcome to Steve Decker as the new Volcanoes Manager. It is rare that a minor league team has the privilege of having their Manager live locally. A 12 year resident of Keizer, Steve is well-known and highly regarded in this area. Steve spends the off season doing private baseball lessons and is already booked full all the way until the end of February when he will leave for Spring Training in Arizona. We look forward to an exciting 2005 season with Steve as the Volcanoes skipper.

Kate Hamm has joined the Volcanoes staff on a full-time basis. Kate has been a seasonal employee of the team for the past 4 seasons running the Stadium’s souvenir stands. She now will assume the duty of Director of Ticket Administration. Christy Campbell will join the Volcanoes staff beginning the first of January. Christy, who managed JC’s Pizzaria in Keizer for many years, will work as an Account Executive focusing her work on the team’s Home Team Guide and the sale of season tickets, ticket packages and group outings.

Development of Keizer Station has begun. Clearing of the property immediately South of Volcanoes Stadium is underway. Major retailers such as Target and Lowe’s are expected to open within the next year or so and numerous other businesses and services will be coming to the area. Enormous road improvements will also be made as part of the Keizer Station project. Look for many changes, all that will enhance your visit to the Stadium.

Vancouver (A’s) 42 34 .553 --- Dennis Rogers 140,037

Boise defeated Vancouver, three games to none, to win Northwest League Championship Series

2004 NORTHWEST LEAGUE ALL-STAR TEAM

C Mike Nickeas Spokane DH Chris Carter Yakima

1B Lachlan Dale Eugene RHP A. J. Shappi Yakima

2B Erik Dean Tri-City LHP Shawn Nottingham Everett

3B Matt Macri Tri-City RHRP Jim Miller Tri-City

SS Asdrubal Cabrera Everett LHRP Jerry Blevins Boise

OF Javier Herrera Vancouver MVP Javier Herrera Vancouver

OF Brian Horwitz Volcanoes MGR Tom Beyers Boise

OF Luis Montanez Boise

Name G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB Avg. Name_________________ W-L ERA_ G IP H SO BB Sv

ACHA, John 38 109 12 18 3 1 2 12 2 .165 BROSHUIS, Garrett 3-0 1.37 5 19 15 23 4 0

BABINEAUX, Charlie 55 199 30 49 8 1 8 33 1 .246 ESPINELI, Geno 1-3 5.10 22 30 29 37 8 3

BOWKER, John 31 127 23 41 9 2 4 16 1 .323 HEDRICK, Justin 1-2 3.27 11 33 22 44 17 0

FRANDSEN, Kevin 25 98 22 29 5 0 3 14 0 .296 MACKAY, Doug 3-4 6.18 16 51 67 39 23 0

HAINES, Kyle 32 119 15 31 5 0 0 11 1 .261 MORENO, Anthony 5-1 3.44 21 49 41 47 11 1

HORWITZ, Brian 71 268 41 93 24 1 2 44 3 .347 ODOM, John 2-4 5.01 20 59 82 55 19 0

JENNINGS, Todd 17 70 7 23 3 0 3 11 0 .329 PENDLEY, Nathan 2-0 2.45 15 18 14 20 8 2

KLINK, Simon 67 260 41 67 12 0 11 44 3 .258 RAGUSE, Matt 0-3 7.16 14 27 39 33 16 0

MARTINEZ-ESTEVE 10 35 5 10 4 0 0 2 0 .286 REINA, Jesus 2-6 5.40 15 56 68 55 20 0

PALUMBO, Jeff 65 260 44 75 10 1 0 25 6 .288 SANCHEZ, Jonathan 2-1 4.84 6 22 16 34 19 0

PAULINO, Adalberto 14 34 3 6 2 0 2 7 0 .176 SMITH, Chase 5-4 2.23 20 32 18 32 17 0

STRAIN, Ryan 40 126 19 25 5 1 1 12 2 .198 SOBIERAJ, Aaron 2-1 2.49 8 21 18 15 8 0

THOMPSON, Will 62 225 43 66 12 0 1 27 0 .293 WHITAKER, Craig 4-2 3.44 15 70 58 77 43 0

TEAM 76 2652 385 710 122 12 46 332 41 .268 TEAM 37-39 4.46 76 678 680 686 306 14

The 2004 season was a banner year for Joe Nathan and Scott Linebrink, two members of the Volcanoes inaugural team in 1997.

Nathan stepped into the closer role with Minnesota and became one of the game’s top relief pitchers while helping the Twins to the AL Central Division flag. Joe had 44 Saves (in 47 opportunities) and posted a 1-2 record and 1.62 ERA in 73 games. In 72 innings, he allowed just 48 hits, struck out 89 and walked only 23. In July, he became the first former Volcanoes player to be selected for the All-Star Game where he worked a scoreless inning.

Linebrink helped San Diego stage a remarkable turnaround in 2004 as the Padres improved from 64 wins in 2003 to 87 this summer. Working as a “setup” man ahead of closer Trevor Hoffman, Linebrink was 7-3 with a 2.14 ERA in 73 games. In 84 innings, he allowed 61 hits, struck out 83 and walked 26.

Ryan Vogelsong, ace of the Volcanoes 1998 championship team, posted a 6-13 record with a 6.50 ERA for Pittsburgh as a member of the Pirates starting rotation. In 31 games (26 starts), he pitched 133 innings, allowed 148 hits, struck out 92 and walked 67. Another member of the ’98 Volcanoes, OF Chris Magruder, hit .236 (21-89) with two HR and10 RBI’s for Milwaukee.

Erasmo Ramirez (’98) logged a 5-3 record with a 4.29 ERA in 34 games with Texas. In his second season with the Rangers, Ramirez allowed 34 hits in 36 innings, struck out 21 and walked seven. Nate Bump (’98) was 2-4 with a 5.01 ERA in his second season with Florida. He pitched 74 innings in 50 games, allowed 86 hits, struck out 44 and walked 32.

Kurt Ainsworth (’99) began the season in Baltimore’s starting rotation but faced early arm problems that required surgery and ended his season after only seven starts (0-1, 9.68).

While 10 former Salem-Keizer players made their Major League debuts in 2003, only three made their entry into “The Show” in 2004. Brad Hennessey and Justin Knoedler made their debuts with San Francisco and Felix Diaz (’00) broke in with the Chicago White Sox on May 13. Hennessey (2-2, 4.98 with seven starts) debuted August 7 while Knoedler made his first pro appearance on the final day of the season. Diaz finished the season with a 2-5 record and 6.75 ERA. He made seven starts in 18 appearances, allowed 62 hits in 49 innings and fanned 33 while walking 16.

On November 19, San Francisco added four Salem-Keizer alumni to the club’s 40-man roster. The quartet includes pitchers Brian Burres and Scott Munter and outfielders Fred Lewis and Daniel Ortmeier. Burres spent the 2004 season in San Jose while Munter split the summer between Norwich and Fresno. Lewis played 115 games for San Jose and six for Fresno while Ortmeier spent the entire campaign with Norwich.

Here’s the report on former Volcanoes who played in the Giants’ minor league system in 2004.

Fred Stanley managed the Grizzlies for a second season. Ryan Jensen, Noah Lowry and Kevin Correia led the staff in starts. Jensen, the Grizzlies’ top winner, finished 10-7 with a 5.36 ERA. Lowry was 7-5 with a 4.13 ERA in 17 starts before his early August promotion to SF. Correia was 3-7 with a 4.53 ERA. Brad Hennessey, 5-5 at Norwich before a mid-July promotion to Fresno, was 4-1, 2.02 in five starts for the Grizzlies before being called up by the Giants in August. Jack Taschner was 4-7, 9.28 in 18 games. Jeff Urban (5-4, 4.07) was third on the staff in appearances (46) and used exclusively in relief in his third season in Fresno. Scott Munter (1-1, 3.45 in 13 games), James Garcia (0-1, 5.19 in eight games) and Julio Pavon (1-1, 5.52 in five games) all joined the Grizzlies late in the season.

Jason Ellison (.315, 9 HR, 40 RBI) finished among the Pacific Coast League’s leading hitters and stole 27 bases. Other regulars included catcher Trey Lunsford (.252, 5, 41), 1B Lance Niekro (.299, 12, 47), OF Adam Shabala (.314, 9, 48) and OF-DH Tony Torcato (.289, 3, 57). Francisco Santos (.269, 4, 31) was a reserve at first base and in the outfield. Fred Lewis hit .304 (7-23) in six games in a late-season call-up.

Salem-Keizer’s first manager, Shane Turner, guided the Navigators for the second season. Pat Misch (7-6, 3.06) led the staff in starts (26) and threw three shutouts in an impressive jump from Salem-Keizer directly to AA. Josh Habel (4-10, 4.36) made 25 starts and had 123 strikeouts in 136 innings before being traded to Milwaukee for Dave Burba on September 2. Other members of the Norwich staff included Brad Hennessey (5-5, 3.56 in 18 starts), Luke Anderson (7-2, 4.11), Jackson Markert (0-1, 5.61), Albert Montes (6-5, 3.56, 16 Saves), Scott Munter (2-4, 2.35), Matt Palmer (4-7, 3.06, 8 Saves), Julio Pavon (2-3, 4.70) and Jack Taschner (3-1, 2.48). Joe Bateman was 1-3, 2.78 in 12 games after being promoted from Hagerstown and Brion Treadway was 1-4, 6.03 in seven starts after being called up from San Jose.

Norwich had an “all-Volcanoes” outfield in 2004, led by Doug Clark (.292, 10, 71 with 33 stolen bases). Clark was joined in the pasture by Bryan Carter (.224, 4, 32), Daniel Ortmeier (.252, 10, 48) and Carlos Valderrama (.289, 7, 37). When first baseman Tyler Von Schell (.263, 5, 39) was injured, Julian Benavidez (.272, 7, 37) was called up from San Jose to replace him and turned his season around. Derin McMains (.271, 5, 55) was a fixture at 2B as was Justin Knoedler (.274, 9, 47) behind the plate. Shortstop Jake Wald (.210, 2, 13) was brought up from San Jose in June. Francisco Santos (.314, 1, 13) played 28 games for Norwich after being sent down from Fresno. Brad Vericker hit .192 (10-52) in 17 games and Randy Walter batted .111 (5-45) in 13 games in late season trials after being promoted from San Jose.

SAN JOSE GIANTS (A) Record: 37-33 (1^st Half); 37-33 (2^nd Half), 3^rd Place. Overall: 74-66

The Giants reached the California League playoffs and lost the deciding game in a best-of-three series to eventual league champion Modesto, 7-6.

The team’s biggest surprise was the emergence of Oregonian Brian Burres as a frontline starter. After making 15 appearances in relief, Burres moved into the starting rotation and became the ace of the staff, posting a 12-1 record and a league-leading 2.84 ERA. In his 15 starts, Burres was 12-0 with a 1.87 ERA, striking out 94 and allowing only 77 hits in 92 innings. Other members of the starting staff were Garrett Broshuis (4-3, 5.19 in 10 games after opening with Salem-Keizer), Brooks McNiven (6-8, 4.35), Jeff Petersen (5-8, 4.82) and Brion Treadway (7-5, 3.95). Working out of the pen were Josh Cram (2-0, 5.16), James Garcia (5-5, 2.94), Jackson Markert (3-3, 4.10), Anthony Pannone (4-6, 4.15 in 56 games), Julio Pavon (1-5, 4.50) and Jason Waddell (6-4, 4.08). Nathan Pendley (0-0, 1.80) pitched in seven games after spending most of the summer with the Volcanoes.

Regulars in the San Jose lineup were 1B Brad Vericker (.277, 14, 76), 2B A. J. LaBarbera (.299, 4, 47) and 3B Julio Cordido (.281, 8, 65). After the arrival of Nate Schierholtz (.295, 3, 31) to play 3B, the versatile Cordido moved to SS. At the end of the season, Schierholtz was getting regular duty in the outfield. Aaron Hornostaj (.221, 0, 29) was San Jose’s shortstop for most of the year but finished the season at Hagerstown after struggling at the plate. After Vericker’s promotion to Norwich, Travis Ishikawa (.232, 1, 10) played 16 games at 1B for the Giants. Catcher Todd Jennings (.186, 1, 12) had surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff after playing 45 games. He finished the season on a rehab assignment with the Volcanoes. With Jennings out, Steve Holm (.259, 9, 29) and Keith Anderson (.241, 3, 27) split time behind the plate. Outfield regulars included Fred Lewis (.301, 8, 57 with 33 steals), Carlos Sosa (.253, 10, 46), Dan Trumble (.240, 17, 48) and Randy Walter (.263, 6, 34). Eddy Martinez-Esteve (.420, 0, 14) in 17 games and Salem-Keizer CF Clay Timpner (.280, 0, 2) in six games were late season call-ups.

HAGERSTOWN SUNS (A) Record: 28-39 (1^st Half); 21-49 (2^nd Half), 8^th Place. Overall: 49-88

Prior to his promotion to San Jose, Schierholtz had been the best story for a team that had a very disappointing season. In 58 games with the Suns, Nate hit .296 with 22 doubles, 15 HR and 53 RBI’s. The team’s top pitcher was reliever Joe Bateman (7-5, 2.14, 80 strikeouts, 20 walks in 71 innings) prior to his assignment to Norwich.

The Suns rotation included Jesse Floyd (4-8, 4.60), Ryan Sadowski (3-9, 6.92), Juan Serrato (8-8, 4.24), and Ben Thurmond (4-6, 2.54). Mike Musgrave (2-5, 5.79) made 12 starts in 36 appearances; Travis NeSmith (1-9, 5.67) made 9 starts in 34 games. Tim Alvarez (4-3, 3.69, 22 Saves) was a bright spot as the Suns’ closer. The team’s other relief pitchers included Chris George (2-1, 7.86), Sean Martin (4-3, 3.76) and Aaron Sobieraj (0-0, 4.57) who made 11 appearances after beginning the season with Salem-Keizer. Daniel Portorreal (0-2, 7.27) pitched in only eight games.

Hagerstown had only three players who saw action in more than 50 games hit over .260. At 1B, Travis Ishikawa rebounded from an early slump to bat .256 with 15 HR’s and 54 RBI’s. Other infield regulars were 2B Pat Dobson (.245, 7, 31), 3B Derek Barrows (.213, 3, 16) and SS Tim Hutting (.247, 2, 42). Jay Knowlton (.244, 1, 20) was a utility infielder. Hagerstown’s outfielders included Jon Coutlangus (.194, 2, 19), Jesse Schmidt (.255, 7, 56) and Mike Wagner (.257, 13, 48). Reserve catcher Kyle Bone hit .204 (10-49) in 15 games after spending most of the summer with the Volcanoes. Hornostaj hit .268 (15-56) after coming down from San Jose.

At the end of the season, San Francisco announced a new working relationship with Augusta, Georgia in the South Atlantic League, ending their affiliation with Hagerstown.

Marquis Spas is having a super sale at their factory in Independence (596 Hoffman Road) where you can save up to 70% off the price of a new spa! This great sale is December 4 and 5 from 8am to 4pm. It’s worth the short drive to Independence to save $1,000’s. For more information call Marquis Spas at 503-584-7677.

Oregon Employees Federal Credit Union has special rates on CD’s. 4% interest on 21 month and 4.25% on 27 month CD’s. The offer ends December 3 -- so call them today (503) 588-0211 or (503) 485-1695.

Eschelon Telecom, Inc. announces agreement to acquire Advanced TelCom, Inc.. The acquisition will create the premier regional competitive Local Exchange Carrier in key Western states. For more information, visit www.advancedtelcom.com.

Please patronize these Volcanoes partners and mention to them that you appreciate their involvement with Professional Baseball in Salem-Keizer: American Family Insurance, BiMart, Carl’s Jr., Comcast, Comfort Suites, Courthouse Athletic Club, Dairy Queen, Don Pancho Foods, First American Title, First Tech Credit Union, Franz Bakery, The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Rhonde, Holiday Retirement Corp., Jensen Homes, Community Mortgage, KYKN Radio, Les Schwab Tires, Marquis Spas, Your Back Yard, Oregon Employees Federal Credit Union, Pacific Office Automation, PEPSI, PT Northwest, Sachs Communications, Skyline Ford, Spirit Mountain Casino and Valley Green.

In addition, remember to use the Volcanoes Home Team Guide. It’s an easy to use business directory of about 250 local companies that are Volcanoes fans. It’s always better to do business with someone you know, or at least share something in common -- like Volcanoes Baseball.

The On-Deck Circle