PBC Baseball Minor League Update

Welcome to the Peach Belt Conference minor league baseball update where we take a snapshot of how some former PBC players are faring in the professional ranks. This is by no means a comprehensive list of PBC players in the pros as there are over 30 former players in various minor-league systems.

Francis Marion’s Lee Tabor was moved up to Triple-A Louisville as part of the Cincinnati Reds organization. He earned a win in his first appearance with Louisville 8-5 over Charlotte. Tabor was a part of the FMU team that reached the Division II World Series in 2006 and was named an All-America honorable mention in 2005.

One of Tabor’s former teammates, Dylan Owen, was named the Player of the Week for the Double-A Binghamton Mets in June. The 2006 and 2007 PBC Pitcher of the Year is second on the team with 94 innings pitched as is currently 3-7 with a 5.65 ERA.

A current teammate of Owen’s is Georgia College & State University’s Michael Antonini. Antonini, who began his pro career with the Savannah Sand Gnats, is 5-3 with a 5.68 ERA in 77 innings pitched for the Mets. He was named PBC All-Conference in 2006 and 2007.

Another former FMU Patriot, Justin Greene, was promoted from Kannapolis to the high Class-A Winston-Salem Dash, an affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. Since joining the team in June, Greene is hitting .188 in 13 games with three doubles and two RBIs

Flagler’s Chris Barnwell is playing shortstop for the Indianapolis Indians, the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He is batting .181 with 12 doubles, a home run, 11 runs batted in and has played in 67 games. Last year at Albuquerque (Triple-A), he batted .276 with 20 doubles, six home runs, 42 RBI, 91 hits and 16 stolen bases.

Augusta State’s Shannon Wilkerson, the National Player of the Year, was signed by the Boston Red Sox after being drafted in the eighth round in 2009. Wilkerson recently moved up from short-season Class A to the regular Class A Greenville Drive.  In his first two games with the drive, he had four hits in eight at-bats with a double and two runs scored.

Columbus State’s James Thompson is 4-2 with the Class A Midwest Burlington Bees. Thompson has a 2.90 ERA in 33 games with five saves and 59 strikeouts in 49.2 innings played.

Georgia College & State University’s Brandon Anderson played in the Independent Frontier League’s All-Star game. Anderson plays for the Kalamazoo Kings where he is hitting .288 with two home runs and 22 RBIs in 61 games this year.

GCSU’s Andrew Reichard is currently 2-2 for the Class-A Augusta Greenjackets, affiliated with the San Francisco Giants. Reichard missed more than a month due to an injury, but returned July 30 with two shutout innings against Greenville. He currently has a 3.52 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 30.2 innings pitched.

USC Aiken’s Chad Jacobsen is hitting .253 for the Rookie A Casper Ghosts of the Pioneer League, an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. The 2008 PBC Player of the Year is hitting .270 in his last 10 games and has one home run, three doubles and nine RBIs in 26 games played.

UNC Pembroke's Jason Morales is playing for the Idaho Falls Chukars, a rookie league affilitate of the Kansas City Royals.  In 27 games, Morales is hitting .262 with one home run and 14 RBIs.  He also has five doubles and a pair of triples.