Sports Extras
After a month with independent Lancaster, infielder Vasili Spanos (OPRF, 1999) was signed by the Florida Marlins on May 24 and is with Double A Carolina of the Southern League.
Spanos, 27, was first assigned to high Single A Jupiter of the Florida State League and hit .300 with three homers and eight RBIs in 17 games. Spanos has not yet made his debut with Carolina. He spent the previous five years in the Oakland Athletics organization.
Waldron earns All-Big East honors
OPRF graduate Kealan Waldron, now a softball player at Seton Hall, was named All-Big East Second Team.
Waldron started all 53 games this season, and led the Pirates in batting average (.361), runs (30), doubles (12), home runs (9), RBIs (35), and slugging percentage (.608).
Waldron’s 57 hits was the third highest single-season total in school history. The junior had a 12-game hit streak this season.
Dennehy nearly perfect
Tim Dennehy (OPRF, ’05) got the callup from extended spring training and has been nearly perfect so far, throwing 5 1/3 shutout innings and allowing only two hits for short-season Single A Staten Island (N.Y.), the Yankees’ affiliate in the New York-Penn League.
Dennehy entered a tie game in the ninth inning on Friday and tossed a scoreless inning. The next night he retired all four batters he faced on groundouts, one of which was a double play to erase an inherited runner. Dennehy is on the same team as Dan Brewer, a Lyons Township graduate drafted by the Yankees in the 8th round out of Bradley earlier this month.
Fields joins Pirates
Caleb Fields (Fenwick, ’03) likewise was summoned from spring training and joined the Pittsburgh Pirates’ low Single A affiliate in Hickory, N.C., earlier this month.
DH’ing so far for the Crawdads, Fields is still looking for his first hit, going 0-for-13 with a walk in six games.
Berger, O’Connor to return as seniors
Neither Ian Berger (OPRF ’05), now at Missouri, nor Florida Stater Ruairi O’Connor (OPRF ’05) were selected in the 2008 major league draft. After playing once in regionals, O’Connor did not see any action as FSU won its Super Regional before losing in the College World Series. O’Connor batted .300 (15-for-50) in his junior season with two homers and eight RBIs in 33 games (seven starts).
