Golden Eagles Well-Represented on PGCBL All Star Roster

Andrew Nadler

Glens Falls Golden Eagles

July 12, 2011

Glens Falls, NY – With the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League’s playoff races starting to heat up, the league has announced the 2011 PGCBL All Star roster featuring eight Glens Falls Golden Eagles players.

Earning starting positions on the Eastern Division’s All Star squad for the Golden Eagles are shortstop Anthony Pisani (Southern Maine), third baseman Josh Anderson (Yavapai), outfielder Ricky Claudio (St. Thomas), and designated hitter David Olson (Tacoma CC).

Pisani has been a guiding force in the Golden Eagles’ middle infield helping to turn 13 double plays while batting .273 and providing clutch hits such as the extra-innings game winner on June 26^th. Slugging third baseman Josh Anderson has led the Glens Falls offense this season with a .354/.393/.646 batting line and a team-best five homeruns and 21 RBI. The California native ranks among the top in the league at nearly every offensive category. Joining Pisani and Anderson on the PGCBL All Star roster is outfielder Ricky Claudio. Claudio has served as the catalyst for the Golden Eagles lineup scoring a team-leading 18 runs while batting .278 with a .369 on base percentage and manning the spacious East Field outfield. Last but certainly not least among the Golden Eagles starters is designated hitter David Olson who is second in the league in batting with a stellar .370/.411/.506 line and 13 RBI. Olson also contributes without the bat making no errors in the field so far while earning three saves and a 2.25 ERA pitching in the Golden Eagles bullpen.

Filling out the reserves, Glens Falls features catcher Dan Klein (Kansas State) and outfielder Kyle Ruchim (Northwestern).

Klein has been a defensive standout behind the plate for the Golden Eagles throwing out over 70 percent of the base runners who have attempted to steal while also making no errors at the key position. Another key player for Glens Falls has been Ruchim who has seen playing time in the infield, outfield, and on the mound experiencing success at each. Ruchim is batting an excellent .313/.389/.475 with two homeruns. Serving as one of the team’s primary closers too, the Big-Ten All-Freshman has compiled five saves in nine appearances while striking an amazing 29 batters in just 13 innings of work.

On the mound for the Golden Eagles in Elmira will be two stellar pitchers in Nick Gonzalez (Southern Florida) and Derek Mazzio.

Gonzalez and Mazzio have both earned PGCBL Pitcher of the Week awards this season while leading the Glens Falls rotation. Gonzalez currently holds a 2-1 record with a 3.91 ERA in five starts. The 6’4” lefthander has struck out a remarkable 31 batters in 23 innings which ranks him fourth in the league behind teammate Mazzio who ranks second with 38 strikeouts in 31.1 innings. This season Mazzio has compiled a 1-0 record in five starts while posting the league’s second best ERA at 1.44.

This year’s inaugural PGCBL All Star Game will take place at Elmira’s historic Dunn Field Monday, July 18^th at 7:05pm with a 6pm Home Run Derby competition. Attending the game as the featured speaker for the Texas Roadhouse picnic will be New York Yankees legend Tommy John.

For more information on the 2011 PGCBL All Star Game, please visit the league website at http://www.pgcbl.com. To learn more about the Golden Eagles, please follow the team on Facebook and Twitter and visit the team website at http://www.glensfallsgoldeneagles.com.

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