Where are the Spikes now?

From the Spikes year end roster

Catchers -

• Matthew Clarkson -
• Ron Pena – Hickory Crawdads
• Nick Stillwagon -
• Drew Walker – inactive expected to be assigned to Hickory

Infielders -

• Justin Byler -
• Matt Cavagnaro – Hickory Crawdads
• John Fitzpatrick -
• Brian Friday – Lynchburg Hellcats
• Smelin Perez – Jupiter Hammerheads Rule 5 AAA draft loss
• Daniel Rios -
• Bobby Spain – Hickory Crawdads

Outfielders -

• James Barksdale – Lynchburg Hellcats
• Marcus Davis – Hickory Crawdads
• Miles Durham – Hickory Crawdads
• Eric Huber -Hickory Crawdads
• Victor Igsema – ????
• Austin McClune – Hickory Crawdads
• Keanon Simon – Hickory Crawdads

Pitchers -

• Gary Amato – Hickory Crawdads
• Basilio Alvarez – ????
• Harrison Bishop – Hickory Crawdads
• Tom Boleska -
• Taylor Cameron -
• Jorge Charry -
• Mike Felix – Hickory Crawdads
• Matt Foust – Hickory Crawdads
• Yoffri Martinez -
• Kyle McPherson -
• Daniel Moskos – Lynchburg Hellcats
• Eddy Nunez -
• Moises Robles – Hickory Crawdads
• Dionis Rodriguez – Hickory Crawdads
• Adam Simon -
• Nicolas Suero -????
• Brian Tracy – hired as Spikes pitching coach
• Andrew Walker – Hickory Crawdads
• Duke Welker – Hickory Crawdads
• Brandon Williams -

Others (who were here during the season) -

• Christian Castorri – Lynchburg Hillcats
• Daniel Forrer – Gulf Coast Pirates
• Dustin Molleken – Hickory Crawdads
• Jake Cuffman – Lynchburg Hillcats
• Michael Ambrose – ????
• Ricky Diaz – ????
• Ronald Uviedo – Hickory Crawdads
• Tony Watson – Lynchburg Hillcats
• Zach Duke – Pittsburgh Pirates

The “blanks” can be expected to be the foundation of the Spikes this season with some shuffling that will take place as the college kids are signed in June. The whereabouts of the ????’s are unknown and they may well be out of baseball.

Spikes End Record Setting Season With 4-3 Win

UNIVERSITY PARK – The State College Spikes closed out their 2007 season with a 4-3 win over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers on Friday evening. The team finished the season with a 36-39 record thanks to a four-game winning streak to end the year. The team also saw unsurpassed success in the stands, as 151,394 fans walked through the gates of Medlar Field at Lubrano Park during the team’s second season, an increase of nearly 13,000 fans from the inaugural campaign.

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Duke Deals Spikes to 4-1 win over Scrappers

UNIVERSITY PARK – The State College Spikes pushed their winning streak to three games thanks to a 4-1 win over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers on Thursday evening. Pirates’ hurler Zach Duke made the start for the Spikes and was truly impressive over his 5.2 innings of work as he continued to rehab his left elbow. The southpaw allowed one run on three hits, while walking one and striking out three. In what is most likely his final rehab appearance before rejoining the Buccos, he tossed 89 pitches with 57 of them going for strikes.

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Spikes end losing streak

By Guy Cipriano – gciprian@centredaily.com

UNIVERSITY PARK — His season started as a 21-year-old training inside the Medlar Field at Lubrano Park batting cages when snow covered the ground. His season will end as a 22-year-old playing for money on the stadium’s sultry grass.

The year included slumps, a life-altering event and a chance to walk in a professional clubhouse adjacent to his college one.

For State College Spikes second baseman Matt Cavagnaro, the interesting year appears headed toward a satisfying conclusion

Cavagnaro — perhaps the only player to end his college career and begin his professional one in the same building — went 2-for-4 to help the Spikes snap a six-game losing streak by defeating Auburn 8-5 Tuesday at Medlar Field.

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State College’s Smelin Perez throws to first base as Auburn’s Adam Calderone runs past on Tuesday September 4 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. CDT/Christopher Weddle

Spikes Snap Losing Skid, Win 8-5 Over Auburn

UNIVERSITY PARK – The State College Spikes snapped their six game losing streak on Tuesday evening with an 8-5 win over the Auburn Doubledays.The Spikes bullpen had a strong outing, as three relievers combined to toss the final 4.2 innings of the game without allowing a run, which allowed the Spikes to come back from an early deficit. Offensively, it was a total team effort as seven different players had at least one hit, and six different had at least one RBI.

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Auburn’s early burst leads to win

By Guy Cipriano – gciprian@centredaily.com

UNIVERSITY PARK — It’s a simple way to dissect a complex period of the season.

The State College Spikes have lost a team-record six straight games because they are allowing too many runs.

The trend continued Monday as they watched Auburn score six times during the first inning of an 11-7 loss before 3,550 at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

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Brian Friday of the State College Spikes runs for third base during the Spikes game against Auburn Doubledays Monday, September 3, 2007. CDT/Catrina Rawson

Errors cost Spikes

From CDT staff reports

AUBURN, N.Y. — Rallies from three deficits, including a seven-run margin, couldn’t prevent State College from being officially eliminated from New-York Penn League playoff contention as the Spikes fell 11-10 in 10 innings against Auburn at Falcon Park on Thursday.

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Spikes Fall In Heartbreaking Marathon To Auburn, 11-10 In 10 Innings

AUBURN, NY – The State College Spikes dropped a heartbreaker in 10 innings Thursday night at Falcon Park by the score of 11-10, in one of the more epic battles in the franchise’s history.The Spikes overcame a great deal adversity before the game even started and showed lots of resiliency as RHP Yoffri Martinez was called upon to make an emergency start for Moises Robles. Martinez struggled through 2.2 innings, giving up seven runs on six hits.

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Muckdogs win in 11

 By Guy Cipriano – gciprian@centredaily.com

UNIVERSITY PARK–The State College Spikes played the sloppiest game in their two-year history Wednesday against Batavia.

Still, this wasn’t a sudden form of misery.

This was prolonged misery, meaning the Spikes should have many things to ponder during today’s bus ride to Auburn.

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Batavia’s Ross Oeder is forced out at second base as Spikes Brian Friday makes the tag during the State College Spikes vs. Batavia Muckdogs game. CDT/Nabil K. Mark

8/19 – Game Notes

BATAVIA MUCKDOGS (26-38) vs. STATE COLLEGE SPIKES (32-33)Wednesday, August 28 – 7:05 PM

Medlar Field at Lubrano Park – University Park, PA

Game # 66 / Home Game #32

RHP Blake King (1-3, 3.98) vs. RHP Kyle McPherson (0-1, 5.40)

SPIKES STARTING PITCHER: RHP Kyle McPherson will make his Medlar Field at Lubrano Park debut tonight, after making his Spikes debut last Friday at Jamestown. McPherson, a 6’3″, 205 pounder from Creola, Alabama was taken by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 14th round of the 2007 MLB draft this June out of the University of Mobile. Kyle, who will turn 20 in November, started this year by making 12 appearances (10 starts) for manager Tom Prince and the GCL Pirates. With the Baby Buccos, McPherson went 4-2 with a 2.61 ERA in 51.2 innings pitched while striking out 35 and walking just 10 batters. In his debut versus Jamestown, McPherson took the loss, but pitched well. His undoing was the third inning against the Jammers in which he allowed three successive hits and then issued a bases loaded walk before giving up two-straight sacrifice flys. McPherson enjoyed three, 1-2-3 innings, and retired the last seven batters he faced en route to his 5.0 innings of four-hit baseball. McPherson has taken the spot in the Spikes rotation that was vacated by the promotion of Tony Watson earlier this month.

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Late rally lifts Spikes to victory

By Jon Blau

Collegian Staff Writer

When Smelin Perez was tagged out at third to end the eighth inning, his body was stretched out in a desperate attempt to continue the Spikes rally by reaching third.

But in fact, he had already outdone what Batavia Muckdog manager Mark DeJohn had expected of him by putting the ball in play. They had intentionally walked .253 hitter Nick Stillwagon to face Perez, putting two runners on base. With the score tied and a .216 batter taking warm-up swings, the Muckdogs sought an easy escape into the ninth.

But Perez fooled them all by mustering every decimal point of his flickering power. He shot a long drive into the gap between the left and center fielders , doubling in both runners. Those Spikes scored the eventual game-winning runs in a 6-4 win for State College (32-33) last night.

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Infielder Smelin Perez (6) barely sneaks under the tag in last night’s game.

Simon closes deal for Spikes

By Guy Cipriano – gciprian@centredaily.com

UNIVERSITY PARK — State College Spikes reliever Adam Simon’s mound celebrations don’t resemble the ones displayed by the old closer.

His mouth never opens wide enough to yell.

And the crazy first-pounding sessions that Ronald Uviedo used to celebrate saves?

Forget it.

Simon is a change-up compared Uviedo’s fastball when it comes to mound antics.

Yet, the results are similar.

Simon uses an aggressive approach — fastball only on this occasion — to help the Spikes earn victories such as the one they recorded Tuesday.

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Gary Amato (right), a former Penn State player, talks with fellow Spikes pitcher Tom Boleska in the bullpen prior to State College’s game against Batavia on Tuesday August 28. CDT/Christopher Weddle

Spikes Dig Longball in 6-4 Win

UNIVERSITY PARK- The State College Spikes won a thriller on Tuesday evening, beating the Batavia Muckdogs by the score of 6-4 in comeback fashion. Smelin Perez, who was 10 for his last 77 coming into the at-bat, provided the winning margin with a two-RBI double in the bottom of the eighth. Justin Byler also added a 3-for-4 night with two runs scored and one of thee Spikes home runs to pace the offense.

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8/26 Game Notes

BATAVIA MUCKDOGS (26-37) vs. STATE COLLEGE SPIKES (31-33)
Tuesday, August 28- 7:05 PM

Medlar Field at Lubrano Park – University Park, PA

Game # 65 / Home Game #31

RHP Nicolas Suero (3-4, 3.12) vs. RHP Clay Long (0-5, 3.94)

SPIKES STARTING PITCHER: RHP Nicolas Suero will make his 13th appearance (10th start) of the 2007 campaign tonight. The righty from Elias Pinas, DR is 3-4 with a 3.12 ERA having tossed 66.1 innings. Suero has established himself as one of the finer control artists in the New York-Penn League this year, as he has struck out 39 batters while walking only two. He has walked .23 batters per nine innings which is one of the lowest ratios in all of Minor League Baseball. Nicolas also enjoys the confines of Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, as the righty is 1-1 with a 2.62 ERA at home, while he has induced eight of his nine ground-ball double-plays at home. Suero has not faced the Batavia Muckdogs yet this year. In his last four starts, Suero is 2-1 and has allowed six earned runs in 23.0 innings of work. Against Jamestown on August 23, he took the loss after allowing four runs on 10 runs over his 6.0 innings of work.

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SPIKES COME HOME FOR THE FINAL STRETCH

SPIKES STARTER : RHP Moises Robles will make his 12th start of the year for the State College Spikes. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native comes into tonight’s game with a 4-7 record and a 3.17 ERA in 59.2 innings pitched, with 33 strikeouts and only eight walks. Robles comes into tonight’s contest riding a personal three-game winning streak, and during that streak has not allowed a run. The last run Robles allowed came on July 28 after giving up a single run to Auburn in the seventh inning. In those three runs, Robles has tallied 15.0 total scoreless innings, which has dropped his season ERA over a single run. On July 28, Robles’ ERA was 4.23 and coming into tonight’s start it stands at 3.17. Robles has pitched very well at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, as his ERA at his home park is 1.88 (compared to 4.35 on the road). Robles has also not walked a batter in 28.2 innings this year from his home mound.

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