MOBILE, Ala. – After spending their summer breaks gaining experience in summer leagues across the Southeast, six underclassmen on the University of South Alabama baseball team are about to rejoin the Jaguars at Stanky Field.

While summer baseball is more about gaining experience than numbers, the Jags have shown statistical improvement in a number of areas.

Michael Raia and Nathaniel Lami are the only two Jags with summer games left on the schedule. They are playing for the Fayetteville SwampDogs in the Coastal Plain League, which wraps up regular season play Tuesday.

Lami has continued a tradition he started as a redshirt freshman in 2009 – leading his team in time’s taking one for the team. He has been hit by a pitch a nine times despite making only 97 plate appearances in 39 games played. He’s also third on the team with 11 stolen bases in 14 attempts.

Raia is 1-1 with a 5.51 ERA over 12 appearances. He’s worked 16.1 innings and struck out 13 batters. Opponents are hitting just .230 against him, and he has not allowed any home runs.

Shane LeBlanc spent his summer with the Carolina Chaos in the Southern Collegiate Baseball League. LeBlanc went 1-2 with a 5.06 ERA in 32.0 innings over seven appearances. He struck out 19 and allowed only two home runs on the season.

Joining LeBlanc in the SCBL was Brad Hook, who played for the Morganton Aggies. He was named the starting first baseman for the North team in the SCBL All-Star Game on July 11. He walked and scored a run in that game, but the North team fell 13-6.

Hook finished the summer hitting .294 with 10 doubles, 30 RBI and a team-leading 25 walks in 43 games. He also made one appearance on the mound, striking out a pair of batters in a perfect inning of work.

Phillip Byrd pitched for the Dubois County Bombers in the Prospect League. He went 4-4 with a 5.66 ERA in 18 appearances. Most of his outings came in relief, but he worked a total of 35.0 innings and struck out 32 while holding opposing hitters to a .180 batting average.

Pitching for the Vienna Senators in the Clark Griffith Collegiate League, Eric Walters posted a 4-2 record with a 4.62 ERA in 37.0 innings over 10 appearances. He allowed only one home run while striking out 16 against just nine walks.  

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).