BRISTOL, VA - Former Indiana State pitcher Chad Dawson has signed with the Chicago White Sox and has been assigned to the Bristol White Sox of the Appalachian Rookie League. Dawson, a 6-foot-4, 200 pound right handed pitcher, has appeared in four games, working 3.1 innings of relief with a 2.70 ERA.
Dawson finished the 2008 season at Indiana State with a 1-1 record, appearing in 15 games and starting one. In four seasons as a Sycamore, Dawson posted a 7-13 record, appearing in 62 games and starting 29.
He joins several former Sycamores in the professional ranks, including three in the majors. Clint Barmes, a 2000 graduate of Indiana State, is playing shortstop with the Colorado Rockies. This season, Barmes is hitting .295 with five home runs, two triples, 16 doubles, and 23 RBIs. Joe Thatcher, a 2004 graduate of Indiana State, is on the pitching staff of the San Diego Padres. Thatcher has appeared in 22 games this season, throwing 24.0 innings of relief. Mitch Stetter , who attended Indiana State from 2000-2003, was recalled from Triple-A affiliate Nashville by the Milwaukee Brewers in June. Stetter has a 2-1 record with a 2.45 ERA at the All-Star break, appearing in 22 games for the Brewers.
Jake Eigsti, a 2006 ISU graduate, is with the Brooklyn Cyclones (New York Mets) in the New York-Penn League; Brian Omogrosso, a 2006 ISU graduate, is with Birmingham Barons (Chicago White Sox) in the Southern League; Nevin Ashley, a 2006 ISU graduate, is with the Vero Beach Devil Rays (Tampa Bay Rays) in the Florida State League; Chris Jones, a 2005 ISU graduate), is with the Lancaster JetHawks (Boston Red Sox) in the California League; and, Matt Zaleski (2004 ISU graduate) is with the Winston-Salem Warthogs (Chicago White Sox) in the Carolina League.
Several current members of the Indiana State baseball team are playing this summer.
Brian Jett (senior from Hamilton, Ohio), Pascual Del Real (senior from Santa Cruz, Calif.), and Brady Shoemaker (senior from Brazil, Ind.) are spending the summer playing for the Santa Maria Packers in Santa Maria, Calif. (www.packersbaseball.com)
The Packers play in the Coastal Division of the Sierra Baseball League. Jett is batting .328, Del Real .311 and Shoemaker .295 while Jett has stolen nine-of-10 bases and Del Real seven-of-eight.
Nick Ciolli (junior from Terre Haute, Ind.) is spending the summer with the Alaska Goldpanners in Fairbanks, Alaska. This is his second season playing for the Goldpanners. Ciolli batted .330 after starting 23 of the 25 games in 2007. This year, he is batting .318 and started all 22 games for the Goldpanners. (www.goldpanners.com)
Ryan Strausborger (junior from Osceola, Ind.) is with the Cincinnati Streamers of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League this summer. Strausborger has started 20 of 22 games he has played in, posting a .268 batting average. (www.greatlakesleague.org)
David Gurbach (senior from Aliso Viejo, Calif.) is playing with the Little Falls Miners of the New York Collegiate League. He has appeared in seven games this season and pitched 10 innings of relief work. Gurbach has a 0-1 record this season. Also on the team is Sycamore recruit Joe Rodriguez, a left-handed pitcher from Middletown, N.Y. Rodriguez has appeared in 12 games, posting a 1-0 record with a 3.38 ERA. (www.littlefallsminers.com)
