New Frontier League rule allows Milons to return to Miners BY LES WINKELER
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THE SOUTHERN
Frontier League rule change allows Jereme Milons to roam Rent One Park’s spacious center field again this season. The league adopted a new “Veteran” classification this year, allowing each team to have one player over 27 years of age. The new rule allows Milons to extend his career in Southern Illinois. “You can’t beat it,” Milons said of playing with the Miners. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s my job and I love it and I’m going to keep doing it.” There were several Miners eligible to be retained under the new classification. League rules state the designated veteran must be under 30 years of age and must have been listed on a Frontier League active roster or injured list for a total of 100 regular season games combined during the previous two seasons. Four players from last year’s Miners’ roster qualified, leaving manager Mike Pinto with a tough decision.
“It depended on what some other guys wanted to do,” Pinto said. “Todd Martin could have come back in that role. Jake McMurran could have come back in that role or Joey Metropoulos could have come back.” McMurran is a rubber-armed reliever. Martin is a solid hitter and good outfielder. Metropoulos is one of
the most productive offensive players in Miners’ history. Yet, it is Milons who returned as the veteran player. “When you look at Jereme, he played 94 games last year,” Pinto said. “He’s always healthy. You look at the offensive production, the defensive work, what he does on the bases, it seemed to be a pretty smart decision for us.” It is difficult to argue with the numbers. Milons posted a .283 average last year, collecting 102 hits in 358 at bats. He hit 11 home runs, had 60 RBIs and swiped 41 bases in 49 attempts. “He gets on base,” Pinto said. “He’s a potentially destructive base runner and hits the ball out of the park too. He plays excellent defense in center field. You put all of that together and that’s a pretty good exemption player.” As for Milons, he made it abundantly clear he’s happy to be back playing baseball in Southern Illinois. “It’s baseball to me,” he said. “Mike told me what the rule was and asked me if I still wanted to play.” SEE MILONS / PAGE 7C
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2011 MINERS PREVIEW
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THE SOUTHERN ILLINOISAN THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2011
Miners try to re-create magic with three new starters
Off Target LES WINKELER
The Miners were made for the region ive years ago the Southern Illinois Miners were a novelty. Now, they are a part of the fabric of Southern Illinois. A decade ago, the notion of a minor league baseball team in Marion seemed implausible. Some might even have considered it impossible. Why not? Although conveniently located at the intersection of Illinois 13 and Interstate 57, Marion is hardly a teeming metropolis. The region hadn’t seen minor league baseball for a generation. There were plenty of naysayers when it was announced the Frontier League was coming to town. And, even those who thought it could fly were skeptical. Skeptics thought fans wouldn’t come to the ballpark to see an unaffiliated team. Frankly, none of the concerns seemed unreasonable. I was among those who had some reservations. Surveying the landscape, I thought a minor league team could survive in the region. First, there is little competition for the summer time entertainment dollar in Southern Illinois. There are no Saluki sports, American Legion baseball doesn’t enjoy the support it once did and there are fewer movie theaters every year. The affiliation issue didn’t bother me. For whatever reason, that seemed irrelevant. On the other, I’m not going to pretend I knew the Miners would take Southern Illinois by storm. I thought the team could draw between 1,500 and 2,000 fans, which would be an unqualified success. There were several things I didn’t bank on. I didn’t expect a facility like Rent One Park. It’s big, spacious, clean, fan-friendly and fun. You can have a good time at Rent One Park even if you’re only a casual baseball fan. I didn’t expect the Miners to be such good corporate citizens. The Miners are involved in things throughout the community. Part of that is because the front office trio of Erik Haag, Tim Arseneau and Mike Pinto has remained intact. Last, but certainly not least, the Miners have put a competitive product on the field every year. Players like Ralph Santana, Tim Dorn, Joey Metropoulos and Ryan Bird have become icons in the community. This franchise came to town with a solid plan in place. The success of the team is no accident. The Miners and Southern Illinois … they were made for each other.
BY TODD HEFFERMAN THE SOUTHERN
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LES WINKELER is the sports editor for The Southern Illinoisan. Contact him at les.winkeler@thesouthern.com, or call 618-351-5088.
THE SOUTHERN FILE PHOTO
Joe Augustine pitches for the Miners last season at Rent One Park in Marion.
Augustine anchors new-look rotation BY TODD HEFFERMAN THE SOUTHERN
BY THE NUMBERS
Even by Frontier League standards, the Southern Illinois Miners’ rotation will be nothing short of a mild overhaul this year. Last year, Miners manager Mike Pinto knew who his four Opening Day starters were going to be before spring training was over. Today, Pinto has the reigning pitcher of the year in Joe Augustine, and a slew of questions all over the bullpen. “What’s funny is, we have a lot of names that people don’t know, but, two years ago, nobody knew who Joe Augustine was,” Pinto said. “A couple years before, nobody knew who Ryan Bird was, so, we might have those guys sitting in our rotation. We just don’t know it yet.” Augustine will miss the team’s opening road trip to Gateway after hurting his knee in Saturday’s exhibition, but is scheduled to start the home opener May 24 against Evansville. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound right-hander led the Frontier League in ERA at 1.97, tied for the league lead in strikeouts with Normal’s Ryan Sheldon, and tied for third in wins with a 10-3 mark last year. In 114.1 innings, the third-year Miner allowed 29 runs, 25 of them earned and walked 30. In his first exhibition start of
Joe Augustine leads a newlook rotation for the Southern Illinois Miners. Here’s a quick look at last year’s numbers from the Miners’ staff: fourthbest in the league 690 Strikeouts, secondfewest in the league 327 Walks, the most in Miners’ team history 64 Wins, Team ERA, the best in the 3.50 Frontier League last season
the second time in the last two years for a player to be named later in April, but impressed Pinto enough to earn the bid. Teague split time with Joliet of the Northern League and the Wichita (Kan.) Wingnuts of the American Association last year. He was 3-4 with a 3.51 ERA in 14 appearances with the Wingnuts and had no record in seven appearances with Joliet. Former Southern Illinois University starter Shawn Joy and rookie David Harden are also expected to challenge for starting spots. Righty Erik Draxton is expected to take over the closer role from Mike Damchuk as Damchuk recovers from arm trouble. Damchuk was placed on the 14day disabled list last week, and is expected to miss the opening weekend, at least. Draxton went 1-0 in 10 1/3 innings last year as a reliever and didn’t allow a single run. In addition to the starting rotation, Pinto and new pitching coach Justin Lord will also have to work out a new set-up man schedule. Rubber-armed Jake McMurran threw more than 187 innings in his three years out of the bullpen, mostly as the eighth inning setup man, before aging out of the league at 27.
the season, Augustine didn’t allow a run, but had to escape a two-on, one-out situation in the opening inning. He struck out the next two batters, one looking, to dodge the bullet. “Just stay confident and calm,” Augustine said. “They’re out there. They’re not in yet, so, you just got to keep them out there.” The Miners, who had the top ERA in the league last year at 3.50, are expected to turn to 25-year-old Sean Teague in their season opener at Gateway Friday night. Teague, a 6-foot, 190-pound righty, was traded for todd.hefferman@thesouthern.com / 618-351-5087
THE SOUTHERN FILE PHOTO
Southern Illinois’ Michael Stalter leaps over Florence’s Brandon Cohen while turning a 4-6-3 double play last season.
The 20-game winning streak is in the distance now. Just as misty as the visions of Joey Metropoulos hitting one of his 70 career home runs, catcher Brendan Akashian behind the plate and Ryan Bird on the hill. The Southern Illinois Miners hope to try to recreate the magic of 2010 with three new starters and a bigger emphasis on speed this summer. The Miners won their first West Division title last year and got a game from the Frontier League championship series before falling, 3-2, to River City in 10 innings Sept. 14. “This is a very aggressive team,” Miners manager Mike Pinto said. “We will not be a team that hits home runs like we have in the past, and, so, we built the team a little bit more on speed, on-base percentage guys. We’ll get a few out, but, it won’t be as a power-laden lineup. It will be more of a speed and running type lineup.” Gone are traditional power hitters like Metropoulos, a former FL Most Valuable Player, former Triple-A outfielder Stephen Head and first baseman Brad Miller. Jereme Milons hit 11 out last year on the way to 60 RBIs, and, with third baseman Nate Hall, returns as the Miners’ biggest home run threat. Hall hit nine home runs in 89 games and was third in the league in hitting with a .318 average. “I just come in, lead by example, man,” said Milons, the Miners’ lone veteran through a new age exemption in the league. “Show these guys how to be more disciplined at the plate. I can’t get away with stuff I’ve done the last two years here, with guys like Joey (Metropoulos) behind you. Every at-bat counts, so, I just take it like that.” Even without Stephen Head, the Miners could return three guys that have started at least one game this season in the outfield. Milons played in 95 games, tying Head for the most on the team, and could line up next to former outfielder Eric Suttle and teammate Justin Randall. Suttle signed with the team this week. Randall hit .373 in 36 games last year. Milons led the team with 41 stolen bases. The Miners stole 141 bases last year, second only to Oakland (Mich.) County’s 152 thefts. Southern Illinois was caught stealing 43 times, third-most in the league. The infield will have a familiar tune with third baseman Hall, shortstop Michael Stalter and second baseman Will Block all back. The Miners released first baseman Matt Edgecombe, who had started most of the preseason, and traded with Joliet for Matt Fields on Wednesday. Former Triple-A catcher Sean Coughlin takes over for Akashian, who took a job in the professional world but hasn’t absolutely ruled out a return this year, according to Pinto. Coughlin was one of the Miners’ best hitters in the spring, and will be expected to solidify a new-look battery. “I think I’ve been around a little bit, and just try to help these guys out, because they’ve got great stuff,” Coughlin said. “Throughout our bullpen, just outstanding stuff, so, I’m just trying to help ‘em out a little bit and just play my game.” todd.hefferman@thesouthern.com 618-351-5087
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THE SOUTHERN ILLINOISAN THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2011
2011 MINERS PREVIEW
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Miners’ front office refuses failure BY LES WINKELER THE SOUTHERN
MARION — Five years after the fact, Erik Haag, executive vice-president of the Southern Illinois Miners, admits some doubts shrouded his move to Marion. “I was in South Bend in the Midwest League,” he said. “I had always been in affiliated ball. Independent ball always had a stigma to it from us affiliated guys. “So, yeah, when I look at independent baseball and Marion, Ill., 16,000 people, its like, ‘Holy cow, what am I doing?’” Haag didn’t come to Southern Illinois to fail. However, he also didn’t expect the kind of success the Miners have enjoyed in their first four seasons. “It definitely has exceeded our expectations,” he said. “We thought we’d do well here, but to average 4,2004,500 a game for four consecutive years … It’s been pretty amazing, especially when you look at where we are compared to other teams that are in the Chicago-land area and outside of Cleveland in the suburbs.” Baseball fans in the region, from Mount Vernon to Paducah and Harrisburg to Cape Girardeau, have embraced the Miners. The smaller market is a
THE SOUTHERN FILE PHOTO
The Miners’ Brad Netzel advances to third last season.
contributing factor. “I think there are definitely advantages,” Haag said. “The media being one of them. When you’re in the Chicago-land market or the Cleveland market, you kind of get lost in the shuffle of major league sports. Here, especially in the summertime when SIU is out of season, we’re it as far as professional sports goes. I think that helps us, no doubt.”
Now, entering their fifth season, the Miners have become an integral part of Southern Illinois. Miners’ T-shirts and caps are seen throughout the region. “In all the communities I’ve worked in, this is by far the best in terms of people embracing the athletes,” Haag said. “You go to a Wal-Mart, a restaurant or even if you go down to Paducah, you see people in Miners’ T-shirts and hats. I’m still amazed. “That first year, I went into a restaurant and I was amazed, they were playing our game over their sound system. I’ve never seen that. It was amazing.” On the other hand, the Miners success didn’t come about by accident. Owners John and Jayne Simmons put a solid plan in place. Haag, general manager Tim Arseneau and field manager Mike Pinto are still on the job. “There is no doubt that
minor league baseball can be a transient industry simply because there are so many entry level kids coming in and they’re not making a million dollars,” Haag said. “So, they’re always looking for that next step. Offices are small, if you get a guy like myself or Tim, there isn’t a lot of upward mobility. But, I think the key is to keep stability in the top part of the organization, you have a common theme going throughout the organization.” The Miners made a conscious effort to appeal to the entire region, although Rent One Park is located in Marion. “I think the fact that we’re the Southern Illinois Miners and not the Marion Miners, I think that was big,” Haag said. “What really embraced us is when we went with the name Miners. We tried to find something that was indigenous to the region. With the history of mining and reaching to many people, I think right off the bat that endeared us to a lot of people.” And, it doesn’t hurt that the Miners have been competitive on the field as well. The Miners have never had a losing season. They’ve qualified for the Frontier League playoffs in two of their four seasons. “The plan Mike has put together for four years, that’s not by accident,” Haag said. “That’s one of the things that attracted us to Mike when we interviewed him. A lot of guys were talking about, ‘This first year this is what I want to do.’ Mike was talking about this is what I want to build over the course of time.” It all adds up to success. The Miners begin their fifth season Friday at Gateway. Ironically, the first game in Miners’ history was at Gateway. The 2011 home season gets under way Tuesday.
THE SOUTHERN FILE PHOTO
Southern Illinois’ Jereme Milons is greeted by his teammates after being introduced at the 2010 Frontier League All-Star Game last season at Rent One Park.
MILONS: Returns to lead Miners’ re-tooled outfield FROM PAGE 1C
who leads by example, but vocally as well. He becomes an extra coach on the field.” In addition to his obvious baseball ability, Milons’ personality made him attractive as the Miners’ veteran player. “He’s very easy to be around,” Pinto said. “He’s very easy with the fans. He’s always got a smile. He doesn’t get too high or too low. He’s pretty even keeled. You want that in an experienced player. “If I have to spend four months of my life doing this, I want to be with guys I like being with.” “I’m just going to do my job,” Milons said. “That’s pretty much how I am.”
“I had a couple of decisions to make. You can’t beat this, so I chose to play again.” Milons said he won’t feel any additional pressure as the result of his status. However, he views his role a bit differently. “You could say I have to be more vocal this year,” he said. “I’ve been kind of quiet the last two years. We have a lot of young guys. It’s pretty much constantly being on them every other inning, don’t get all up in the stands and everything like that. Take every at-bat seriously.” “You really need that guy,” Pinto said. “If you’re going to have a super-vet, les.winkeler@thesouthern.com he has to be not only a guy 618-351-5088
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THE SOUTHERN ILLINOISAN THURSDAY, MAY 19, 2011
Southern Illinois Miners Firsts First hitter: Ralph Santana First at bat: Single by Ralph Santana. First out: Eric Vega Hit into first double play: Eric Vega First pitcher: Chris Tierney First at bat against: Jesse Acosta walked First single: Ralph Santana First double: Casey Smith First home run: Tim Dorn First run: Tim Dorn First two-hit game: Ralph Santana First grand slam: Willie Keene First RBI: Tim Dorn First walk by a Miner: Rob Wirth First strikeout by a Miner: Mike Victor First hit by a pitch: Casey Smith First stolen base: Ralph Santana First caught stealing: Ray Navarro First error: Tim Dorn First loss: Wilfredo Romero First strikeout by Miners’ pitcher: Chris Tierney First walk issued: Chris Tierney First relief appearance: Jason Adams First run allowed: Jason Adams First home run allowed: Jason Adams First save: Roy Irle First pitch made by a Miner: Ball to Jesse Acosta First pitch a Miner faced: Strike taken by Ralph Santana.
Tickets The Southern Illinois Miners remain affordable family entertainment during the summer. Box seats for all Miners games are just $8. Reserved seats are just $6. And, if you prefer a more relaxed atmosphere lawn seats are available for just $4. And, it’s even a better deal if you are part of a group. Box seats are $7, reserved seats $5 and lawn tickets are just $3. For more information, call the Miners at 618-9988499.