GREENWOOD, Ind. – Former Great Midwest Athletic Conference student-athletes are making their mark across the landscape of minor league baseball, attempting to climb the organizational ladder to make it to ‘The Show’.
The summer of 2016 continues to heat up with current and incoming G-MAC member institutions providing additional depth to the farm after being drafted or having their contracts purchased.
Here’s a rundown on some of the G-MAC-affiliated talent currently making their way through the minors:
David Ledbetter – Pitcher – High Desert Mavericks (Hi A – Cal League)
MLB Affiliation – Texas Rangers
Former G-MAC School: Cedarville
A third-round draft selection in 2013 by Texas, Ledbetter is repeating the Cal League circuit with High Desert in the starting rotation…In 2016, Ledbetter is 4-7 with a 5.46 ERA through 97.1 IP in the hitter-friendly league…He has started in 17 of the 18 games appeared in…Two of Ledbetter’s best starts came at the expense of Inland Empire with 12 combined innings of one-run ball…Leadbetter was the 2013 G-MAC Pitcher of the Year and is the single-season record holder in strikeouts.
Ryan Ledbetter – Pitcher – Frisco Roughriders (AA – Texas League)
MLB Affiliation – Texas Rangers
G-MAC School: Cedarville
Ledbetter, the twin brother of David, earned a midseason promotion to AA Frisco in his fourth year through the Texas farm system…He has averaged nearly a strikeout per inning throughout his entire minor league career (156 K in 166.1 IP)…Ryan is thriving in a long relief role and logged a 2.43 ERA in almost 30 innings at High Desert before being moved up…Ryan was a 19th-round selection in the 2013 MLB Draft.
Matt Pobereyko – Pitcher – AZL Diamondbacks (Rookie Ball – Arizona League)
MLB Affiliation – Arizona Diamondbacks
G-MAC School: Kentucky Wesleyan
After honing his craft as a strikeout artist with ridiculous K/9 ratios at Kentucky Wesleyan, Pobereyko is thriving after his contract was purchased from the Florence Freedom (Frontier League) in June…He earned three saves in his first four relief appearances with the AZL Diamondbacks and has racked up 14 strikeouts in just 9.2 innings pitched…The hard-throwing righty has permitted just one run to score and is limiting hitters to an average of .094. In 2015 with KWC, Pobereyko recorded nine wins, 104 strikeouts and an opponent batting average of .183, a single-season G-MAC record.
Hunter Newman – Infielder – GCL Cardinals (Rookie Ball – Gulf Coast League)
MLB Affiliation – St. Louis Cardinals
G-MAC School: Trevecca Nazarene
Newman’s promising second year at the professional level was interrupted by a broken arm before the start of this season…After being drafted in the 22nd round by St. Louis last summer, Newman debuted at Johnson City and hit .259 with 12 doubles in 47 games...Newman is catching his stride and making up for time missed in the Gulf Coast League, hitting .318 with seven RBI and five extra-base hits in just 12 games…He slugged his first home run of the season earlier this week and has four multi-hit outings in his last seven games…The former NCAA All-American Newman is currently the G-MAC career leader in RBI (190), home runs (32) and doubles (59).
Luke Raley – Outfielder – Great Lakes Loons (Low A – Midwest League)
MLB Affiliation – Los Angeles Dodgers
Incoming G-MAC School: Lake Erie
Raley and current MLB outfielder Ryan Rua (Texas Rangers) profile as two of the most prestigious baseball ties for the G-MAC heading into Lake Erie’s first year as a full league member in 2017-18…One of the highest Division II picks in the draft this summer, Raley was selected in the seventh round and is on the fast track through the organization already…He has had short stints with two affiliates in rookie ball (Ogden, AZL Dodgers) and hit a torrid .500 in just 10 games before being summoned for the next challenge to the Midwest League…In his junior season with the Storm, Raley raked at a .424 clip to go with 12 home runs and 40 RBI.
Ryan Colegate – Pitcher – Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Class A Short Season – NY-Penn League)
MLB Affiliation – Cleveland Indians
Incoming G-MAC School: Ohio Dominican
Colegate was taken a few rounds later in the same draft as Newman after earning All-American honors and multiple regional pitcher of the year awards as a junior at Ohio Dominican…He started his career with the AZL Indians and is currently pitching in the New York-Penn League for Mahoning Valley…Colegate has a 2-2 record with a 5.31 ERA in 20.1 IP.
Chris McDonald – Pitcher – GCL Pirates (Rookie Ball – Gulf Coast League)
MLB Affiliation – Pittsburgh Pirates
Incoming G-MAC School: Hillsdale
On a similar path as that of Pobereyko, McDonald had his contract purchased from independent ball and is getting tracked at the professional level in the Gulf Coast League…The 6-6 righty played the role of shutdown closer and viable rotation option in his final year with the Chargers…Despite going undrafted, McDonald is 2-1 so far in just four games, logging heavy innings in a relief role during the GCL’s day games…He’s coming off two scoreless innings in his latest appearance vs. the GCL Yankees West…Hillsdale, with Ohio Dominican and Lake Erie, will be a full G-MAC member institution in 2017-18.