2009 Lynchburg Hillcats

2009 Lynchburg Hillcats

Parent Club: Pittsburgh Pirates

Affiliates: Indianapolis Indians, Altoona Curve, West Virginia Power, State College Spikes, GCL Pirates, DSL Pirates, VSL Pirates

• Composite Record: '73-66
  • 1st Half Record: 45-24, Finished 0 GB in Northern Division
  • 2nd Half Record: 28-42
    • Qualified for playoffs

Managed by P.J. Forbes

Ballpark: Lynchburg City Stadium

Regular Season

Lynchburg began the season 26-15, leading the Carolina League and well ahead of the other Pirates affiliates. Given 17 come-from-behind wins in that stretch, they were nicknamed "Cardiac Cats." 3B Pedro Alvarez was one of the key players, as his 9 homers and 35 RBI were both among the top two in the league; 6 of those homers had put Lynchburg ahead and two had tied the game in the 9th inning; 2 were walkoff shots.

Lynchburg had the best record in the Northern Division in the first half of the year, earning a playoff berth. Alvarez was leading the league with 55 RBI and was second with 14 homers; he was then called up to the Altoona Curve. C Kris Watts (.313/.449/.485) and RF Miles Durham (.296/.348/.490, 19 2B) were also providing strong offense, putting up better OPSes than Alvarez (.247/.342/.486). Key first-half pitchers were Matt McSwain (6-3, 3.00), Michael Colla (4-0, 0.96) and Michael Dubee (2-0, 6 Sv, 1.45).

After Alvarez left at the midway point, the team plummeted to 28-43 in the second half. One key addition was the call-up of IF Chase d'Arnaud, who hit .295/.402/.481 and scored 45 runs in 54 games.

For the year, the top hitters were Alvarez (.247/.342/.486), d'Arnaud (.295/.402/.481), Watts (.291/.405/.432) and Durham (.296/.348/.490). The top hurlers were relievers Dubee (2-0, 6 Sv, 1.05), Tom Boleska (1-1, 1.60) and R.J. Rodriguez (6-3, 27 Sv, 3.08) and starters Ronald Uviedo (5-5, 3 Sv, 3.36) and McSwain (11-8, Sv, 3.43).

Post Season

Lynchburg faced Wilmington in the first round of the playoffs. They lost game one, but took game two on a 1-0 shutout by Rudy Owens. Dropping game three, they stayed alive with a 5-2 game four win in which Pittsburgh's 2009 first-rounder Tony Sanchez drilled a 2-run homer. In the decisive game five, Josh Harrison drove in four of Lynchburg's five runs as they beat Wilmington 5-2; Bryan Morris got the win.

In the finals, the Hillcats faced Salem. They handily took game one 9-2 behind the pitching of Justin Wilson and the bats of Chase d'Arnaud and Matt Hague. In game two, Jose De Los Santos hit the walk-off homer in the 9th, his first home run in four years, in a 5-4 victory. They won their fifth straight to complete the sweep, 8-7, as Jordy Mercer was 4 for 5 with 2 RBI and 2 doubles. Michael Colla pitched 3 1/3 shutout, hitless innings after replacing starter Jeff Locke in the second, to get the win. D'Arnaud, with 7 RBI in 3 games, was named the MVP of the finals.

Complete Roster

Roster				Coaching Staff		Off Field Staff
Pitchers Nathan Adcock Ramon Aguero Harrison Bishop Tom Boleska Christian Castorri Chi-Hung Cheng Michael Colla Chris Cullen Michael Dubee Michael Felix Harvey Garcia Noah Krol Matt McSwain Paul Mildren Dustin Molleken Bryan Morris Rudy Owens Moises Robles R.J. Rodriguez Ronald Uviedo Justin Wilson		Catchers Joel Collins Eric Fryer Tony Sanchez Kris Watts Infielders Pedro Alvarez Ray Chang Chase d'Arnaud Jose De Los Santos Angel Gonzalez Matt Hague Josh Harrison Jordy Mercer Kent Sakamoto Outfielders Marcus Davis Miles Durham Erik Huber Jared Keel Maiko Loyola Starling Marte Lastings Milledge Eddie Prasch Alex Presley Ciro Rocero Jamie Romak		Manager P.J. Forbes Coaches Wally Whitehurst (pitching) Dave Howard (hitting) (trainer)		Ownership (corporation) (principal owner) Front Office (general manager) (asst. general manager) (dir. broadcasting/P.R.) (dir. Food & Beverage) Support Staff (groundskeeper) (official scorer) (PA announcers) (clubhouse manager)

Related Links

• Baseball Cube Team Page