Two Former BlueSox Named Top Division II Prospects

February 2, 2012

Ben Rawding and Shayne Houck, two former members of the Butler BlueSox were named Top 20 NCAA Division II Prospects by Perfect Game, the worlds largest amateur baseball scouting service, earlier this week.

Left-handed pitcher Rawding was named the 15th overall prospect and the top prospect at Mercyhurst College, which Perfect Game ranked as the ninth best Division II team in the nation entering 2012.

In 2011 Rawding led Mercyhurst in innings, appearances, and complete games on his way to a 71 record with a 2.19 ERA. He held opponents to a .194 batting average and struck out 72 batters in 78 innings.

Last week Rawding was named a Preseason All-American in the Atlantic Region along with four of his teammates. Last season he was a Second Team All-PSAC West selection when Mercyhurst won the PSAC championship, was runner-up in the NCAA Atlantic Regional, and set a new school-record by winning 42 games.

After his sophomore season Rawding went 22 with a 6.64 ERA in eight starts for the BlueSox in 2010.

Houck, who led the 2011 BlueSox in batting average, runs, hits, and RBIs, was ranked the 20th Division II Prospect.

A third basemen in Butler, Houck is an outfielder at Kutztown University where he led the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in runs, home runs, total bases, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage last season.

Houck was named to the American Baseball Coaches' Association / Rawlings All-Atlantic Region first team for the past two seasons. Last season he was named PSAC Eastern Division Player of the Year, to the All-PSAC first team, the Daktronics' Atlantic Region first team, and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association Atlantic Region first team.

Perfect Game's Top 50 Division II Prospects can be found on their site.

Radwan Returns

January 31, 2012

For a team of 26 ballplayers who dont know each other, it can be tough to get into the swing of things after just a few days of practice. But every year, that's what the teams of the Prospect League have to do or risk falling out of the playoff race before it begins.

Last summer the BlueSox came together quick offensively. In their third game at rival-Slippery Rock, second baseman Jason Radwan led the charge at the plate. With three hits and a walk, the infielder from Angola, N.Y. drove in a run and scored two more as the BlueSox rocketed to a 10-run evening and their second victory in as many nights.

Radwan kept up his strong hitting over the summer, ranking fifth on the team in on-base percentage--a number that was an understatement according to manager Anthony Rebyanski.

"I have never seen a player hit the ball as hard as Jason did all summer long and not get the results they wanted," Rebyanski said. "A lot of players will get frustrated when they can't buy a hit and start pressing. Jason didn't do that. He's a battler and I'm anxious to watch him produce both at the plate and in the field this summer."

Radwan, who is in his junior year at St. Bonaventure, will be returning to Butler in 2012. He was a 2011 Prospect League All-Star, finishing the season with a .222 average, four doubles, one triple, 22 runs scored, and 20 RBIs.

At St. Bonaventure in 2011, Radwan was a Second-Team All-Conference selection while leading the Boonies with five round trippers and 84 total bases. He finished the 2011 season with a 14-game hitting streak, the longest active streak in the A-10. His .324 average was also best amongst A-10 second basemen. In his career, he holds a .317 average with six homeruns, 22 doubles, a .411 on-base percentage, and 56 RBIs.

"It's great to have a player of Jason's stature returning to Butler," said Rebyanski. "I look forward to working with him once again and I know the rest of our team will benefit from his presence as well."

BlueSox Look to Have More Live Entertainment in 2012

January 25, 2012 ♦ by Patrick Reddick

The Butler BlueSox will continue to have live entertainment and National Anthem singers prior to each game for the 2012 season.

"We invited bands to play before our games last season for the first time," said team owner Ray Conlon. "We felt the live performances would liven up the ballpark atmosphere and they did just that."

"We had a good mix of local bands that are just getting started, as well as some who have been around for a while," said general manager Matt Cunningham. "It was a very diverse mix of musical styles."

For the first time, every game last summer was preceded by a live National Anthem singer and the BlueSox look to do the same in 2012.

"We love having the community involved in any way we can and the live music is certainly a part of that," said Conlon. "We were encouraged with the number of participants last season and hope to have even more join us this summer."

There are still dates available for National Anthem singers and bands to perform during the upcoming 2012 season. Anyone who is interested in performing can contact the team at 724.256.9994 or email at FrontOffice@ButlerBlueSox.net. Individual artists and groups are both welcome.

Prospect League adds more games, slates May 29 for Opening Day

January 1, 2012 ♦ by Patrick Reddick

Entering its fourth year, the Prospect League continues to evolve. The League’s schedule has undergone a few changes for the 2012 summer.

Four additional games have been added, meaning each team will play 60 games. Opening Day has been moved up to May 29 to accommodate the addition.

Inter-division play has been eliminated and each team will face the other five teams in their division six times home and away. Teams will play two games on back-to-back nights in each city they visit. Slippery Rock, Richmond (Indiana), Beckley (West Virginia), Lorain and Chillicothe (Ohio) will be the Butler BlueSox’s opponents.

Butler will open their season at Pullman Park with four games against Chillicothe and West Virginia before traveling to Richmond on June 2 for their first road series.

The regular season will last 69 days, with teams resting on Mondays. Springfield, Illinois will host the Eastern vs. Western Conference All Star Game at Robin Roberts Field on July 11. The playoffs will last from August 7 through 12, with the Championship being a best-of-three contest.