July 16, 2002
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Three members of the 2002 Santa Clara University baseball team are currently pursuing their dreams of playing Major League Baseball by working their way through the minors. Following their senior seasons on the Mission Campus where they led the Broncos to a second place finish in the WCC Coast Division, A.J. Ampi, Joey Gomes and Pat Peavey have all caught on with clubs and are making an impact.
Ampi, who ranks sixth on the Broncos all-time saves list, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Evansville Otters of the Independent Frontier League and has appeared in three games thus far. He has only given up one hit to 12 batters over the span of 3 1/3 innings of work.
Gomes, who became the Santa Clara's 10th First Team All-America selection in 2002, was drafted in the eighth round by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 2002 MLB Amateur Draft. Currently playing for the Hudson Valley Renegades, Gomes has posted a .274 average with seven doubles, five home runs, two triples and 19 RBI in only 27 games. The Renegades are the Devil Rays' Single-A affiliate in the short season New York-Penn League.
Peavey, who was drafted in the 33rd round of the draft by the Houston Astros, is also playing in the short season New York-Penn League but with the Tri-City Valleycats. Following a senior season at Santa Clara where he hit .300, Peavey has appeared in 20 games for the Valleycats, collecting four doubles, two home runs and 12 RBI in 68 at bats.
The trio has their sights set on joining former Bronco and 2002 MLB All-Star Randy Winn in the Big Show. If they do, they will join 45 other Broncos who have reached the Major League level in the school's 112 years of baseball. Most recently Mike Crudale, Ampi and Peavey's teammate in 1999, was the last Bronco to debut in the Major Leagues when he pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals on April 11, 2002.
EVANSVILLE OTTERS Individual Statistics Thru Games of: 7/15/02 W-L Record: 21- 22PITCHERS W-L PCT ERA G GS CG SHO GF SV IP H AB TBF R ER HR SH SF HB BB IB SO WP BK 0H 1H 2H 3H Ampi, A.J. 0- 0 .000 0.00 3 0 0 0 1 0 3.1 1 10 12 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 4 2 0 0 0 0 0
HUDSON VALLEY RENEGADES Individual Statistics Thru Games of: 7/15/02 W-L Record: 10- 17 GI ---GAMES BY POSITION--- BATTERS AVG G AB R H TB 2B 3B HR RBI SH SF HP BB IB SO SB CS DP SLG OBP 1B 2B 3B SS OF C E Gomes, Joey .274 27 106 17 29 55 7 2 5 19 0 2 4 11 0 20 2 1 4 .519 .358 0 0 0 0 27 0 2
TRI-CITY VALLEYCATS Individual Statistics Thru Games of: 7/15/02 W-L Record: 13- 14 GI ---GAMES BY POSITION--- BATTERS AVG G AB R H TB 2B 3B HR RBI SH SF HP BB IB SO SB CS DP SLG OBP 1B 2B 3B SS OF C E Peavey, Pat .221 20 68 11 15 25 4 0 2 12 1 3 1 6 0 15 2 1 2 .368 .282 0 0 11 0 0 0 0