Former Marietta College Pioneer Tim Saunders continues to hit the ball very well in the Chicago Cubs minor league farm system.
Saunders began the season by hitting a whopping .493 in 17 games for the Cubs Arizona Rookie League squad before gaining a promotion to Single A Daytona.
The college All-American shortstop kept right on hitting for Daytona, collecting 13 hits in 42 at bats before being moved to Peoria, also a single A Cubs affiliate.
In his first four games at Peoria, Saunders is five-for 17, while swiping four bases.
Saunders is hitting .408 (53-130) at all three stops combined, with four homeruns and 27 runs batted in. He has also scored 35 runs in 33 games and stolen 13 bases. Saunders teammate on the back-to-back champion Pioneers, Austin Blaski, also continues to make a good showing in the Milwaukee Brewers farm system.
The right handed Blaski has been working out of the bullpen and has a very respectable 2.65 earned run average in ten appearances for the Milwaukee Arizona Rookie League squad. He has allowed just 18 hits in 17 innings pitched while striking out 15 batters.
Another former Pioneer flame thrower, Mark Williams is also in the Milwaukee organization, and has a 6-9 record and a 3.88 ERA for the Brewers single-A affiliate Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.
Williams has tossed 92 innings on the season working in both relief and as a starter and has fanned 76 hitters on the season.
Right handed hurler Mike DeMark continues to pitch for the Reno Aces, the Arizona Diamondbacks triple-A affiliate, and has a 3-5 record with a 4.87 ERA in 57 innings of work.
