Baseball in Fort Wayne

In a Friday night Class-A California League game, the San Diego Padres’ affiliate, Lake Elsinore Storm, put on a record-setting performance by pounding Boston’s Lancaster Jethawks squad 30-0. Several former Fort Wayne Wizards contributed to the effort.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this,” said Lake Elsinore hitting coach Max Venable, who was a Major League Baseball outfielder from 1979-91 and former Wizards hitting coach. “I really can’t explain it,” he added. “The guys are still talking about it. I mean, we’re in awe.”

Chad Huffman and Craig Cooper each homered twice and Yordany Ramirez drove in seven runs. Huffman went 5-for-5, scored five runs and drove in five. Kyle Blanks, who scored six times, and Matt Antonelli each had six hits.

Huffman, Cooper, Blanks Antonelli all played in Fort Wayne last year while Ramirez appeared in 104 games with the Wizards in 2005.

Read More: SI.com | MinorLeagueBaseball.com | JetHawks Website

On a related note, former Wizard and current Lake Elsinore pitcher, Wade LeBlanc earned Cal League Pitcher of the Week honors for the week of April 16-22.

“Leblanc was selected by the Padres in the second round of the 2006 draft. He posted a 5-1 record and a 3.02 ERA in 14 games between Short-A Eugene and Single-A Fort Wayne in 2006. In 2007, the 6’3” lefty was recognized as having the best changeup in the San Diego Padres’ organization in Baseball America’s Best Tools Survey and is 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA through six starts with Lake Elsinore.”

[tags]Wizards, JetHawks, Minor Leauge Baseball, High-A, California League[/tags]

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