Columbia Fireflies (1-2) vs. Charleston RiverDogs (2-1)

Columbia Fireflies (1-2) vs. Charleston RiverDogs (2-1)

RHP Christian James (‘18: 4-3, 1.90) vs. RHP Luis Gil (‘18: 2-3, 1.96)

Sunday, April 7, 2019 — Segra Park — First Pitch 2:05 p.m. — Game 4 

LISTEN: FirefliesLiveStream.com / ColumbiaFireflies.com / TuneIn App

WATCH: MiLB.TV

2018 SEASON RECAP

Three seasons of Columbia Fireflies baseball are now in the books. The 2018 season proved to be another wonderful campaign for the players, fans and the organization.

            As has typically been the case, the Fireflies were again honored with numerous awards. Segra Park (formerly Spirit Communications Park) was named the best playing field in the South Atlantic League. That was thanks in large part to the efforts of 2018 SAL Sports Turf Manager of the Year, Danny Losito. League managers and umpires made it abundantly clear that Columbia’s field was the most outstanding in the league.

            Last spring and summer also saw the first wave of former Fireflies to reach the major leagues. Four players who had passed through Columbia fulfilled their lifelong dreams. The first was former South Atlantic League All-Star Merandy Gonzalez. The right-hander made his pro debut with the Marlins (after being traded from the Mets organization the prior year) in April 2018. Left-hander P.J. Conlon would follow with a start for the Mets in May and soon after, pitcher Tyler Bashlor and outfielder Kevin Kaczmarski reached the Mets major league roster. 

            On the field, the Fireflies proved to be a competitive team. Two former first round draft choices, Anthony Kay and David Peterson, called Columbia home for a portion of the 2018 season. Both received promotions to advanced-A due to their success with the Fireflies and Peterson would even go on to win the Mets Sterling Award for the class-A affiliate (the Sterling Award is given annually to the top Mets prospect at each minor league level). Peterson, the 20^th overall selection in the 2017 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Oregon, was unflappable in nine starts with the Fireflies & posted a 1.82 ERA.

            The Fireflies weren’t only recognized for their work on the field. Marcel Renteria won the Mets’ coveted Community Service Award. The pitcher volunteered on many occasions to visit with youngsters at the Palmetto Health Children’s Hospital. Renteria alsoparticipated in scrimmages with Columbia-based special needs baseball teams and was always eager to sign autographs for fans. In addition, Renteria was a major asset throughout the season to the Fireflies staff, as he was able to bridge the language gap between the front office and Spanish-speaking Fireflies players. In fact, Marcel even led a focus group of our players to help develop logos and color schemes for the team’s participation in Minor League Baseball’s "Copa de la Diversión," or "Fun Cup." The Copa is a season-long event series specifically designed to embrace the culture and values that resonate most with participating teams' local Hispanic/Latino communities.

            Six Fireflies were named South Atlantic League all-stars in 2018: RHP Joe Cavallaro,  RHP Trey Cobb, C Scott Manea, LHPDavid Peterson, 1B Jeremy Vasquez, RHP Stephen Villines

            The fans who passed through the gates at Spirit Communications Park were as passionate and energetic as ever. The highest-attended game in 2018 took place on July 

4^th. There were 9,278 fans in attendance for the Fireflies’ Independence Day celebration, the second-largest crowd in park history. A spectacular fireworks display took place immediately after the game, sending fans home with smiles ear-to-ear.

            Records were smashed as well. Columbia set new benchmarks for home runs (88) and punchouts (1241) in a season. Matt Winaker tied the single-season mark with 13 dingers and Tony Dibrell struck out a new Fireflies season-best 147 batters.

            Also of note, two 2018 Fireflies – pitchers Joe Cavallaro and Stephen Villines – both reached as high as the double-A level.

PROSPECTS IN COLUMBIA

Columbia’s 2019 roster is filled with plenty of skilled Mets farm-hands, including an opening-day record-tying six New York prospects. Here’s the breakdown:

METS PROSPECTS (according to MLB.com & Baseball America)

3. Ronny Mauricio, SS        4. Mark Vientos, 3B 7. Simeon Woods-Richardson, RHP

9. Thomas Szapucki, LHP  26. Chris Viall, RHP 27. Christian James, RHP

METS STERLING AWARD WINNERS (5)

Ronny Mauricio (GCL Mets, 2018)         Jaison Vilera (GCL Mets, 2017)

Thomas Szapucki (Kingsport, 2016)      Wagner Lagrange (DSL Mets, 2015)

Walter Rasquin (DSL Mets, 2014)