University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
RAGINCAJUNS.COM FEATURE: Former Cajuns Enjoying Success in the Major Leagues
8/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
RAGINCAJUNS.COM FEATURE: Former Cajuns Enjoying Success in the Major Leagues
This season, seven former Ragin' Cajuns baseball players have enjoyed various levels of success in Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball and the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Grant Alexander and John McKeithen from the Louisiana-Lafayette Sports Information Department collaborated on this story. Editorial assistance provided by Sports Information Director Daryl Cetnar and Baseball SID Chris Yandle.
LAFAYETTE-For most student-athletes who have ever dawned
the Ragin' Cajuns uniform and taken the baseball diamond,
there has always been one childhood dream that led them to
pursuing their passion for baseball after college: playing
Major League Baseball.
For a few fortunate former phenoms, that dream has become a
reality. Currently there are three players in the big
leagues representing the University of Louisiana at
Lafayette as well as a number of them not far from getting
called-up.
IN THE “PREAUXS”
Left-handed
hurler
B.J. Ryan (pictured, right) is excelling for the
Baltimore Orioles. Ryan has recorded 90 strikeouts with a
microscopic ERA of 1.70 in the 55 games he has in which he
has pitched. While Ryan was at UL Lafayette, he was named to
the second team at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in
1998. During the tournament that same year, he
garnered Most Outstanding Player honors. (Picture
courtesy of the Baltimore Orioles Baseball Club.)
Scott Dohmann (pictured, below) has been a nice
addition to a Colorado Rockies team that has long been in
search of a top-pitching prospect. In the two months Dohmann
has been a member of the Rockies, he h
as
preformed brilliantly, fanning 30 batters in his 27
appearances. One of his more efficient outings came against
the Los Angeles Dodgers where he stuck out three batters in
only one and two thirds innings.
Dohmann is tied with Andy Gros for the most victories by a Cajun in a season with 26. During his stint at UL Lafayette, Dohmann was named to the Collegiate Baseball All-American third team, as well as being named the Sun Belt pitcher of the year. (Picture courtesy of Trevor Brown/Rich Clarkson and Associates.)
Lafayette
native and former Louisiana-Lafayette catcher
Paul Bako (pictured, left) has made a name for
himself over the years by becoming the catcher of choice for
future Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux. Bako, who caught
for the Cajuns' in the early 1990s, caught for Maddux in
Atlanta
in 2001 and now again in Chicago this season. He was behind
the plate when Maddux recorded his 300th win,
perhaps the biggest achievement of Bako's career. “It's
probably going to sink in at the end of the season or the
end of my career,” Bako said following the game that may
have sealed Maddux's quest for
Cooperstown.
On August 7 of this season, Bako played in his 500th career game in the Major Leagues. Bako went 1-for-3 with a run to help lead the Cubs to a 8-4 victory at San Francisco. (Picture taken during UL Lafayette Pro Home Run Derby, February 2004.)
DOWN ON THE FARM
While
Phil Devey (pictured, right) has not quite made it to
“the sho
w”,
this former Cajuns ace was recently honored with an invite
to
join the Canadian Olympic team. Devey was pitching for the
San Antonio Missions in the Texas League before getting the
call. Devey should be
a nice
addition to a Canadian team who swept through the
pre-Olympic tournament.
Devey currently holds the Cajuns record for most strikeouts in a season (165) as well as most career strikeouts (365). Devey was twice named the Collegiate Player of the Week in 1999 and was named a third team All-American by Baseball America. (Picture courtesy of San Antonio Missions Double-A Baseball Club.)
Former Ragin' Cajuns third baseman Chase Lambin is making his presence felt in the New York Mets farm system. This season, for the Double-A Binghampton (NY) Mets, Lambin is hitting .250 with eight home runs and 57 RBI.
Gonzales native Jordy Templet, who was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 17th round of the 2003 MLB Draft, was recently called up from the Single-A Charleston Alley Cats to the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats. He was 0-2 with a 4.09 ERA for Charleston before being called up to New Hampshire. Since arriving, he has appeared in five innings with an 1.80 ERA.
Former Ragin' Cajuns outfielder Corey Coles has been very productive for the New York Mets' Single-A Brooklyn Cyclones. He is currently hitting .306 with 2 home runs and 18 RBI.
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