June 18, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Former Blazer All-American first baseman Ryan Keedy made his professional debut Tuesday night and picked up right where he concluded his UAB career, going 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored to help lead his Boise Hawks club to a 6-5 opening day victory over Eugene.

Keedy is competing with the Boise Hawks of the short-season Single-A Northwest League. The season began Tuesday and will continue through Sept. 3. Keedy is one of 29 players invited to play with the club this season, which includes 12 returning players, among those is the No. 1 selection by the Cubs in the 2007 MLB Draft, Josh Vitters.

This past spring, Keedy hit .423 with a school record 29 doubles and 99 hits for UAB. He was named a Collegiate Baseball Louisville Slugger and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) All-American.

Another former Blazer, Danny Sawyer, who was a first-team All-Conference USA catcher for UAB in 2007, is batting .265 with two home runs and seven RBI for the Windy City Thunderbolts of the Independent Frontier League. The Thunderbolts are 12-14 for the year as the defending Frontier League champions.