Tuesday, May 29, 2007

TUSCULUM'S BEN SWAGGERTY INKS WITH ROYALS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. --- Tusculum College pitcher Ben Swaggerty has signed a contract to play professional baseball for the Kansas City Royals announced College officials Tuesday. Swaggerty will head to Arizona next month for extended spring training before going to Idaho Falls, Idaho (Idaho Falls Chukars) to play for the Advanced Rookie affiliate of the Royals.

Swaggerty, a 6-1, 185-pound lefthander from Knoxville, Tenn. (Central HS), posted an impressive 5-0 record and a team-best six saves in his 24 appearances this past season with the Pioneers. His save tally is currently 35^th in the nation (NCAA Division II), while posting a 1.69 earned run average, the second lowest on the team. He also accounted for 61 strikeouts, walked only 17 and limited the opposition to a .210 batting average.

Swaggerty especially shined down the postseason stretch, recording a pair of saves during the 2007 NCAA II South Regional in Tampa, Fla. He tossed the final three innings in Tusculum's 4-1 win over No. 17 Florida Southern as he finished with seven strikeouts. The next day, he scattered two hits and struck out four in TC's 7-6 win over Florida Gulf Coast.

"I'm very proud of Ben and what he has accomplished," said Tusculum head coach Doug Jones. "I have watched this young man mature into one of the best leaders that we have ever had in our program. His story is a great example of how you should never give up on your dreams. I really believe that Ben has a bright future ahead of him and I know he will give it his best effort."

Swaggerty led the Pioneers to the championship game of the 2007 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament. He was brilliant in his three appearances on the mound during the SAC Tournament.  In his eight innings, he allowed just two hits, struck out seven and recorded a save while being named to the SAC All-Tournament Team.

"I'm truly overwhelmed and excited about this opportunity," said Swaggerty. "I have always been taught to value your time and take advantage of every opportunity that is afforded to you. I'm very grateful to everyone who has helped me along during my career, especially my coaches and teammates."

During his career at Tusculum, he appeared in 44 games, which are tied for the eighth most in school history. His 117 career strikeouts are also tied for eighth, to go along with a solid 8-2 record on the hill. He also made the most of his lone career plate appearance with a RBI double against Albany State this past season.

Last summer, Swaggerty was selected to play for the Northern Division squad in the 2006 Southern Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game. He played for the Tennessee Thunder as he posted a 2.50 ERA in 12 appearances, to go along with five saves a limited opponents to hit just .071 against him.

Tusculum finished 2007 with an impressive 50-14 record and finished third at the NCAA South Regional. The Pioneers' 50 victories are the most in school and conference history. Tusculum captured its third straight league championship while advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five years.

Swaggerty becomes the seventh player during the Coach Jones' era to play professional baseball. He joins fellow Pioneers Robbie Bouman (Tampa Bay Devil Rays), Eric Butler (Arizona Diamondbacks), Brandon Dickson (St. Louis Cardinals), Brent Gabel (Washington Wild Things), Bobby Darling (Rockford RiverHawks) and Adam Beacham (Kansas City Royals).

Tusculum College, located in Greeneville, Tenn., is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, USA and is a NCAA Division II member of the South Atlantic Conference which is comprised of eight colleges and universities in Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina.

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