June 19, 2003

Los Angeles, Calif. - Former Loyola Marymount pitcher James Clelland has signed a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox. Clelland, who played for the Lions' NCAA Regional teams in 1998, 1999 and 2000 originally signed with the Montreal Expos after the 2001 season, when he led LMU in wins.

The Red Sox purchased Clelland's contract from the Cook County Cheetahs of the Frontier League. Clelland was 4-1 with an ERA of 2.08 in five starts this year for the Crestwood, Ill., based team. In 2002, Clelland was 7-5 with a 2.80 ERA with the Cheetahs. The Red Sox will send Clelland to their Class A team in Georgia, the Augusta GreenJackets.