Aug. 12, 2014
Fifteen current Lion baseball players are competing in summer leagues around the country this summer, while 10 former Lions have been active in professional baseball, including C.J. Wilson (Los Angeles Angels) and Ryan Wheeler (Los Angeles Angels) who have competed in Major League Baseball.
LIONS IN SUMMER LEAGUES | LIONS CURRENTLY IN THE PROS | LIONS IN MLB
CURRENT LION SPOTLIGHT
After finishing his first year in a Lion uniform, Tyler Cohen traveled to the Northwoods League to compete for the Willmar Stingers as a two-way player. The right-hand pitcher has posted a 2-1 record and a 3.55 ERA over seven games and two starts on the mound, tossing 12.2 innings and striking out 11 to accompany one save. Offensively, the native of Woodland Hills, Calif. has batted .280 with four runs scored, a double, a triple and eight RBI in eight games. He has collected multiple hits in three of his eight games played.
FORMER LION SPOTLIGHT
Eric Farris, who was drafted in the 2007 MLB Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, is currently playing for the AAA Rochester Red Wings of the Minnesota Twins organization. This year, Farris is hitting .267 with 20 doubles, a triple, two homers and 37 RBI in 115 games played. The native of Sacramento, Calif. has also drawn 22 walks while stealing 16 bags. Over eight seasons in the minor leagues, Farris has batted .281 with 233 stolen bases and 438 runs scored.
Farris received All-West Coast Conference recognition in each of his three seasons in a Lion uniform. In 2007, the middle infielder led the Lions with a .349 average, 46 runs scored, 81 hits, 108 total bases, and 33 stolen bases on the season. Those numbers led to his selection as a semifinalist for USA Baseball's Golden Spikes award, placing him among the nation's top-50 players and top-20 infielders.
After stealing 33 bags in 2007, Farris ranks fourth all-time at LMU with 60 career stolen bases, a mark he accumulated in just three years. Other notable accomplishments include stringing together a 25-game hitting streak that spanned the 2006 and 2007 seasons. That streak was the longest hitting streak since Don Sparks set the LMU record of 27 in 1988.
