July 14, 2008
ARLINGTON, Texas - The UT Arlington baseball program is being represented in the collegiate summer leagues by several players who wore Maverick uniforms this past spring, and also by players who have signed National Letters of Intent with UT Arlington for the 2008-2009 year. Rett Varner (Coppell Copperheads), Jason Mitchell (Santa Maria Indians), Jeff Edlefsen (Rochester Honkers), Ryan Davis (Southern Cal Fire) and Tim Steggall (Seattle Studs) are all competing in various summer leagues across the U.S. before joining the Mavs in the fall.
Varner, a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher from Trophy Club, Texas, is one of the top pitchers for the Copperheads in the Texas Collegiate League. After making 15 appearances during his freshman season at UT Arlington, Varner is leading Coppell with 28 innings pitched, and he is tied for the most victories on the team with a 2-2 record. Varner has posted a 3.54 earned run average in five starts with 25 strikeouts (second on team) and has issued only nine walks.
He recorded his first collegiate victory for UT Arlington while throwing a season-high six innings and recording six strikeouts in an 11-1 victory at home against UT Pan American.
Davis, an Edmond, Okla., native, is enjoying a successful summer in the Southern California Collegiate League with the Southern Cal Fire. He is among team leaders batting .389 with four doubles, a triple, 10 RBI and a .426 on-base percentage. Recently the Fire won the Western Regional Qualifying Tournament (Barona, Calif.) to automatically qualify for the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kan., later this summer. The Southern Cal Fire is currently in second place in the Western Division with a 10-2 league mark.
In his first season as a Maverick this past spring, Davis batted .233 (28 starts) while posting seven doubles, one triple and 12 RBI. His top performance at the plate in 2008 was in a mid-week road game against Baylor going 3-for-3 with a double. Davis transferred to UT Arlington after playing two seasons at Eastern Oklahoma State.
Edlefsen, a junior-college transfer to UT Arlington from Barton County C.C., recently joined the Rochester Honkers in the Northwoods League. In his debut season with the Mavs, Edlefsen made 10 appearances, primarily out of the bullpen, picking up seven strikeouts and one save with a 1-0 record.
The 5-foot-11 lefty from Bloomington, Minn., tossed six innings and collected three strikeouts in his first outing for Rochester on July 10 against the Brainerd Blue Thunder.
UT Arlington will welcome three talented players from Central Arizona College in the fall, after the trio led the Vaqueros to a 44-22 overall record and a third-place finish at the 2008 JUCO World Series in Grand Junction, Colo.
Mitchell, a 6-foot-2 right hander from Phoenix, Ariz., is pitching this summer for the Santa Maria Indians in the California Collegiate League. Mitchell ranks among league leaders with a 3.00 ERA, and he has recorded a perfect 2-0 record in 18 innings pitched with 25 strikeouts and five walks. Santa Maria is currently in second place in the CCL standings.
While playing at CAC last season, Mitchell went 11-3 in 116.1 innings pitched. He logged 100 strikeouts, four complete games and issued only 18 walks.
Steggall was the top hitter for Central Arizona last season with a .398 batting average. He posted 100 base hits, 14 doubles, eight triples, five home runs, 42 RBI and led the team with 28 stolen bases. His 12 base hits at the JUCO World Series tied for the most among all players.
This summer Steggall, a native of Vacaville, Calif., is playing for the Seattle Studs in the Pacific International League. He is currently batting .242 with five extra-base hits and 11 RBI.
In addition, Joe Anson, who was the first incoming recruit signed to the 2008 recruiting class, is also coming off a strong season at CAC where he was second on the team with a 1.86 ERA and went 6-2 on the mound in 72 2/3 innings pitched. The six-foot lefty from Australia is home this summer playing in a semi-professional league before enrolling at UT Arlington in the fall.
