July 3, 2009
ARLINGTON, Texas - Former UT Arlington right-handed pitcher Matthew Sartor has been named to the Double-A Southern League All-Star Game as one of 10 pitchers on the North Division roster. Sartor, who played at UT Arlington for two years (2006-07), will make his professional All-Star debut on Monday, July 13 at Regions Park in Birmingham, Ala., as one of four players representing the Chattanooga Lookouts (Los Angeles Dodgers). Players were selected by a vote of Southern League field managers, radio broadcasters, general managers and print media.
Sartor, originally from Irving, Texas, signed a free agent contract with the Dodgers following his senior season at UT Arlington in 2007. Now in his third professional season, Sartor has been the top relief pitcher for the Dodgers' Double-A affiliate.
He leads the Lookouts in appearances (28) and his 43.2 innings pitched and 46 strikeouts are tops among team relief pitchers. In addition, his 43.2 innings rank fourth among league relievers.
Sartor, a 6-foot-6, 250 pound reliever, is 1-2 with a 2.89 ERA while allowing only 29 base hits and is allowing opponents a miniscule .182 batting average. His six saves lead the team and is tied for eighth in the Southern League.
The UT Arlington baseball program currently has seven former players in Major League Baseball and Sartor is one of eight former Mavs currently playing with a minor league affiliate.
ALL-STAR NOTES:
- Former Maverick Trey Hillman (1982-85), who is in his second year as the manager of the Kansas City Royals, has been named to the American League All-Star coaching staff by A.L. manager Joe Maddon of the Tampa Bay Rays. Hillman also took part in the 1999 Major League Baseball All-Star Game Festivities as a coach at the Futures Game while manager the New York Yankees Triple-A affiliate in Columbus.
- Former UT Arlington pitcher John Lackey (1998) made his big league All-Star Game debut with the Los Angeles Angels in 2007 at AT&T Park in San Francisco. That same season Lackey led the A.L. in ERA (3.01), ranked second in wins (19) and was fourth in innings pitched (224.0).
- Former Maverick and Southland Conference batting champion Hunter Pence (2003-04) was named to eight minor league all-star teams, including Baseball America Minor League All-Star (2006 - Corpus Christi), Baseball America Double-A All-Star (Corpus Christi), Texas League Post-Season All-Star (Corpus Christi), Futures Game All-Star (Corpus Christi), Texas League Mid-Season All-Star (Corpus Christi), South Atlantic League Post-Season All-Star (Lexington), Baseball America Low Class-A All-Star (Lexington) and South Atlantic League Mid-Season All-Star (Lexington).
