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Princeton University Athletics
Nine Tiger Alums Complete 2005 Professional Baseball Season
October 05, 2005 | Baseball
Oct. 5, 2005
Princeton, N.J. - With the Somerset Patriots win over Nashua on Sunday evening, the Atlantic League Championship was decided, and the final game of 2005 for the cast of nine Princeton alums playing professional baseball was played. Chris Young, who completed his rookie season in the Major Leagues with a 12-7 record and a 4.26 ERA with the Texas Rangers, led the group that included four players in A ball, three in Rookie Ball and one in an independent league.
Young started 31 games for Texas. He ranked second on the team in wins, ERA among starters and innings pitched. His 137 strikeouts led the team and ranked 19th in the America League.
Ross Ohlendorf, B.J. Szymanski, Will Venable and Steve Young all played at the Class A level. Ohlendorf pitched for Arizona's affiliate in South Bend, Ind., and went 11-10 in 27 starts. He had a 4.53 ERA and struck out 144 batters in 157 innings pitched. He also picked up a playoff win as the Silver Hawks won the Midwest League Championship.
Szymanski battled through injuries during the year to appear in 50 games for the Dayton Dragon, an affiliate of Cincinnati. He batted .262 with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs. Steve Young spent his season playing for Detroit's affiliate, the West Michigan Whitecaps. He appeared at both second base and shortstop for the team, playing in 63 games. He hit .233 and had a .326 on-base percentage.
Venable was one of three Tigers to play at Princeton in 2005 and then sign and start a pro career in the summer. After signing with San Diego, he was assigned to rookie ball in Arizona where he hit .322 in 15 games. That prompted a call up to Class A Eugene where he played in 42 games and hit .216. Tim Lahey spent his second season with Minnesota's Rookie team in Elizabethton, Tenn., but did so as a pitcher after catching there the previous season. Lahey began to pitch during spring training and was the team's closer when the season began. He notched 15 saves in 26 appearances for the Twins and struck out 30 batters in 25 innings. Lahey saved both games as the team won Appalachian League Championship Series 2-1.
Worth Lumry and Brian Kappel continued their career as teammates with Seattle's Arizona Summer League team. Lumry pitched in 16 games, going 2-1 with a 6.66 ERA, while Kappel, a mid-season pick-up, pitched five times with a 2-1 record and a 0.00 ERA.
Pat Boran, spent most of the season playing independent baseball for the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League. Boran was one of six players on the roster of the 2005 league champion that did not have any Major League experience. In 76 games with the team, he batted .280 with 15 extra-base hits and 34 RBIs.
Thomas Pauly, a member of the Cincinnati Reds organization, sat out the year following shoulder surgery but had been assigned to Class AA Chatanooga prior to the surgery.