Eastern baseball player Tristan Facer has recently signed with the Evansville Otters of the Frontier League.

Facer is listed on the roster as a pitcher for the Otters.

He was one of Eastern’s top two-way players this spring by pitching and playing first base, as well as being a designated hitter.

Facer played for the University of Evansville in 2007 after transferring from Parkland College in Champaign, Ill.

The Evansville Otters compete in the West Division of the Frontier League against teams such as Gateway Grizzlies (Sauget, Ill.), River City Rascals (O’Fallon, Mo.) and Windy City Thunderbolts (Crestwood, Ill.)

The Otters were named the Frontier League Champions in 2006 and finished the 2007 season with a record of 34-62.

The Otters are in sixth place in their division as of July 7 with a record of 20-25.

Facer completed his college eligibility this past spring with a 5.91 earned run average, 37 strikeouts, and a batting average of .266.

In-state ball

Freshmen pitcher Mike Martin is currently leading the Melrose Indians with a 0.81 ERA. Martin has struck out 20 batters while surrendering only 10 hits in 17 2/3 innings pitched. The Indians are currently in second place with an 11-6 record in the Northern Division of the Chicago Suburban League.

Junior Brian Morrell is pitching for the Quincy Gems and has a 2.70 ERA with a batting average against of .233. He has struck out 23 batters over 26 2/3 innings.

Morrell also struck out eight and gave up only three hits over 6 1/3 innings in a victory over Jordan Tokarz’ DuPage County Dragons June 7.

Tokarz is currently batting .171 and ranks third on his team with 10 RBIs. Four of his 12 hits have gone for extra bases.

The Dragons are currently in second place with a record of 12-11 just ahead of Morrell’s Gems, which have a 10-14 record earning them fourth place.

East coast ball

Jordan Kreke is leading the Watertown Wizards of Watertown N.Y. with a .356 batting average. Kreke is 21-for-59 with six RBIs and six runs scored.

The Wizards are currently in last place in the East Division with a record of 7-15.

Ryan Lindquist and Matt Miller are also participating in the New York Collegiate League. Both players earned a spot on the Allegany County Nitros’ roster.

Lindquist leads the team with a batting average of .375. He is 21-for-56 with seven doubles, 16 runs scored and two homeruns.

Lindquist was named the West Division Player of the week for the first week of the season.

Miller is 3-2 with a 3.86 ERA in only six appearances. He has struck out 14 batters with only five walks in 21 innings.

Both players were named the West Division Pitcher of the Week in just the first week of the season.

The Nitros are currently in fourth place in the West Division with a 10-10 record.

Hitting sensation Brett Nommensen is with the Edenton Steamers in North Carolina for the summer.

He has a batting average of .389 with a team high of 21 runs scored and 12 stolen bases.

Nommensen also has eight extra-base hits and two homeruns.

The Steamers went 20-7 winning the North Division for the first half of the season.

The Steamers, currently 21-8, are ranked seventh nationally among the Top 16 summer league teams in the country in the Perfect Game Crosschecker poll.

The Steamers have won an automatic bid into the Petitt Cup Tournament in Columbia, S.C., by winning the first half of the season.

Molly Clutter can be reached at 581-7944 or at mkclutter@eiu.edu.