May 18, 2009
EASTON, Pa. - Three former Lafayette baseball players have signed with two teams in the Frontier League for the 2009 season. Matt Kamine '07 will join the Windy City Thunderbolts and classmates Kevin Reese '08 and Steve Roberts '08 will play with the Traverse City Beach Bums.
All three were members of Lafayette's 2007 Patriot League Championship squad that made its first appearance in the NCAA Regionals since 1990 and finished with a program-best 33 victories.
Roberts is entering his second season with the Beach Bums while Reese is joining his second Frontier League team after spending 2008 with the Washington Wildthings (Pa.).
Roberts worked his way into Traverse City's starting lineup in 2008 and made eight starts in 14 appearances. He finished the season with a 3-1 record and a 2.33 ERA, the second-lowest among the team's starters. He logged 58 innings of work, struck out 45 batters and held opposing hitters to a .205 average. During his 2008 senior season at Lafayette, Roberts led the pitching staff with his 2.22 ERA and racked up five saves in 18 appearances. He graduated that spring with a degree in Economics and Business.
Reese, who earned a degree in Economics and Business at Lafayette, spent the 2008 season with Washington where he made 10 appearances and struck out 10 batters in 12.2 innings of work. The East Stroudsburg, Pa. native ended his Lafayette career with 15 victories, tied for sixth all-time in Lafayette history. He boasted a career ERA of 3.40 and struck out 157 batters while walking only 44 in his 222.1 career innings of work.
Finally, Kamine will play the 2009 season with Windy City after a successful rehab following Tommy John surgery. The Oldwick, N.J. native was a two-time All-Patriot League First-Team member with the Leopards and finished his senior season with a 7-5 record and a 2.97 ERA. He is sixth all-time in innings pitched (214.2) and strikeouts (162) and ninth in career wins (14). Kamine graduated with a degree in Engineering.
The Beach Bums open their 2009 season on May 22 at the Kalamazoo Kings. Windy City, the two-time defending Frontier League champions, begins its season on May 21 against the Rockford RiverHawks.
