Wednesday, August 18, 2010

FORT MYERS, Fla. – With four relief appearances under his belt, former FGCU baseball star Casey Coleman has earned the starting nod on the mound from Chicago Cubs skipper Lou Piniella for Wednesday afternoon’s game against the N.L. West-leading San Diego Padres. The mid-week matinee at Wrigley Park will begin at 2:20 p.m.

Coleman was called-up to the Cubs on August 2, after making 20 starts for Triple-A Iowa, becoming the first FGCU player to make the major leagues.

Since joining the Cubs 15 days ago, Coleman has gone 8.1 innings over four appearances with an 8.64 ERA and five strikeouts. Coleman has been sharp over his last two outings, tossing three scoreless innings to earn the scheduled start from Piniella. Coleman’s most recent relief appearance came four days ago (Aug. 13) against the St. Louis Cardinals where he struck out three batters over two innings and allowed just one base runner.

With Casey now in the major leagues, the Coleman’s are the first family to have three generations of pitchers reach the major leagues. Coleman’s father, Joe, played from 1965-79, making the 1972 All-Star Game as a member of the Detroit Tigers. Coleman’s grandfather, Joe, was named an All-Star in 1948, highlighting his 10-year career (1942-55). Casey and his father, Joe, will also become the eighth father-son combination to have played for the Cubs but the first father-son pitching combination to appear for the team. Joe was a member of the Cubs’ organization in 1976.