State College Spikes

State College Spikes Founded in 1981 State College, Pennsylvania Based in State College since 2006
Team Logo Cap Insignia
Class-level
Short-Season A (1981-Present)
Minor league affiliations
New York-Penn League Pinckney Division
Major league affiliations
Pittsburgh Pirates (2007-Present) St. Louis Cardinals (1981-2006)
Name
State College Spikes (2006-Present) New Jersey Cardinals (1994-2005) Glens Falls Redbirds (1993) Hamilton Redbirds (1988-1992) Erie Cardinals (1981-1987)
Ballpark
Medlar Field at Lubrano Park (2006-Present) Skylands Park (1994-2005) East Field (1993) Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium (1988-1992) Ainsworth Field (1981-1987)
Minor league titles
League titles	None
Division titles	None
Owner(s)/Operated by: State College Professional Baseball LP
Manager: Dave Turgeon
General Manager: Jason Dambach

The State College Spikes are a minor league baseball team that currently plays in the New York – Penn League. The Spikes play their home games at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park located on the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania State University in State College. The State College Spikes are the Short Season-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

History

State College Spikes

The State College Spikes were founded in 1981 as the Erie Cardinals. The team played their home games at Ainsworth Field in Erie, Pennsylvania from 1981-1987. The team relocated to Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario to become the Hamilton Redbirds. The team then played in Hamilton, Ontario from 1988-1992. The team relocated again to Glens Falls, New York to become the Glens Falls Redbirds. The team played at East Field for the 1993 season only. The team was then relocated to Augusta, New Jersey which is located in Sussex County to become the New Jersey Cardinals. The team played their home games at Skylands Park from 1994-2005. In October 2005, the owners of the New Jersey Cardinals agreed to sell the club to a group headed by the principal partners of the Class Double-A Altoona Curve of the Eastern League. This allowed for a professional team to share Medlar Field at Lubrano Park with the host Penn State Nittany Lions baseball team, on whose campus the park stands. After the sell of the team was complete, the New Jersey Cardinals were then relocated to State College to become the State College Spikes.

The St. Louis Cardinals affiliation

The Spikes' affiliation with the St. Louis Cardinals lasted from 1981-2006 ever since the team was founded as the Erie Cardinals and through the years when the team later moved to Hamilton, Ontario, Glens Falls, New York, Augusta, New Jersey, and the team's current location in the State College metro area. On September 21, 2006, the Spikes ended their affiliation with the Cardinals and became the new Class A-Short Season affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, starting in 2007.[1]

Team Name

The name "Spikes" has a threefold meaning. The club's official logo depicts a young white-tailed deer, for whom a "spike" is an undeveloped antler, symbolic of a young team member who may develop into a Major League Baseball player. The name also refers to a railroad spike, similar to the way the name "Altoona Curve" commemorates the famous Horseshoe Curve on the Pennsylvania Railroad. Finally, baseball players have long worn shoes with spikes. The team's official colors are Penn State navy blue, cardinal, old gold, and moonlight yellow.

Season records

(Place listed is finish in the six-team Pinckney Division)

• 2006: 39-36 (3rd), manager Mark DeJohn
• 2007: 36-39 (3rd), manager Turner Ward
• 2008: 18-56 (6th), manager Brad Fischer
• 2009: 38-38 (3rd), manager Gary Robinson
• 2010: 33-42 (5th), manager Dave Turgeon

Roster

State College Spikes roster
Players				Coaches/Other
Pitchers 48 Stetson Allie 19 Cliff Archibald 37 Matt Benedict 38 Jesus Brito 35 Fraylin Campos 54 Jordan Cooper 47 Emmanuel De Leon 27 Mitchell Fienemann 55 Ryan Hafner 56 Michael Jefferson 31 Nicholas Kingham 43 Kevin Kleis 53 Joan Montero 24 Vince Payne 29 Josh Poytress 14 Joely Rodriguez 10 Rinku Singh		Catchers 23 Samuel Gonzalez 34 Matthew Skirving 13 Derek Trent Infielders 50 Jorge Bishop  7 Walker Gourley 32 Chris Lashmet  5 Brian Sharp  3 Kirk Singer Outfielders 22 Justin Bencsko 45 Wes Freeman 12 Alex Fuselier 25 Taylor Lewis 41 Carlos Mesa 39 Billy Nowlin		Manager -- Dave Turgeon Coaches -- Dave Howard (hitting) 44 Justin Meccage (pitching) 7-day disabled list * On Pittsburgh Pirates 40-man roster ∞ Reserve list § Suspended list ‡ Restricted list # Rehab assignment Roster updated February 8, 2012 Transactions → More MiLB rosters → Pittsburgh Pirates minor league players

External links

• State College Spikes official site
• Pittsburgh Pirates Fan site with news, blogs and readers forums – PiratesReport.com
• Photographs of Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, home of the State College Spikes - Rochester Area Ballparks