June 19, 2008
COLLEGE STATION, Texas- Two members of the Big 12 champion Texas A&M baseball team made their professional debuts this week.
Kirkland Rivers (Henderson, Texas) entered out of the bullpen on Tuesday for the Tri-City ValleyCats of the New York-Penn League. The left-handed pitcher tossed two innings of hitless, scoreless relief in a season-opening 4-2 loss at Lowell. Rivers faced seven batters, walking two and fanning two on the night. Tri-City (Troy, N.Y.) is an affiliate of the Houston Astros, who picked Rivers in the 37th round of the June draft.
Brian Ruggiano (Austin, Texas) started Wednesday for the Ogden (Utah) Raptors of the Pioneer League. He hit second in the lineup at designated hitter and went 1-for-4 with a walk in the Raptors’ 13-3 loss at Orem. Ruggiano, a 23rd-round selection of the Los Angeles Dodgers, tallied his first professional hit with a one-out single to right field in the seventh inning.