6/17: IronBirds-Renegades preview: Opening Day!

Hello and welcome to IBN on the Aberdeen Patch!!!!! Opening day 2013 is finally here, and before your IronBirds take on the Hudson Valley Renegades at 7:35 PM tonight, we will give you some notes on your IronBirds and their upcoming season, and the opposing Renegades. The IronBirds are 5-3 in their last eight season openers, and look to improve that mark to 6-3 tonight!

First, let's take a look at the IronBirds coaching staff:

- Manager Matt Merullo (1st year): The 48-year-old Merullo played six MLB seasons for the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, and Minnesota Twins from 1989-1995 and posted a career .234 AVG (116 Hits), 7 HR, and 59 RBI in 223 games. Merullo is now the 7th manager for the Aberdeen franchise going into it's 12th season, and the 4th manager in the last 4 seasons. He also looks to become the 3rd IronBirds manager to post a .500 or above record in franchise history ( Joe Almaraz did it in 2003 and Andy Etchenbarren in 2006, when the IronBirds posted a franchise record 41 wins) and lead the IronBirds to the franchise's first playoff appearance. Merullo was also a scout for 13 years with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization (1998-2010) before becoming a coach.

- Pitching coach Alan Mills (2nd year): The 2nd year coach has 12 years of MLB experience to his resume and was a fan favorite when he played for the Orioles from 1992-1998 and again in 2000-2001. The 46-year-old Mills finished his career with a 39-32 record, a 4.12 ERA, and 456 K's in 636 Innings, pitching in 474 games.

-Hitting coach Scott Beerer(1st year): The former All-American was a 2nd round pick out of Texas A&M in 2003 by the Colorado Rockies before injuries took their toll early on in his career. The Thirty-year-old then switched from pitcher to outfielder in 2009 after spending two years away from the game and played in the O's organization in 2012 before joining the IronBirds as a coach for 2013.

- Fielding coach Paco Figueroa (1st year): The Thirty-year-old is a former Oriole prospect and draft pick ( 9th round, 2005, Miami), and has represented Spain on the international level for several years, including in the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

Now, let's take a look at the away team:

 The Hudson Valley Renegades, a Tampa Bay Rays affiliate, are coming off their 2nd NYPL championship (1999&2012). The Renegades are led by the Nephew of Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg and former Tampa Bay Ray, Jared Sandberg, who is going into his 4th season as manager. Sandberg played for the Rays from 2001-2003, ending his MLB career with a .221 AVG (139 Hits), 25 HR and 92 RBI in 196 games.

A look at Tonight's starting pitchers:

  Taking the mound for the IronBirds in the season opener is the promising 21-year-old RHP Sebastian Vader. Vader was an 18th round pick by the Orioles in 2010 out of San Marcos HS (Cal) and posted a 1-8 record with a 3.71 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) for Aberdeen in 2012, while leading the team in Innings (70.1) and placing 3rd in K's (49). He also posted a 2-2 record with a sparkling 2.45 ERA in 12 games for the GCL Orioles in 2011.

 Taking the mound for the Renegades is LHP Jordan Harrison, a 25th round pick by the Rays out of Louisiana-Lafayette in 2012. The 22-year-old posted a 1-3 record with a 2.09 ERA in 14 games (5 starts) in 2012 and in 8 games (1 start) between A-level Bowling Green and A+ Charlotte, Harrison had a 1-2 record with a 3.94 ERA and registered 22 Strikeouts in 16 Innings, resulting in a ridiculous 13.5 K/9.

Tonight's line-up's are TBD, we will post them right here if they are announced before first pitch!

That's it IronBirds Nation!!! Have fun tonight, I know it will be a full house at Ripken Stadium to cheer on your 2013 IronBirds!!!! It looks to be an exciting season with the IronBirds having a lot of promising prospects on this year's roster, and here at IBN on the Aberdeen Patch we will be following every step of the way!!

                                                      - Logan Quick

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