Baseball
South Atlantic League
Lexington Legends
vs. Rome Braves
What: Four-game series
When: Thursday through Sunday (7:05 Thursday through Saturday nights, 1:35 p.m. Sunday)
Where: Whitaker Bank Ballpark
Tickets: Call (859) 422-7867
Major League affiliates: Houston Astros (Legends), Atlanta Braves
Probable pitchers (Legends listed first): Thursday, RH Jonas Dufek (1-1, 5.56) vs. RH Ryan Weber (1-1, 6.30); Friday, RH Nick Tropeano (3-3, 3.05) vs. RH Navery Moore (3-1, 3.28); Saturday, LH Evan Grills (1-0, 3.80) vs. RH Greg Ross (0-3, 5.93); Sunday, RH Mike Foltynewicz (6-1, 2.27) vs. RH Ernesto Silva (0-4, 6.47).
Kyle Kubitza
Brave to watch: 3B Kyle Kubitza (6-foot-3, 190 pounds, from Arlington, Texas) leads Rome in runs (32), triples (4), homers (7), RBI (23), walks (31) and total bases (79), while batting .247. Selected by Atlanta in the third round of the 2011 draft, out of Texas State, Kubitza is the highest-drafted position player in Bocats history and third-highest overall. He set school a record for walks (125) and ranked second in homers (27). He signed for $261,000 and is rated by Baseball America as the 17th-best prospect in the Braves’ system. Last summer, with Danville of the Appalachian League, Kubitza batted .321 with a homer, 34 RBI and 36 runs over 44 games. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed.
Jason Chowning
Legend to watch: RHP Jason Chowning (6-2, 178, from Louisville) leads Lexington with nine saves and an 0.75 ERA. He has made 17 appearances, all in relief, spanning 24 innings. With a 1-2 record, he has held opponents to a .133 batting average, while striking out 36 and walking eight. Out of Eastern High School, Chowning briefly attended the University of Kentucky before moving to Texarkana Community College. The Astros selected him in the 28th round of the 2010 draft, out of the University of Oklahoma. That summer, pitching for the Tri-City ValleyCats of the New York-Penn League, Chowning went 2-2 with a 3.22 ERA. Last year, with the Legends, he finished 4-4, with two saves and a 2.45 ERA.
Radio: WLXG-AM 1300
