June 6, 2002

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - U of M lefthander Ryan O'Malley saw his playing career extended on Wednesday afternoon, after signing a free agent deal with the Chicago Cubs. The former Tiger ace completed the deal following a senior campaign in which he ranked second on the staff with five wins and a 3.99 ERA.

"I've been a lifelong Cubs fan, so this is a dream come true," said O'Malley. "I was a little worried at first, but they finally came through. Now I just have to keep working hard and perform."

O'Malley was briefly informed that he will leave this Saturday for Mesa, AZ for a brief rookie camp and from there, based on his performance, will learn of his minor league assignment. Early indications tabbed Boise, ID as one possible destination.

The Springfield, IL, native struck out a career-high 56 batters through a team-leading 67 innings pitched in 2002. O'Malley's opposing batting average of .242 ranked among the top ten in C-USA and his 5.2 strikeout-to-walk ratio was tops among all Tiger pitchers. Over a two-year career, the 6-1, 190 pound hurler totaled over 130 innings, nine wins and 98 strikeouts and appeared in over 60 contests for the blue and the grey.

"He should do very well," said head coach Dave Anderson. "Ryan's from Illinois, so I'm sure he's very happy to have signed with the Cubs."

O'Malley's signing marks the fourth Tiger under Anderson to have signed a professional contract during the U of M skipper's two-year tenure. The lefthander now joins former pitchers Layne Dawson (Philadelphia Phillies), Jason Wiedmeyer (San Diego Padres) and former All-American second baseman Daniel Uggla who was taken by the World Champion Arizona Diamondbacks.

"We're all excited for him,"added Anderson. "Now he's got an opportunity to continue his baseball career."

O'Malley agreed, "They just offered me a chance....and that's all I wanted."

Other News

During the conclusion of the 2002 MLB first-year player draft on Wednesday, Tiger signee John Moran was taken in the 35th round by the Cleveland Indians. The Southhaven high third baseman and honors graduate was named one of the Commercial Appeals Top 20 seniors, after hitting .407 with seven doubles, three home runs, 17 RBI and seven stolen bases, this past season.

U of M shortstop Brent Dlugach (Germantown, Tenn./Houston HS) already recognized on the Conference USA all-freshman team last month, was one of seven other C-USA rookies named as an honorable mention on Collegiate Baseball's freshman All-American team. The Houston high product enjoyed a solid first-year campaign where he batted .271 with seven doubles, ranked second on the team with eight home runs and collected 28 RBI. The rookie shortstop also led the Tigers in both sacrifice flies (6) and sacrifice bunts (6).