The Victoria Generals have signed two standout division III pitchers to add depth to their starting rotation this summer. Sam Walker, a junior left-hander from Hardin-Simmons University, and Jared Hopper, a junior right-hander from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, will both be joining the Generals in the summer of 2010.
“These two young men have had a great deal of success in their first two years of college and expect to have big seasons this year at their respective universities,” said Blake Koch, Victoria’s general manager. “Both of them are great competitors that will benefit a great deal from working with Coach Clemons and getting the kind of experience that our league has to offer.”
Sam Walker, a native of Abilene, TX, is currently is in junior season at Hardin-Simmons University where he serves as the #1 pitcher on the Cowboy’s staff. The 6’4”, 220 pound Walker compiled a 5-3 record as a sophomore in 11 starts. He posted a 4.97 ERA while pitching 70.2 innings and striking out 52 batters. Walker also assembled a .339 batting average as the starting right fielder last year at HSU. For his efforts, Walker was named to the American Southwest Conference All-West Division Honorable Mention List. Walker also won the ASC West Division Sportsmanship Athlete of the Year Award.
“Sam is one of the hardest working players that I’ve ever been around,” said Koch, who formerly served as a graduate assistant coach at HSU. “He will be a big asset to this organization and will set a great example for some of our younger players.”
Jared Hopper joins the Generals from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, where he has quickly become one of the most feared pitchers in the ASC. Hopper was named to the ASC All-West Division First Team after putting together a 6-3 record in 11 starts with a 3.55 ERA, striking out 94 batters in 83.2 innings of work as a sophomore. Hopper also went 3-4 as a freshman with a 4.57 ERA in 65 innings while striking out 48. Hopper showed is versatility as an athlete by also playing on the men’s golf team during his freshman year at UMHB. The 5’10”, 180 pound right-hander is a native of Kingwood, TX where he attended prep school at Northeast Christian Academy. He was an all-state performer in both baseball and golf.
“Jared is a very smart pitcher and has tremendous command of his off-speed pitches,” Koch commented. “He does a great job of keeping hitters off balance and will add a lot of depth to our staff.”
General’s fans can see these two pitchers and the rest of the Generals on display this summer at Riverside Stadium in Victoria. Opening day is June 1 at Riverside against the Texas Collegiate League’s newest franchise, the Texas Tomcats at 7:05pm. Fans can purchase season tickets online at
www.victoriagenerals.com or at the team’s front office located at 3708 N. Navarro Suite A in the Landmark Shopping Center.
