AirHogs add five to roster
Grand Prairie, Texas - The Grand Prairie AirHogs of the American Association have announced the signing of five new players: lefthanded pitchers Jason Furrow and Donald Furrow and infielders Paul Bartolucci, Gene Filyaw and Brandon Revis. The AirHogs' roster now stands at 15 players for the upcoming season.
Jason Furrow, a native of Adelaide, Australia, will be entering his sixth season of professional baseball. Last season, the 23-year-old made two appearances for Florence of the Frontier League and six for Texas of the Continental League, where he went 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA. Furrow spent 2006 with Traverse City of the Frontier League, putting together a superb season, going 3-2 with a 2.68 ERA in 28 appearances, striking out 41 hitters in 47 innings of work.
Originally an 18th-round draft pick by Baltimore in the 2003 draft, Furrow spent three years in the Orioles' system. A workhorse as both a starter and a reliever, he finished second in the short-season Appalachian League with 13 starts for Bluefield in 2004.
Donald Furrow will be starting his second season of professional baseball after playing collegiately at Texas Christian University and at Weatherford Junior College. He pitched alongside twin brother Jason for Texas of the Continental League in 2007, going 1-0 with a 3.65 ERA in ten appearances for the Heat, earning two saves.
At Texas Christian in 2007, Furrow earned three victories in 19 appearances, registering one save and striking out 39 hitters in 39.1 innings pitched, as the team went 48-14 and earned a berth in NCAA Regional play. In 2006, he was one of the top relievers for the Horned Frogs, posting a 2.25 ERA out of the bullpen en route to a 2-0 record in 18 appearances. At Weatherford, Furrow was a first-team all-conference selection as a freshman and was named to the all-region team as a freshman and sophomore.
Both Donald and Jason attended Judson High in Converse, Texas.
A longtime player in independent baseball, Bartolucci last played professionally in 2003 for the Sioux City Explorers of the Northern League, where he hit .255 with 19 RBI in 53 games. It was the fifth professional season for the native of Thousand Oaks, Calif., as he split time between Joliet and Gary of the Northern League in 2002. In 2001, the shortstop was also in the Northern with Sioux Falls, and hit .244 with seven doubles and 43 runs scored.
Bartolucci spent the 1999 and 2000 seasons with Evansville of the Frontier League, putting together a .310 average in 2000, slugging 17 doubles and stealing 17 bases. He had another solid season in 1999, hitting .280 in 80 games for the Otters.
The 31-year-old played college baseball at the University of Nevada and at Los Angeles Harbor College.
Filyaw comes to the AirHogs after playing collegiately at Southern (La.) University. In 2006, his senior season, the Jasper, Texas, native hit .320 with seven doubles and 19 RBI for the Jaguars, following up a 2005 campaign where he put together a .319 average, 11 doubles and four home runs in 48 games for the Southwestern Conference powerhouse. Prior to Southern, Filyaw played at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas.
The second baseman was originally chosen by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 27th round of the 2002 draft out of Jasper High School, but did not sign.
A teammate of Filyaw's at Southern, Revis had an excellent senior season for the Jaguars in 2006, starting 45 of the squad's 46 games, hitting .323, driving in 23 runs and stealing 21 bases. In 2005, the shortstop had a .338 average with 29 RBI and 17 steals, was named Southwestern Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and was selected to the Black College Baseball Elite first team. The Houston native also hit .304 in 21 games as a sophomore in 2004.
The Grand Prairie AirHogs' inaugural American Association season starts on May 8, 2008, with the home opener on Friday, May 16, against the Wichita Wingnuts at their brand-new stadium located at Lone Star Park. For season and group ticket information, contact the AirHogs at (972) 504-9383.