Aug. 13, 2002

Stony Brook, N.Y. - Former Seawolf catcher Craig Ansman continues to climb the ranks in the baseball world. Ansman has been promoted to the Double-A Texas League El Paso Diablos after experiencing success with the Class A Lancaster Jethawks. The El Paso Diablos are the Double-A affiliate for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Ansman made quite a first impression on the Diablo faithful when he made his home debut Monday night. Ansman came to bat in the fifth inning against the Shreveport Dragons with the score deadlocked at one run apiece. He blasted a towering homerun to left-center that put El Paso in front for good. The homerun was Ansman's second as a Diablo and his 20th overall this year. Ansman has appeared in seven games since being called up and is currently batting .235 with three runs batted in for El Paso. The Diablos are currently in second place in the western division of the Texas League.

As a member of the Class A Lancaster Jethawks of the California League, Ansman appeared in 100 games an enjoyed a successful year at the plate. He led the team in homeruns with 18 and his .543 slugging percentage was also tops for the Jethawks. Ansman was second on the team in hits (114) and his RBI total of 55 was the third highest on the squad. Ansman also appeared in this year's Class A All-Star Game held in Wilmington, Del.