NORMAL, Ill. – With a scoreless inning of relief work to earn his third save of the season Tuesday night at Greensboro, former Redbird Ryan Koziol entered an exclusive club.
The 1-2-3 ninth inning dropped Koziol's ERA under 2.00 (a miniscule 1.99), a milestone marker for any pitcher. As the Class-A Augusta GreenJackets' most-frequently used reliever, Koziol hasn't allowed an earned run in nearly a month, dropping his ERA from 2.44 to 1.99 in the process.
Overall, the native of Orland Park, Illinois, is 4-3 with three saves and 42 strikeouts in 32 relief appearances, spanning 54.1 innings on the mound in 2016.
Although he made more of an impact as a hitter than a pitcher in his lone season at Illinois State in 2015 – Koziol batted .298 with 37 RBIs, while posting a 6.64 ERA in 17 games on the mound – he signed an undrafted free-agent contract last summer with the San Francisco Giants to pitch exclusively.
He showed promise with a 2-1 record and 4.03 ERA in 19 games in the Rookie Arizona League last summer before becoming a key part of Augusta's bullpen this year.
Koziol is one of 11 former Redbirds currently playing affiliated baseball. They include:
Brock Stewart | Triple-A | Oklahoma City Dodgers | MiLB.com bio
- Currently 8-3 with a 1.82 ERA and 118 strikeouts over 104 innings across three minor-league levels in 2016.
- Made his Major League Baseball debut when he started for the Los Angeles Dodgers June 29 at Milwaukee, allowing five runs over five innings of work, striking out seven.
Neal Cotts | Triple-A | Round Rock Express | MiLB.com bio
- Owns a 1-2 record and 4.24 ERA in 31 total relief appearances for three Triple-A teams this season.
- Pitched two shutout innings in relief July 23 at Colorado Springs.
Paul DeJong | Double-A | Springfield Cardinals | MiLB.com bio
- Slashing .241/.300/.446 with 18 doubles, 18 home runs and 62 RBIs in 96 games at the Double-A level.
- Hit his 18th home run of the season July 23 at Northwest Arkansas.
Ryan Court | Double-A | Portland Sea Dogs | MiLB.com bio
- Slashing .297/.374/.379 with 14 extra-base hits and 27 RBIs in 68 games across two minor-league levels.
- Reached base four times with two singles and two walks at Binghamton July 23.
Eric Aguilera | Double-A | Arkansas Travelers | MiLB.com bio
- Current owner of a .280/.317/.461 batting line, with 22 doubles, 11 home runs and 57 RBIs in 100 games.
- Went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI July 26 against Northwest Arkansas.
Chad Hinshaw | Double-A | Arkansas Travelers | MiLB.com bio
- Batting .191 with a .289 on-base percentage over 55 games, with five home runs and 13 stolen bases.
- Placed on the seven-day disabled list June 11.
Jeremy Rhoades | Class A Advanced | Inland Empire 66ers | MiLB.com bio
- Currently 3-9 with a 5.61 ERA in 20 games, including 19 starts, spanning 110.2 innings.
- Allowed just one earned run over six innings, striking out six in a no-decision at San Jose July 24.
Dylan Craig | Class A | Asheville Tourists | MiLB.com bio
- Currently 3-1 with one save, a 6.10 ERA and 33 strikeouts over 48.2 innings of work.
- Placed on the seven-day disabled list June 9.
Will Headean | Class A Short Season | Tri-City Dust Devils | MiLB.com bio
- Owns a 3-3 record, 5.24 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 16 games, including eight starts.
- Allowed four earned runs, while striking out seven over six innings in a loss at Spokane July 26.
Jean Ramirez | Rookie League | Princeton Rays | MiLB.com bio
- Slashing .207/.281/.207 with three RBIs in nine professional games played.
- Went 1-for-4 as Princeton's starting catcher in a 5-2 win at Danville July 24.
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