Published: July 03, 2009 05:04 pm         

Metro Roundup: Ex-ISU pitcher Manus inked by Detroit Tigers

Indiana State, which had five players taken in the Major League Baseball draft last month, enjoyed another signing on Thursday when left-handed pitcher Michael Manus agreed to a minor-league contract with the Detroit Tigers.

Manus was assigned to the Gulf Coast League Tigers, a short-season rookie team.

A native of Greensburg, the 6-4, 250-pound Manus had the lowest earned run average on the Sycamore pitching staff last season, compiling a 4.70 ERA over 30 2-3 innings pitched, and was one of just five ISU pitchers to average more than one strikeout per inning.

Manus appeared in 11 games, including five starts, for ISU in 2009, ending the season with a 2-2 record. The transfer from Lincoln Trail had been the team’s top starter a year earlier before suffering injury problems.

He is the fifth former Sycamore to sign a professional contract this summer, joining Nick Ciolli (Chicago White Sox), Brady Shoemaker (Chicago White Sox), Bronco Lafrenz (Philadelphia Phillies) and Eric Valdez (Seattle Mariners). Jake Petricka was drafted by the New York Yankees but has not signed.

Golf

• Ace — At Mark’s Par Three, Mark Greenwell of Newport got his first-ever hole-in-one recently.

Don Featherstone was the witness for Greenwell’s 9-iron shot on the 120-yard first hole.

Racquetball

• Four compete — At East Lansing, Mich., four players from the Wabash Valley junior racquetball team competed recently in a junior championship event.

Sean Henry finished third in the 10-and-under Gold Division and R.J. Kuhn was second in the 10-and-under White Division. The two players combined for a second-place finish in 10-and-under Gold Division doubles play.

Competing but not placing were Dannie Luckey and Sean Jacob.