Ex-Cal Poly baseball standout Mitch Haniger called back up to Arizona Diamondbacks
Former Cal Poly baseball standout Mitch Haniger was one of five players recalled Tuesday by the Arizona Diamondbacks as MLB rosters expanded from 25 to 40 players.
The 25-year-old Haniger delivered a successful Major League debut in mid-August, and was later sent back down to the Triple-A Reno Aces to make room on the roster for former All-Star and Gold Glove winner A.J. Pollock.
In 74 games with the Aces, Haniger, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound right fielder, matched or set career highs with a .341 batting average, 20 home runs, 20 doubles, three triples and eight stolen bases.
Haniger was selected as Arizona’s Organizational and Pacific Coast League Player of the Month for July, and was called up to the Diamondbacks before their Aug. 17 game against the New York Mets.
That night, Haniger became the first player in Arizona history to record a triple for his first career hit in his first game, and added a double and drove in three runs in a 7-5 loss.
In his first four MLB contests, Haniger went 7 for 16 with five RBI. A 2 for 22 stretch over the next six outings landed Haniger back in Reno.
Haniger played three years at Cal Poly under head coach Larry Lee — earning Big West Freshman Player of the Year in 2010 and Big West Field Player of the Year in 2012 — and was selected in the Compensation A round by the Milwaukee Brewers following his junior season.
The 38th overall pick signed for $1,200,000. The Diamondbacks acquired Haniger in 2014 in a trade that sent Gerardo Parra to the Brewers.
Arizona (58-80) begins a 10-game home stand Friday night against the San Francisco Giants.
Mustangs sweep XC awards
Cal Poly sophomore Peyton Bilo and junior Clayton Hutchins were selected Tuesday as the Big West Conference Cross Country Athletes of the Week after each posted wins at the season-opening Lagoon Open hosted by UC Santa Barbara.
The duo was also named co-Cal Poly Student-Athletes of the Week.
An El Dorado Hills native, Bilo won the women’s 5K in 17 minutes, 17.84 seconds, finishing 30 seconds ahead of the field and leading the Mustangs to a 19-44 dual victory. Bilo’s time was 38.72 seconds faster than her runner-up performance in last year’s meet.
Hutchins held off two-time Big West individual champion Bryan Guijarro, who was running unattached, to win the men’s 8K in 24:30.74. Hutchins used a redshirt in cross country last fall and was a standout on the track in the spring, finishing second in the 5,000 meters at the conference championships.
He proved to be a welcome addition in helping Cal Poly secure a 19-40 win against the Gauchos.
The Mustangs will next compete at the UC Riverside Invitational on Sept. 17.
This story was originally published September 8, 2016 at 10:20 AM with the headline "Ex-Cal Poly baseball standout Mitch Haniger called back up to Arizona Diamondbacks."