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Wild Things complete two deals
In two separate deals with the Midwest Sliders, the Washington Wild Things acquired an infielder and a right-handed pitcher.
The Wild Things traded infielder J.J. Newman and outfielder Rob Vernon for infielder Phil Butch, then acquired the rights to right-handed pitcher Pete Parise to complete the May 2007 trade that sent outfielder Jarod Klausman to the Sliders.
"Phil gives us another strong presence in the middle of the infield," said Ross Vecchio, general manager of the Wild Things. "He is someone we watched in college and for the Sliders. He makes things happen on the bases, and is a scrappy player that will fit in well."
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Butch played for Slippery Rock University, where he batted .328, hit seven doubles, and stole 21 bases as a senior. In his junior season, Butch hit .328 and stole 34 bases. The Cortland, Ohio native was named to the PSAC first team in 2006 and '07.
He entered the PSAC record books by ranking second with 492 assists, sixth in at-bats (656) and stolen bases (75), seventh in games played (196) and 12th in career hits (218).
Newman, who played second and third base, batted .198 in 30 games last season. Vernon appeared in 41 games and batted .258. He hit two home runs and stole 15 bases in 124 at-bats.
Parise has the distinction of being the first Frontier League player sold to a major league organization in 2007, when his contract was bought by the St. Louis Cardinals June 15. The Sliders had signed the converted outfielder from the University of Pittsburgh, where he appeared in 11 games, going 2-1 with a 1.12 ERA and four saves.
Parise split last season with Slippery Rock, Johnson City of the Appalachian League and Batavia of the New York-Penn League. He appeared in 21 games, had a 3-4 record with two saves. He struck out 38 batters in 52 innings.
The Wild Things open their home season May 24 against the Traverse City Beach Bums.
