Freedom's Shults Breaks Through With All-Star Campaign

Freedom Report: A profile of Stephen Shults

Nick Dobreff / Florence Freedom

FLORENCE, KY - When the season comes to a close for the Florence Freedom, they may look back to June 8^th as the day their season turned around.

That's the day the Freedom traded shortstop Gabe Suarez to the Newark Bears for another shortstop, Stephen Shults.

Shults, who struggled to find consistency during 3 injury-plagued seasons in the Atlanta Braves organization, is finally healthy and enjoying the kind of season the Freedom hoped for when they acquired him.

Coming into tonight's game, Shults leads the Frontier League in batting average (.377), home runs (13), and slugging percentage (.754), while also ranking in the top 10 in runs, on-base percentage, and RBI's.

But what's most amazing is that he's produced these stats despite having missed the Freedom's first 16 games of the season.

Shults' presence has injected new life into the Freedom batting order and his stellar defense at shortstop has shored up the team defense. He credits his strong first half to his health, but knows the Freedom's players and coaches have made a huge impact as well.

"This is the first team I've been on that hasn't tried to change my swing", says Shults. "Every team I've been with, even when I've been doing well, has tried to tweak my swing. The coaches here have let me find my own comfort zone and I'm sticking with it. And I've been able to relax knowing that I'm going to be in the lineup every day."

He was rewarded for his accomplishments earlier this week when he was named to the 2010 Frontier League All-Star Game.

"It's a tremendous honor to be named to the All Star Team. It's very special and humbling when you're recognized by your peers for having a good season."

He will also participate in the Home Run Derby as part of the All-Star week festivities.

"I'm really looking forward to the whole experience. It's great exposure for the players as well as the individual teams. I just want to represent the Florence Freedom in the best way possible and give the fans something to cheer about."

And while he's pleased with his first half performance, he knows it will take a team effort for the Freedom to make the playoffs.

"We have so much talent on this team, but we've lost some really tough games, a lot of one run games. During the second half we need to start winning those close games. I just want to win, and I think this team has the ability to go on a good run and finish the season on a positive note. A playoff spot is still our goal and that's what we're fighting for every day."

This article originally appeared on the official website of the florence freedom, florencefreedom.com. Check it out today!

Roster Moves by the Barrell

Being an intern at the Florence Freedom seems to have a little more job security than actually playing for the Freedom. Teams in the Frontier League generally make quite a few roster moves. Every team is trying to find the right players as we approach the All-Star break. It's not uncommon for a player to only get a few games with a team before moving on. It's the nature of the business. I've learned that it's one of the hardest parts too. It's not fun knowing a guy is leaving the club. As it is, the Freedom have made many roster moves to improve the team in the first half of the season. Here is a list of releases and acquisitions since opening day.

Signed: OF, Samuel Wiley 2B - Gabe Suarez, SS - Richard Martinez, LHP - Bryan Banes, RHP - Mario Guilin, OF - Steve Bralver, SS - Stephen Shults, OF - Michael Campbell, 1B - Cory Wine, 1B - AC Grable, INF - Jimmy Baker, INF - Max Moya - RHP - Julian Arballo, RHP - Cameron Aspaas, RHP - Mike Jackson, C - Curt Marshall, RHP - Matt Antos

Released: RHP - Matt Gibbs, SS - Justin Armiger, LHP - Chuck Tiffany, OF - Hunter Owen, RHP - Matt Maradeo, SS - Richard Martinez, 1B - Dan Maycock, OF - Steve Bralver, OF - Dustin Koca, 1B - Daryl Jones, RHP - Austin Chambliss, RHP - Mario Guilin, 1B - AC Grable, LHP - Austin Bridges

The Freedom have definitely made some positive moves so far. Stephen Shults leads the team in hitting and HR's and is a 2010 Frontier League All-Star. Bryan Banes has been a bright spot in the rotation, Michael Campbell, Cory Wine, and Jimmy Baker are fixtures in the Freedom's starting line-up, and Cameron Aspaas is 2-0 in his first 3 starts.

Freedom Sign RHP Matt Antos

The Freedom make a roster move with only a few games before the All-Star break, signing RHP Matt Antos.

Antos is a LaPorte, IN native, coming out of Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. During 3 years with the Mastadons, Matt pitched 105 innings, collected 53 strikeouts, and 3 wins in 57 career appearances.

Living a King's Life

Our very own beloved broadcaster, John Leahy, has recently announced the release of his book, entitled Living a King's Life.

John has been one of the biggest supporters in the early days of the Sons of Liberty, and we can think of no better way to thank him than by telling everyone about his book. Feel free to check out this link, which will give you a synopsis of John's work, as well as the opportunity to buy it through Publish America.

Living A King's Life

Thanks John, and congratulations.

Paula the Penguin

Working with the Freedom truly gives you once in a lifetime opportunities. Meeting Paula the Penguin was one of those moments.

Recently, the Freedom have teamed up with Newport Aquarium as part of a sponsorship deal. They usually set up a booth once a week with some interesting activities for the kids, like the "shark petting tank". The announcement that their very own penguin would be throwing out the first pitch had everyone excited though.

Paula stands a menacing 1 ft. 2 inches, but has a miraculous arm for a penguin. She was really nervous about the first pitch, but she followed her trainer out to the mound and threw a perfect strike.

You just never know what you're going to see when you come to Champion Window Field.

Freedom All-Star Selections

Congratulations to the Freedom's three All-Star Selections this year: Tim Grogan, Steven Shults, and Liam Ohlmann.

The selections will be the first for Grogan, Shults and Ohlmann.

The selections are well deserved and come as no surprise to the Sons Of Liberty. Grogan has been the Freedom's most consistent offensive threat thus far and has provided stellar defense up the middle. Shults has been tearing the cover off the ball since joining the Freedom June 7th and now claims the team lead in home runs, RBI, and batting average. Ohlmann has emerged as the Freedom's most reliable option out of the pen and leads all Freedom relievers in ERA.

Read the official press release here.

4th of July

Nothing is more American than Freedom!

Happy 4th of July from the Florence Freedom and The Sons of Liberty

Freedom's Manning Sees The Whole Field

This article originally appeared on florencefreedom.com. Check it out today!

Freedom Report: A profile of Beau Manning

Nick Dobreff / Florence Freedom

FLORENCE, KY - Beau Manning is seeing baseball from a whole new perspective these days.

As a first year player in the Frontier League, the Freedom infielder is adjusting to the rigors and challenges of pro baseball.

But he's also getting the chance to see the game from the managerial side as well.

After graduating from Indiana University Southeast in 2008, he was offered an assistant coaching position by his former teammate and current manager Ben Reel.

"It's great seeing it from the other side, especially since it's somewhere I played, somewhere that's special to me", says Manning who played and starred for 4 years at IUS. "I just love seeing it from the other side and helping college kids reach their potential."

Manning and Reel were teammates on the Grenadiers for a year when Manning was a sophomore and Reel was a senior. As two of the youngest coaches in the county, they're cutting their teeth at a level usually reserved for older, more experienced managers.

"It's been a learning experience for both of us. I've definitely enjoyed learning from him and watching how he's managed the team for the last two years."

Experiencing life as a manager has given Manning a broader perspective on baseball. And while he admits coaching may become a more serious endeavor in the coming years, he's still focused on realizing his dreams as a player.

"Right now, there are so many things I want to accomplish as a player. But as far as the future goes, it's definitely a possibility. I love helping kids. I love the reward of watching kids succeed and being able to help them achieve their potential."

Manning, who grew up in nearby Louisville, is ecstatic about getting the chance to play close to home, especially after playing last season in Texas with the Big Bend Cowboys of the Continental League.

"Florence is a home away from home for me because it's only an hour away from Louisville. It's always a special experience when you can play close to home. Both of my parents are retired so they are able to come watch me play now as opposed to last year when I was 22 hours away."

And his experiences as a manager are helping him adjust to life in pro ball.

"The Frontier League is definitely a step up from the Continental League. The pitching and overall talent is better in this league. You see a lot more off-speed pitches and pitchers attack you differently. I'm still working to make that adjustment. But there's always adjustments to be made in baseball if you want to stick around."

Manning has worked hard to make himself into a vital player on the Freedom. He's become Manager Toby Rumfield's go to utility player, a guy who can play multiple positions, bat anywhere in the lineup, steal a base, or get a timely hit.

And his attitude is rubbing off on his teammates.

"I'm fiery. I like to get people fired up and that's the type of attitude I bring to the field. Give everything you have every single day."

But when he offers an assessment of the Freedom's season, he does so with a coach's savvy.

"We have the team we need to be successful right now. We're definitely starting to come together and winning some ballgames. We just need to take it one game at a time and start winning series after series. We're right in the hunt for a playoff spot. I think we're turning it around at the right time and I'm excited to see what we're capable of doing with the roster we have now."

Benches Clear

The Freedom's season has had its ups, and certainly its share of downs. Being swept by the Southern Illinois Miners left more than a bitter taste in everyone's mouth, including the Sons of Liberty. Manager Toby Rumfield's frustration was evident by the end.

In the first game, after Michael Wheeler had a run-in with 1B Brad Miller of the Miners, Billy Mottram was drilled with a fastball on the next pitch. Mottram immediately slammed his helmet and charged the mound. Both benches and bullpens cleared simultaneously, and it was a few minutes before order was restored. On the way off the field, Mottram said, "Someone needed to get those guys fired up."

In the press box, we had a feeling we hadn't seen the last of the altercations between the Freedom and the Miners. After the Freedom lost game 3 in heartbreaking fashion, the benches again cleared, and although no punches were thrown, it was clear that Toby Rumfield wasn't happy with how the Miners went about celebrating.

So, what does everyone think? Is fighting in baseball a bad thing? Does it taint the game? From what I've seen in my years of baseball, sometimes you have to protect your players. If that means throwing at someone, you do it. The benches might clear, but you have to protect the guys fielding the ball behind you. As for Mottram, I think he should be given a raise. He stepped up for his team. The same goes for Rumfield. When someone is taking cheap shots at you, that's disgracing the team. That's tainting the game. So is there a place in baseball for the benches clearing? I think we need to make more room for it.

Freedom's Ohlmann Overcomes Adversity

Freedom Report: A Profile of Liam Ohlmann

By Nick Dobreff / Florence Freedom

FLORENCE, KY - Freedom Pitcher Liam Ohlmann has emerged as one of the team's most reliable options out of the bullpen.

But what people may not know about are the obstacles he's overcome to reach this point.

In March of this year, Ohlmann was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

"I had been feeling really ill for quite some time, for a little over a year, and finally figured out what it was when I got really sick and had to go to the hospital for two weeks," says Ohlmann.

Diabetes presents many obstacles for anyone inflicted with the disease, but especially for athletes, whose bodies undergo intense physical stress over the course of the long season.

"For me to prepare to go into the game, I need to elevate my blood sugar because it drops anywhere from 80-100 points when I warm up in the bullpen. So I have to make sure I eat or drink something that's high in sugar so that I feel good when I go into the game."

Some athletes, like former major league pitcher Jason Johnson, choose to wear an insulin pump during competition, which automatically regulates the flow of insulin into the body. However, Ohlmann has elected not to wear one this year and instead manually controls his insulin intake.

"I take 4 insulin shots every day. I try to make adjustments to my blood sugar with those shots, if it's too high I'll take a little more insulin if it's low, I'll take less. But at this point I don't want to have something that's permanently attached to me."

Ohlmann, only three months removed from his diagnosis, is still getting used to the difficulties that come with managing Diabetes. And as he found out a few weeks ago, it can adversely affect his pitching performance if he's not careful.

"It was a really hot and humid day, and I drank a huge thing of Gatorade but my blood sugar just wouldn't go up. I went out there and it dropped really low and I had to get taken out of the game as a result. I probably shouldn't have gone into the game at all that day but it's something I have to learn from and I learned that I really need to be honest with the coaching staff about how I'm feeling."

Affectionately called "Lunchbox" by his teammates, Ohlmann always has a few emergency snacks and supplies handy to keep his blood sugar at the proper level.

He acquired the nickname two years ago from his pitching coach with the Arizona League Brewers because of his propensity to stash food in his locker and in the bullpen. But after his diagnosis, he decided to give the name a more literal meaning.

"After I found out, I decided to get an actual lunchbox to store my meter, my snacks, some emergency sugar, all the stuff I need to keep my blood sugar up."

Through it all, he has emerged as manager Toby Rumfield's most reliable option out of the bullpen. Coming into tonight's game, he leads all Freedom relievers with a 2.76 ERA and has only allowed a run in 3 of his 18 appearances while tallying 21 strikeouts.

Ohlmann has embraced his role with the team and enjoys being out in the bullpen during games.

"The bullpen is very relaxed and upbeat. You're just trying to keep your mind and body loose for the first 5-6 innings. We get extremely focused during the opposing teams at bats because we like to plan how we're going to approach each hitter."

And he's excited about where the team is heading.

"I think the current team right now is the best team we've fielded all year. I think we're going to get hot and quiet the doubters."

When it comes to Ohlmann, doubt at your own peril.