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DEEP GROUP TO CHOOSE FROM TO SELECT THE BOULDERS ALL-DECADE STARTING PITCHERS

By New York Boulders Baseball, 04/17/20, 11:00AM EDT

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As part of the New York Boulders’ Bould Decade celebrating the franchise’s first 10 years of play, fans will be voting to fill a position on our All-Decade team each week for eight successive weeks. 

This week’s voting, sponsored by Clarkstown Collision of Nanuet, offers fans the opportunity to select one starting pitcher from a group of nine hurlers that toed the rubber in Rockland County and excelled for the Boulders. 

Fans can cast their vote for their top pitcher through Thursday, April 23, by sliding to www.NYBoulders.com. The top two vote finishers will earn spots on the All-Decade team. 

The final results will be announced during a Podcast on the Boulders’ Facebook page on Friday, April 24, at 9:30 a.m., hosted by Seth Cantor, the voice of the Boulders and the Vice-President of Business Development. 

Altice cable television in Rockland County will also rebroadcast each week’s All-Decade team announcement every Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m. on channel 76, except for channel 77 in Ramapo and channel 15 in North Rockland. The initial Altice broadcast will be on April 23 with the results of the All-Decade team catcher voting that concluded on April 16. 

Here is a breakdown of the nine starting pitcher candidates: 

Sean Bierman (2014): In less than a full season with the Boulders, the lefthander went 8-6 with an ERA of 2.44 before signing with the Atlanta Braves in mid-August and assigned to Rome of the South Atlantic League. 

Bobby Blevins (2011-2013): In three seasons, this local product from Briarcliff High School in Westchester finished 23-27 with a 3.96. A work horse, Blevins did not throw fewer than 131 innings in any of his three seasons in Rockland. 

Bo Budkevics (2013-2018): “Big Game Bo” is best remembered for his three-hit, nine strikeout, eight scoreless inning performance against the New Jersey Jackals that earned him the win in the sixth game of the Can-Am League championship series and the crown for the Boulders in 2014. In portions of six seasons with the Boulders, Bo went 22-19 with a 4.86 ERA. 

David Fischer (2016-2017): In 2016, the righthander was brilliant, pitching to a 2.91 ERA, allowing only 80 hits in 108 1/3 innings and going 9-3. That helped him earn a contract from the Minnesota Twins. He returned late in the 2017 season, winning three of four decisions with a 3.00 ERA. 

Pat Moran (2012-2013): Talk about consistency, Moran was 6-7 in each of his two seasons in Rockland with ERAs of 4.99 (2012) and 4.83 (2013) and allowing 59 earned runs his first year and 60 his second. He tossed 139 innings in 2012 and 139 2/3 frames in 2013. 

Richard Salazar (2014-2017): This lefty was with the Baltimore Orioles’ organization from 2001-2007, signing on as a pitcher/pitching coach with the Boulders on 2014. In four seasons with Rockland, he went 36-18 with a 3.40 ERA, notching double digit wins in three years, including a high of 11 in 2015 (11-4). A member of the 2014 Can-Am League championship team, Salazar split two decisions in the championship series – losing game one and winning game five. 

Markus Solbach (2016-2017): After going 6-2 with a 2.43 ERA in 2016, Solbach won 11 of 15 decisions the next season, finishing with a 3.60 ERA. In 196 2/3 career innings with the Boulders, he struck out 147 batters and finished with a 3.15 ERA. He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to the 2019 season. 

Justin Topa (2017-2018): The righthander burst onto the scene with a 14-3 record to go along with a 3.50 ERA in 2017, setting down 80 batters on strikes in 110 2/3 innings. After splitting his first decisions in 2018, he signed with the Texas Rangers. 

Jon Velasquez (2011-2012, 2017): A hard throwing righthander, Velasquez was 17-16 lifetime with the Boulders, including an 8-6 year in 2011. In 282 1/3 innings in Rockland, he fanned 215 batters. In his career, Velasquez was property of the Philadelphia Phillies’ and New York Mets’ organizations. 

Debuting in 1993, the Frontier League is the largest and longest-running of the modern independent leagues and features teams stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River and from the Ohio River to the St. Lawrence Seaway. More information and the complete 2020 schedule can be found at www.frontierleague.com.