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DANVILLE, Va. – Eastern Illinois baseball alumnus Jordan Kreke went 3-for-6 with two walks, two runs scored and an RBI over the course of two games, helping his Danville Braves Minor League team win the 2009 Appalachian League championship Thursday evening.

 

Kreke closed out his college career in May, helping the Panthers win the Ohio Valley Conference regular-season title and taking home OVC Player of the Year honors. The Atlanta Braves selected him in the 13th round of June's Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

 

The Danville Braves won the Appalachian League's East Division with a 47-21 record, earning home-field advantage in the championship series with the Elizabethton Twins. The three-game series opened Wednesday (Sept. 2) night in Elizabethton, Tenn., with Danville winning, 7-1. The Braves clinched league title with a 5-0 victory Thursday (Sept. 3) night at home.

 

Kreke started at third base and batted eighth in both games. He went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored in the game one win. In the clincher, he was 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and a run scored. He scored Danville's first run Thursday after leading off the third inning with a single. Wednesday, he knocked in his team's first run with the third of three consecutive singles in the fifth inning.

Fellow EIU alumni in the Minor Leagues Tyler Kehrer and Kyle Haines are also expected to be part of teams that are postseason bound. Kehrer pitches for the Orem Owlz (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim affiliate) of the Pioneer League and Haines is a middle infielder for the Akron Aeros (Cleveland Indians affiliate) of the Eastern League.

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