Published: October 02, 2008 12:56 pm      

Former Coyotes member named pro-league Pitcher of the Year

In his first year of professional baseball, former Weatherford College Coyotes player Jake Arrieta has been named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Year.

Playing for the Frederick Keys, a Class A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, Arrieta finished the season with a league-leading 2.87 earned-run average, with 120 strikeouts in 113 innings pitched. Opponents hit just .199 against Arrieta this season.

The 6-4 right-hander from Plano East earned a spot in the Major League Baseball Futures Game at Yankee Stadium, and was the Carolina League’s all-star game starter.

Arrieta’s biggest moment of the summer came in Beijing, where he helped Team USA win a bronze medal at the Olympic Games. He started against China and tossed six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts, allowing just two hits.

Arrieta played for Weatherford College in 2005, and went on to TCU, earning Pitcher of the Year honors in the Mountain West Conference.