July 16, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - It has been a crazy two days for former UCF baseball player Tyson Auer. After completing his fourth year with the Knights in 2008, Auer inked a free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Tuesday and will join the Pioneer League's Orem Owlz in Montana Wednesday night.
Auer will be reunited with fellow UCF alum Dwayne Bailey with the Owlz, who was drafted by the Angels in the 21st round in June. The Owlz compete at the rookie level and are based in Orem, Utah. They will start a seven-game road trip Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET in Montana against the Great Falls Voyagers.
"I'm excited but kind of tired because I found out at 3 p.m. Tuesday that the deal was completed, and had a flight at 7:30 this morning to Montana, so I had a lot to do before my flight left," said Auer, who was known for his memorable defensive plays, quick speed and surprising power in a Black and Gold uniform. "I flew into Salt Lake City then to Great Falls today and will join the team after I leave the airport. I have never been to Montana before, but I have been to Salt Lake City once. It's definitely going to be a learning experience.
"The team just told me they needed me as soon as possible, but they may give me some time to regain my form. And playing with Bailey is one of the best parts about it. We were thinking about what it would be like if we ended up playing on the same team, and it's funny now that it ended up happening."
Auer became the fifth Knight from the 2008 squad to advance to the professional ranks. Pitchers Mitch Herold and Mitch Houck, catcher Robert Lara and Bailey already have signed minor-league deals. Bailey, a middle infielder who primarily played second base at UCF, has seen time in 13 games for Orem, batting .250 with 12 runs and seven RBI.
A starter in center field all four seasons, Auer finished his career by ranking in UCF's top 10 in career at-bats, runs, hits, triples, sacrifice flies, sacrifice bunts, stolen bases and stolen-base percentage. He hit .273 with three homers and three outfield assists as a senior, all while serving as the lone Knight to start all 58 games. During his junior year, he posted a .356 average and 27 steals en route to being named to the All-Conference USA Second Team.
In his first two campaigns at UCF, Auer had a team-high .323 average in 2006 and collected six triples. He opened his career as a member of the Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team, stealing 15 bases in 34 overall starts. Auer completed his tenure with a .305 UCF batting average, a .973 fielding percentage, 80 stolen bases and 104 RBI.
For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.