DASHENKO RICARDO NAMED TO AMERICAN ASSOCIATION ALL-STAR TEAM

LINCOLN – The Lincoln Saltdogs and the American Association jointly announced today that Saltdogs catcher Dashenko Ricardo was chosen for the American Association/Can-Am League All-Star Game.  The 2017 All-Star Game will be played in Ottawa, Ontario at RCGT Park, the home of the Can-Am League’s Ottawa Champions.

Ricardo is the starting catcher for the American Association team which faces the Can-Am League All-Stars on Tuesday, July 25^th.

Ricardo is in his first season with the Saltdogs and his eleventh year in professional baseball.  This season, the 6’2” catcher is hitting .269 with three home runs and 15 RBIs over 32 games.  Ricardo claims a season-high hit streak of seven games and reached base safely in 10 straight games from June 8^th-June 20^th.

In addition to his numbers at the plate, Ricardo has excelled behind it.  The catcher from Willemstad, Curacao has caught seven runners stealing in 26 attempts, good for an outstanding 27 percent.  He leads all catchers with 29 assists and is second in the league with 242 putouts.  Ricardo has a .988 fielding percentage this season.

“The Lincoln Saltdogs congratulate Dashenko on his nomination to the All-Star Game,” President/GM of the Lincoln Saltdogs Charlie Meyer said.  “It has been a thrill to watch the best catcher in the league play for our team.”

Ricardo joined the Saltdogs after playing for Team Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic this spring.  He went 4-16 with two RBIs and a run scored in five games in the WBC.  The Netherlands, which also featured Saltdogs Curt Smith and Randolph Oduber, made it to the semifinals of the tournament before losing by one run to Puerto Rico.

The All-Star starting position players and designated hitter were selected by a vote of the Association’s 11 field managers.  All-Star manager Rick Forney of the Winnipeg Goldeyes selected the reserves and pitchers for the game.  A full list of the American Association’s all-stars can be found at: http://www.americanassociationbaseball.com/american-association-all-stars-announced/.

The Saltdogs (25-18) face the Texas AirHogs (15-30) in a rubber match in Grand Prairie tonight.  First pitch is at 7:05 PM with coverage beginning at 6:35 PM on ESPN 1480 and saltdogs.com.

The Saltdogs return home to face the Salina Stockade on Tuesday, July 11^th.  Tickets are on sale and can be purchased by calling (402) 474-2255 or visiting Saltdogs.com.  For the latest information on the Saltdogs follow the team on Facebook and Twitter/Instagram @saltdogsball.