KANSAS CITY, KS – The Lincoln Saltdogs announced today they signed rookie first baseman Jamey Smart and placed infielder Curt Smith on the Disabled List.
Smart made his professional debut for the Winnipeg Goldeyes earlier this season. The lefty went 2-8 with three RBIs over two games on June 30th and July 1st. Winnipeg released Smart on July 3rd.
The 22-year-old moved from the Goldeyes and joined the Santa Fe Fuego of the Pecos League. In 11 games with the Fuego, he recorded a .404 average while notching a homer, five doubles and 23 RBIs.
Before joining the pro ranks, Smart played in 200 games over four seasons with Loyola Marymount University. Smart’s best season was his junior year when he hit .326 with six home runs and a team-high 41 RBIs while leading the Lions to the West Coast Conference regular season title. He earned First Team All-WCC for his efforts.
Smart followed up his stellar junior campaign with a solid senior year. He hit .275 with four homers and a team-high 44 RBIs. The first baseman posted a team-high 12-game hit streak and excelled in conference play. Smart batted .309 against WCC competition on the way to earning First-Team All-WCC accolades again.
Smith leaves a big hole in the Saltdogs lineup as he heads to the Disabled List. He is hitting .305 with a team-high 12 home runs and has started every game for Lincoln. The veteran is third in the league in home runs, third in RBIs (49), second in total bases (127) and fourth in extra-base hits (28).
The Curacao native injured his hamstring while trying to beat out a ground ball against the Sioux City Explorers on Sunday afternoon. He hits the DL with a season-high 11-game hit streak.
The Saltdogs (30-29) start a six-game road trip with a series against the Kansas City T-Bones. First pitch on Tuesday is at 7:05 PM with coverage beginning at 6:35 PM on ESPN 101.5 FM 1480 AM and http://espn1480.com/lincoln-saltdogs-baseball.
For more information on the Saltdogs, follow the team on Facebook and Twitter/Instagram @saltdogsball. For ticket information visit https://saltdogs.com/tickets/ or call (402) 474-2255.