BATON ROUGE — Former LSU first baseman Matt Clark, the 2008 NCAA leader in home runs, has begun his professional career with the Eugene (Ore.) Emeralds, the Class A Short-Season affiliate of the San Diego Padres.
Clark, the Padres’ 12th-round draft choice in June, signed with the organization last week and has appeared in four games for Eugene. He is hitting .375 (6-for-16) with two doubles, four RBI and one run.
Clark, who transferred to LSU prior to last season from Riverside (Calif.) Community College, helped lead the Tigers to the 2008 College World Series, batting .344 with 17 doubles, 28 homers and 64 RBI. He shared the NCAA home run lead with Georgia shortstop Gordon Beckham.
Clark is one of five members of the ’08 LSU squad to sign pro contracts this summer. Left-hander Blake Martin, the 17th-round choice of the Minnesota Twins in June, has pitched effectively for the Class A Beloit (Wisc.) Snappers. Martin has appeared in 10 games as a reliever, posting a 1-0 mark, two saves and a 1.53 ERA in 17.2 innings with four walks and 21 strikeouts.
Right-hander Jared Bradford, an all-SEC performer at LSU, is 1-1 with a 4.02 ERA in eight relief appearances for the Quad Cities River Bandits, the Class A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals located in Davenport, Iowa.
Bradford, who posted a 20-8 record and 10 saves in two seasons for the Tigers, was the Cardinals’ 18th-round draft selection.
Michael Hollander, an all-SEC infielder at LSU, has appeared in two games this summer for the Spokane (Wash.) Indians, the Class A Short-Season affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Hollander, the Rangers’ 20th-round draft choice, is currently on the club’s disabled list.
Left-hander Ryan Verdugo, a 2008 ABCA All-South Region selection at LSU, has signed a contract with the San Francisco Giants, but has not yet appeared in a game for one of the club’s affiliates. Verdugo was the Giants’ ninth-round draft selection.