01/13/2012 1:08 PM -
November 28, 2011
SAN RAFAEL PACIFICS ACQUIRE OUTFIELDER ZACK PACE AND LEFT-HANDED PITCHER
BRYAN BANES FROM TRAVERSE CITY BEACH BUMS
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — In a significant step toward Opening Day 2012, and bringing professional baseball to Marin County, the San Rafael Pacifics have acquired outfielder Zack Pace and left-handed pitcher Bryan Banes in a trade for future considerations with Michigan's Traverse City Beach Bums of the Frontier League.
Pace, 27,, was one of the premier defensive outfielders in the Frontier League, and brings six seasons of professional experience to the Pacifics. After starting his pro career with the Sioux City Exploerers of the American Association in 2006, Pace spent time with the Evansville Otters and three seasons with the Oakland County Cruisers (previously the Midwest Sliders) of the Frontier League. Pace hit .268 in 2012 for the Cruisers with 13 doubles and 27 RBI. He also racked up 65 walks while scoring 58 runs. The 5-foot-9, 180-pound outfielder played in nearly every game in 2010, and was second on the Cruisers with innings played and stolen bases (30). Pace hit a career-high .304 in 2009 with the Sliders while swiping 37 bases.
A 2006 graduate of Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, Calif., Pace was named first-team all-California Collegiate Athletic Association. That year, he led the conference with a .528 on-base percentage -- a mark that shattered his own school record of .498 (set in 2005) and still stands as the best all-time at Sonoma State. The Newark, Calif. native hit .375 with 11 doubles, two home runs, 54 runs and 31 steals. Pace finished with a career .365 average, which ranks fifth in school history.
In 2002, Pace led the Newark Memorial High baseball team to a North Coast Section championship, a game that was played at the Oakland Coliseum.
"I'm just looking to win some ballgames and bring great baseball here to the area," Pace said. "I'm excited to be back home and playing baseball."
Banes, a 25-year-old of Hacienda Heights, Calif., was 7-0 during the first half of the 2011 season, and was selected to the 2011 Frontier League East Division All-Star team. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound lefty solidified the top of the Beach Bums' starting rotation, going 11-4 with a 3.07 ERA, while striking out 60 batters in 117 1/3 innings pitched.
In 2010, Banes posted a 1-0 record and a 2.70 ERA with the Beach Bums in eight games, pitching primarily in relief. Banes came to the Beach Bums after beginning the 2010 season with the Florence Freedom, where he went 3-4 with a 6.11 ERA. Collegiately, Banes pitched for Rio Hondo and Cal Poly Pomona.
For interview requests, please contact Pacifics Director of Operations, Theo Fightmaster, at 707-291-5819, or 415-485-1563. You can also email him at Theo@pacificsbaseball.com
--Pacifics--
