July 6, 2012
CONWAY -
Former Chanticleer baseball greats Luis Lopez, Rico Noel and Tommy La Stella were named All-Stars in their respective leagues.
Lopez, playing in the Atlantic League, was named to its All-Star team for the fourth time in his five years with the Bridgeport Bluefish. Overall, Lopez has made an All-Star team eight times in his career and has amassed over 2,100 hits and over 1,100 RBI in his 17-year career. This year, he is batting .277 with five home runs and 35 RBI, and ranks second in the Atlantic League with 45 walks. Lopez signed as a free agent in 1995 with the Blue Jays out of Coastal Carolina and reached the Major League with Toronto in 2001 and Montreal in 2004.
Noel and La Stella, who helped Coastal earn a #4 national seed to the 2010 NCAA Regional and Super Regional, faced each other in the California League vs. Carolina League All-Star Game in June. The Carolina League won 9-1.
Noel started in center field for the California League, getting one at bat. Noel, a 2010 fifth round pick of the San Diego Padres and playing with the Lake Elsinore Storm, was batting .304 with a league-best 46 steals and 46 runs scored prior to his All-Star appearance. Noel is currently 13th in the California League with a .303 season batting average and ranks second in the League with 58 stolen bases in 84 games.
La Stella, playing with the Lynchburg Hillcats and currently rated as the 28th-best prospect in the Atlanta Braves organization, started at second base and went 1-for-4 with an RBI and run scored. Heading into the All-Star game, he led the team in RBI with 40 and his 14.06 TPA/SO (total plate appearances to strike out) ratio is tops in the League. After earning consensus All-American honors at Coastal in 2011, La Stella was named a MiLB.com Organization All-Star after his first year in professional baseball.
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