Four members of last year's Southern Illinois Miners have announced their retirements, the team announced on its website recently.
Third baseman Steve Marino was the franchise's first-ever team captain last season. Marino spent three seasons with the Miners and earned a spot in the top 10 of 12 statistical categories with the club. He is second all time in games played with 282 and RBIs with 174. He was a midseason and postseason All-Star selection for the Frontier League last year.
Outfielder Aaron Gates set a franchise record with 111 hits in the 2016 season to highlight his three-season run as a Miner, and he owns the all-time career mark in hits with 317. He also is second all time in runs with 202, walks with 145 and at-bats with 1,069.
Pitcher Adam Lopez was the Frontier League Pitcher of the Year in 2015, his first season with the club, and leaves ranked in the top 10 for wins and saves with the franchise, while also having the best earned-run average (1.62).
Infielder Alex De Leon joined the Miners last season and ranked fifth in the league with 72 RBIs. He hit .256 with 14 home runs.
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