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| Four former Apex players are presented with their banners. |
Features Editor
Apex retired the numbers of four former baseball players in a ceremony led by varsity coach Michael Valder at halftime of the men’s basketball game on December 16.
Tim Federowicz, Class of 2005, Michael Knox, Class of 2007, Matt
Mangini, Class of 2004, and Seth Frankoff, Class of 2006 will join Landon
Powell as the only baseball players in Apex history to have their numbers
retired. All five players are currently
members of Major League Baseball organizations.
“It’s great,” says Federowicz on being honored. “This is where everything started,” he
says. Michael Knox had similar
thoughts. “[This is] really cool, and an
honor. I’m blessed to be surrounded by
good people and coaches,” says Knox.
Knox was recently drafted by the World Series Champion St. Louis
Cardinals.
The players had similar thoughts on their time at Apex. Matt Mangini, who is invited to the Tampa Bay
Rays 2012 spring training, said his favorite memory of Apex was “getting a
chance to play with the guys…the friendships that I made, who I played with,
that was the best,”
All four of the players are at different stages in their baseball
careers. Federowicz, who had just flown
in from winter ball for the ceremony, was an All American at UNC Chapel Hill
before being drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2008. During the 2011 season, he was sent to Los
Angeles in a deadline deal for pitcher Erik Bedard. On September 11, 2011, Federowicz made his
Major League Debut. “Making it up to the
big leagues has always been a dream of mine,” he says.
Seth Frankoff is a pitcher in the Oakland A’s organization. He spent last season with the A ball Vermont
Lake Monsters. In addition to pitching
in the minors, Frankoff had the opportunity to play for Team USA in 2008. According to Frankoff, “representing our
country” is his biggest accomplishment so far.
Matt Mangini’s career has had a few more challenges. His collegiate career started out at N.C.
State before transferring to Oklahoma State.
Mangini was a supplemental first round pick of the Seattle Mariners in
2007. He started the 2011 season on the
DL. Upon coming off the DL, Mangini was
immediately optioned to AAA Tacoma. On
August 2, Mangini was released by Seattle.
Mangini got another shot to play when he signed a contract on December 6
with Tampa Bay. Mangini’s says his
biggest accomplishment “was my first call-up.”
Michael Knox was a Division II All American at Mount Olive College
before being drafted by St. Louis in 2011.
Knox was originally on UNC’s baseball roster, but decided to transfer to
Mount Olive. In his two years at Mount
Olive, Knox set the single season and career home run records. “I’m pround of my home run record at Mt.
Olive,” says Knox. He started his
professional career with the Gulf Coast League Cardinals in Jupiter, Florida
this past season.
The players were presented with banners that are now hung on the left
field wall of the Apex baseball stadium.
