George Washington University Athletics
GW Baseball Alums Face Off In AAA-International League
9/1/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Sept. 1, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC - George Washington University baseball alumni Josh Wilkie '06 and Mike O'Connor '02 pitched against each other in the Triple-A International League contest between the Buffalo Bisons (New York Mets) and Syracuse Chiefs (Washington Nationals) on Tuesday, August 30th. Wilkie, earned the save after pitching a perfect ninth inning for the Chiefs. O'Connor took the loss after coming out of the bullpen in the ninth for the Bison.
The Nationals signed Wilkie as a non-drafted free agent in June 2006 following a workout at RFK Stadium. This season he is 4-3 with a 1.72 ERA as of September 1st. In 68.0 innings he has allowed just 13 earned runs and has struck out 59 while yielding just one home run. Opponents are batting just .220 against him.
O'Connor came into Tuesday's game after appearing in 10 games without allowing a run. On the season, he is 4-2 with a 2.76 ERA as of September 1st. In 65.1 innings he has struck out 65 while walking just 16 and allowing 20 earned runs. Opponents are batting .251 against him. O'Connor pitched in the major leagues on two separate occasions for the Nationals in 2006 and 2008. He totaled four wins and 63 strikeouts in 114 innings during his two major league stints. He was injured in 2007 and much of '08 and '09 while a member of the Washington, San Diego and Kansas City organizations. This season he has pitched exclusively in relief for Buffalo.
Wilkie's 25 career victories at GW rank third all-time in school history while his 291 strikeouts place him at second on GW's all-time strikeout list. He finished his career with a 25-12 record and 2.99 ERA with 10 complete games in 327.1 innings pitched.
In four seasons with the Colonials, O'Connor was 9-7 with a 5.29 ERA in 83 career appearances. He struck out 159 while earning 10 saves.
In addition to Mike O'Connor, George Washington's baseball program has produced three other major league players to date. Steve Korcheck '54 was a catcher with the Washington Senators. Sam Perlozzo '73 was an infielder for the San Diego Padres and the Minnesota Twins. John Flaherty '90 was a catcher for the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Detroit Tiger and the Padres.
Korcheck is a retired college president of Manatee Community College (now State College of Florida-Manatee) in Sarasota, FL. Perlozzo is the former manager of the Baltimore Orioles and is currently the third base coach for the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies. And Flaherty is currently the color analyst and studio host for the Yankees YES Network.
