Minor League Update: Glendale Community College’s Sherriff has found a groove with Springfield

The following are updates on local baseball players at the minor league level.

Ryan Sherriff (Glendale Community College, 2011) pitcher, Springfield Cardinals: The one-time starting pitcher has found a niche this season out of the bullpen with the double-A Texas League squad, a minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Sherriff has tossed 22 innings this season and has posted a 1-1 record with a 1.29 earned run average with two saves through 35 total innings of work.

Overall, Sherriff has allowed five earned runs and 29 total hits, while fanning 25 batters and walking 13.

The 6-foot-1 southpaw hasn’t allowed a run over his last 10 appearances, having tossed 12 2/3 blank innings and fanning eight batters during that stretch.

Sherriff saw extensive action during the team’s recent four-game road sweep at Tulsa from June 15-18.

Sherriff was involved in three of the four contests, but did not receive a decision in any of the games as he tossed three scoreless innings, allowing three hits and fanning two.

As for the season standings, the Cardinals own a 36-36 record and are currently 2 1/2 games behind the league-leading Tulsa Drillers in the Texas League North.

Lonnie Kauppila Jr. (Crescenta Valley High) infielder, Clinton LumberKings: While 2014 has been a tough season for 2010 All-Area Player of the Year, Kauppila had perhaps a breakthrough effort for the class-A Midwest League team, a Seattle Mariners minor league affiliate.

Kauppila, who’s played at second base, shortstop and third base throughout his career, shined in his last start June 13 at Peoria.

Kauppila, who played two seasons at Crescenta Valley High before transferring to rival Burbank, started at second base and went two for four with a double in a 9-5 defeat to Peoria.

The effort was the best for Kauppila in a month, as he previously generated two hits through 22 at-bats in nine previous intermittent starts since May 9.

For the season, Kauppila is batting .211 with 19 hits, nine RBI, eight runs and four doubles through 90 at-bats.

As for his LumberKings, Clinton owns a 30-38 record and is 14 1/2 games behind Midwest League Western leader Kane County (46-25).

Joe De Pinto (St. Francis High, 2007) outfielder, Birmingham Barons: Playing time has been of a limited variety for the one-time Golden Knights standout.

Even so, De Pinto’s offense has picked up of late for the double-A Birmingham Barons of the Southern League, whose parent club is the Chicago White Sox.

While De Pinto only has eight hits in 50 at-bats this season, five of those hits have come in his last four games.

De Pinto’s best effort came June 11 as the designated hitter in a home game versus the Montgomery Biscuits.

De Pinto finished two for three with a double in a 4-2 victory.

Four days prior, De Pinto connected on his longest extra-base hit of the season, a solo home run in the fourth inning over the left-field wall on June 7 that helped deliver the Barons a 9-3 victory over Jackson.

In De Pinto’s last two games on June 12 and 13, he’s delivered a hit in each contest versus Montgomery and even stole a base.

Birmingham has had a difficult season, as the Barons are 29-41 this year and fifth in the Southern League North, 16 1/2 games behind the leader, the Huntsville Stars.