MONTGOMERY, Ala.-Allen Ponder has signed his contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates and will report to the State College Spikes of the New York Penn League. The 50th round draft choice is scheduled to report tomorrow (Friday). The team will hold their "Meet the Spikes Day" on Sunday.
The Spikes are the Class A team of the Pirates and their season will begin June 17 when they play at the Jamestown Jammers.
Ponder had an outstanding career with the Auburn University at Montgomery, culminating with a senior season that saw him hit .349 with 18 home runs and 75 RBI.
He will be on the mound for the Spikes, as Ponder had an 8-1 record this past season with the Senators with a 2.06 earned run average. He also had six saves and had 68 strikeouts in 48 innings of work, while the opposition only hit .201 off him.
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