R.J. SwindleFormer Charleston Southern University standout R.J. Swindle finally got his chance as he was called late July 1 and told he would be moving up to the big leagues. Swindle was expected to be in uniform for the Philadelphia Phillies as they took on the Atlanta Braves July 2.
Swindle, the single-season (140) and career (394) leader at CSU for strikeouts and 2003 Big South Player of the Year, was available to pitch in the July 2 game. With the call, Swindle became the first baseball player from Charleston Southern to make it to the majors.
During his time in the minors this year, Swindle went 1-0 with a 0.54 ERA in 11 appearances with 16 strikeouts and one walk with the Double-A Reading Phillies. After being called up to the Triple-A affiliate – the Lehigh Valley IronPigs – Swindle again earned one victory with no defeats in 18 appearances. He struck out 32 and walked just five in 23.1 innings.