CLEVELAND, Ohio - Impressing during Spring Training, University of Evansville Baseball alum Eric Stamets has been selected to the Cleveland Indian's roster for Opening Day it was announced by the club on Wednesday afternoon.

Stamets, who played for the Aces from 2010 to 2012, hit .255 with eight runs, four doubles, a triple, a home run, and 10 RBI in 47 at-bats with the Indians. Defensively, Stamets showcased his ability during the spring, converting all 59 of his total chances, turning five double plays.

The journey to the majors has been a long one for Stamets, who was drafted in the sixth round in 2012 by the Los Angeles Angels and was traded to the Indians in 2015. The Dublin, Ohio native made his first appearance in AAA with the Columbus Clippers in 2016 and spent most of the 2017 and 2018 with the AAA club.

"If my name's up in the lineup, then I'm going to play," said Stamets, who went 2 for 4 and is hitting .250 with one spring training game left. "If it's not, then I'll just do my best to do my role as a teammate," said Stamets in a release by the Indians. "I wouldn't say it was the best spring. I wouldn't say it was the worst spring. I worked on some things in the offseason with my swing. Defensively, I've made the plays."

Stamets will look to make an impact early for an Indians squad that has seen its fair share of injuries in the infield this spring.

The Indians open the 2019 season on the road at the Minnesota Twins at 3:10 p.m. on Thursday afternoon in Minneapolis, Minn.
 

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