Eastern Michigan Athletics

Adam Sonabend
Photo by: Walt Middleton Photography

Former Eagle Adam Sonabend Signs with San Francisco Giants

10/1/2014 1:44:00 PM | Baseball

Former EMU baseball catcher inks a Major League Baseball free agent deal

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Former Eastern Michigan University catcher Adam Sonabend (Scottsdale, Ariz.-Desert Mountain-Mesa C.C.-Kansas State) has signed a free agent contract with the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball. The former Eagle will play on the Giants' instructional league team this fall.

Sonabend spent the 2013 and 2014 seasons in a Green and White uniform after transferring from Mesa Community College. In his two years at EMU, Sonabend appeared in 103 games with 101 of those being starts, primarily as the Eagles' catcher. The Scottsdale, Ariz. native batted .276,, recording 67 RBI and crossing the plate 53 times. He tallied 100 hits, including 26 doubles and a pair of home runs. Behind the plate, Sonabend threw out 30 baserunners attempting to steal in his two seasons in Ypsilanti.

As a senior, Sonabend started in 47 games, with 41 at catcher while six were as the team's designated hitter. Throughout the season, he posted nine multi-RBI games and six multi-hit games. The EMU maskman reached base in 16-straight games at one point in the season, while also boasting a season-high eight-game hitting streak. In a doubleheader against Northern Kentucky, March 15, Sonabend went 7-for-9 at the dish with two doubles and seven RBI to lead the Eagles in a sweep over the Norse. In his final game as an Eagle, Sonabend knocked in Eastern's first and last run of the contest to help EMU defeat Toledo in extra innings, May 17.

Sonabend did not waste any time making his mark on the EMU baseball program, starting every game of the 2013 campaign. Batting .325 with 65 hits for the second most on the team in each category, Sonabend collected All-Mid American Conference Second Team accolades and also earned All-America First Team honors by the Jewish Sports Review. He tallied 15 multi-hit games and nine multi-RBI games and ranked fourth in the MAC in on-base percentage (.419). Sonabend was also recognized as MAC West Player of the Week, Feb. 19, after going 5-for-7 with four RBI in his first two games as an Eagle; in his EMU debut, he went 4-for-4 with four RBI and one run, Feb. 15. While at Eastern, Sonabend excelled on the field and in the classroom, earning Academic All-MAC notoriety as a junior.

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