GREENSBORO, N.C. – Luke Tendler is in a new uniform but the production remains the same. Tendler, a former All-American baseball player at North Carolina A&T, is off to a fast start in his professional career for the Spokane Indians.
On Thursday (July 24), Tendler was selected to play in the Northwest League All-Star Game scheduled for Aug. 6 in Eugene, Ore. As of Saturday, July 26, the left-handed batter is hitting .351 with five home runs, 32 RBI, 13 doubles, two triples and 31 runs scored in 39 games played as a right fielder.
“It’s always good to get off to that kind of start,” said A&T head baseball coach Joel Sanchez. “You get to show the organization what type of player you are and could potentially be. You get there attention, therefore, they get to see the potential early. That’s good to see Luke’s hard work paying off early in his pro career.”
Tendler was selected with 876th overall pick in the 29th round of the 2014 MLB amateur draft by the Texas Rangers on June 7. He played his first game for the Indians, a Class A Short Season organization in the Pacific Northwest, on June 13. After going 0-for-4 in his pro debut, he quickly learned how to hit professional pitching. He has brutalized right-handed pitching with a .375 average, and he is hitting .406 at home.
During his A&T career, Tendler led the Aggies in batting in three separate seasons, while starting 199 out of 200 games. In 2013, he was named MEAC Preseason Player of the Year. He was a career .349 hitter with 24 home runs and 179 RBI. He also finished with 66 doubles, 15 triples and a .561 slugging percentage. As a junior, he was fourth in the nation in doubles per game.