Welcome back for another edition of "WVU's Where Are They Now?"- the weekly column that is your one-spot-stop to catch up on news that your former Mountaineers have made during the previous week. I scour the Internet for news, blurbs, and other tidbits about what former Mountaineers are up to in life outside of Morgantown.
This week we bring you news of two Mountaineers playing in the Arena League. One of them getting signed this past week, the other making strides to land on the All-Rookie team. The week after David Carpenter was called up to the Houston Astros, two other former Mountaineers earned promotions. Followers of this column can probably guess one of those. Avon Cobourne made his regular season debut with his new team in the CFL. DaSean Butler lands on a prestigious list (sort of), and Devin Ebanks earns our Former Player Tweet of the Week.
The Pros
Arena Leaguers
Eddie Davis- The former Mountaineer DB signed with the Milwaukee Mustangs of the Arena Football League on June 30th after graduating from WVU after last season. Although he only played in 34 games over four seasons, he turned heads during an impressive Pro-Day for the Mountaineers before the NFL Draft.
"Eddie is a true Mountaineer. He refused to be deterred by limited opportunity and the overcast of the NFL Lockout," Davis' agent, Dusty Gwinn, said in the press release following Davis' signing. "Instead he locked in, took matters into his own hands, and trained hard to make something happen. His skills translate well to the speed and format of Arena League football and he deserves the opportunity."
He played his first game with the Mustangs last week, and recorded one tackle in his debut. Last night, Davis' team played the New Orleans Voodoo. Davis scored a TD after recovering an onside kick and returning it all the way.
Kent Richardson- Another former Mountaineer DB is making a splash in the Arena League. Kent Richardson plays for the Philadelphia Soul and is has a shot to make the All-Rookie team this season. Richardson was the only rookie DB named to the Soul's final roster. He leads the team in tackles and pass breakups. Last night, Richardson's Soul team played the Cleveland Gladiators. He had one tackle.
Baseballers
David Carpenter- Carpenter spent his second week on the Astros roster. The middle-reliever appeared in two games, recording three strikeouts against giving up one hit in two innings.
Jedd Gyorko- After spending months tearing up the California League for the San Diego Padres Single-A affiliate, Lake Elsinore Storm, Gyorko had a particularly memorable 4th of July. He earned a promotion to the Padres AA team, San Antonio Missions. The Padres moved Gyorko from shortstop to third base, and he has steadily improved on his defense while earning All-Star California League status for his hitting. In his first week as a member of the Missions, Gyorko's hot-hitting hasn't slowed down. He has hit in all three games he has played with his new club, batting .429 over that time. On Thursday night, Gyorko went 3-5 with a HR. In 84 total games played this season between Lake Elsinore and San Antonio, Gyorko has 19 HR's and 57 extra base hits.
Tyler Kuhn- Another Mountaineer hot prospect also was promoted this past week. Kuhn, an infielder in the White Sox organization with the Sox' AA squad, Birmingham, was promoted to their AAA affiliate, the Charlotte Knights. Kuhn led all of AA in batting average (.366) before being promoted. He also had 44 runs, 106 hits, 24 doubles, 6 triples, 1 home run, and 46 RBI's while being named a Southern League All-Star.
CFLers
Avon Cobourne- The Mountaineers All-Time Leader Rusher played the first regular season game with his new team, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last week and had 75 yards rushing on 15 carries. He also had 5 receptions for 36 yards in a losing effort. Cobourne joined Hamilton after spending several years with the Montreal Alouettes where he won two Grey Cup Trophies. One interesting note from the season-opener: Cobourne got into a shouting match with fellow teammate, Arland Bruce, after Bruce drew a objectional conduct penalty during the 4th quarter. You can watch Cobourne's Tiger-Cats squad take on the Edmonton Eskimos at 7:00 p.m. on the NFL Network on 7/9.
NBAers
DaSean Butler- Butler landed on CBSSports list of top sports Twitter personalities to follow. This comes on the strength of the 'childrens' story he posted over the course of several Tweets that has since been animated. You can watch that video here, and you can follow Butler @TheDaSeanButler. Pat McAfee also made the list (@ThePatMcAfeeShow).
Former Player Tweet of the Week
Devin Ebanks gives us the update about the stress fracture in his knee he suffered towards the end of last season:
This is the interactive part of the column. I don't see every Tweet from every former Mountaineer, so if you see a Tweet from a former Mountaineer that you think is worthy of the Tweet of the Week, send it to me @WVUPros. It can be anything funny, inspirational, or newsworthy. If I use your suggestion, I'll be sure to mention you in that column!