1997 Salem Avalanche Roster
Team Record: 63-75
Finished 2nd in the CL's South Division
Manager: Bill McGuire (63-75)
Affiliation: Colorado Rockies
Location: Salem, Virginia
Ballpark: Salem Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 188,023, Avg. 2,893 in 65 home dates
The Salem Avalanche of the Carolina League ended the 1997 season with a record of 63 wins and 75 losses, finishing second in the league's South Division.
The Avalanche plated 588 runs, worst in the circuit, and allowed 612 runs. Tal Light and Ben Petrick paced Salem with 15 home runs apiece. Chad Gambill drove in 73 runs. Tal Light topped hitters with significant playing time by hitting .265. Tom Stepka led the squad with 11 wins, while Mike Kusiewicz registered a 2.53 earned run average, leading qualifying pitchers.
Lariel González, Luther Hackman, Curt Leskanic, Elvis Peña, Ben Petrick, Scott Randall, Bill Swift and Jamey Wright were all players from the 1997 Salem Avalanche who played in the Majors during their careers.
Bill McGuire served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rod Bair | R | R | October 29, 1974 | 5'11" | 195 | Phoenix, AZ US |
| Bobby Bevel | L | L | October 10, 1973 | 5'10" | 180 | San Diego, CA US |
| Heath Bost | R | R | October 13, 1974 | 6'3" | 205 | Sanford, NC US |
| Clint Bryant | R | R | August 29, 1973 | 6'0" | 180 | San Antonio, TX US |
| John Clifford | R | R | August 18, 1973 | 6'1" | 185 | Worcester, MA US |
| Luis Colmenares | R | R | November 25, 1976 | 5'11" | 190 | Valencia, Carabobo VE |
| Jason Dietrich | R | R | November 15, 1972 | 5'11" | 190 | Stuttgart, DE |
| Justin Drizos | L | L | December 8, 1973 | 6'2" | 200 | Cold Spring, NY US |
| Salvadore Duverge | R | R | May 14, 1976 | 6'0" | 165 | San Cristobal, San Cristobal DO |
| Brett Elam | R | R | August 1, 1972 | 6'0" | 170 | Council Bluffs, IA US |
| Dave Feuerstein | R | R | July 19, 1973 | 6'2" | 200 | New York, NY US |
| Chad Gambill | R | R | November 27, 1974 | 6'2" | 190 | Clearwater, FL US |
| Vicente Garcia | R | R | February 14, 1975 | 6'0" | 170 | Maracaibo, Zulia VE |
| Lariel González | R | R | May 25, 1976 | 6'4" | 228 | San Cristobal, San Cristobal DO |
| Luther Hackman | R | R | October 10, 1974 | 6'4" | 195 | Columbus, MS US |
| Kyle Houser | R | R | January 21, 1975 | 6'0" | 150 | Dallas, TX US |
| Link Jarrett | S | R | January 26, 1972 | 5'10" | 165 | Tallahassee, FL US |
| James Kammerer | L | L | July 21, 1973 | 6'3" | 205 | Winona, MN US |
| Brian Keck | R | R | January 15, 1974 | 6'3" | 185 | Dodge City, KS US |
| Mike Kusiewicz | R | L | November 1, 1976 | 6'2" | 185 | Montreal, QC CA |
| Curt Leskanic | R | R | April 2, 1968 | 6'0" | 180 | Homestead, PA US |
| Tal Light | R | R | November 28, 1973 | 6'3" | 205 | Beaumont, TX US |
| Dean Marnell | R | R | January 9, 1976 | 5'11" | 185 | Melbourne, Victoria AU |
| Chandler Martin | R | R | October 23, 1973 | 6'1" | 195 | Salem, OR US |
| Doug Million | L | L | October 13, 1975 | 6'4" | 175 | Fort Thomas, KY US |
| Sean Murphy | R | R | December 7, 1972 | 6'1" | 180 | Macomb, IL US |
| Garrett Neubart | R | R | November 7, 1973 | 5'10" | 160 | Summit, NJ US |
| Scott Norman | R | R | September 1, 1972 | 6'0" | 195 | Mount Vernon, OH US |
| Lloyd Peever | R | R | September 15, 1971 | 5'11" | 185 | Livermore, CA US |
| Elvis Peña | S | R | September 15, 1976 | 5'11" | 164 | San Pedro de Macoris, San Pedro de Macoris DO |
| Ben Petrick | R | R | April 7, 1977 | 6'0" | 195 | Salem, OR US |
| Scott Randall | R | R | October 29, 1975 | 6'3" | 200 | Fullerton, CA US |
| Scott Schroeffel | S | R | December 30, 1973 | 6'0" | 190 | Pittsburgh, PA US |
| Steve Shoemaker | L | R | February 3, 1973 | 6'1" | 214 | Phoenixville, PA US |
| Tom Stepka | R | R | November 29, 1975 | 6'2" | 190 | Buffalo, NY US |
| Bill Swift | R | R | October 27, 1961 | 6'0" | 170 | Portland, ME US |
| Jamie Taylor | L | R | October 10, 1970 | 6'2" | 220 | Steubenville, OH US |
| Mike Vavrek | L | L | April 23, 1974 | 6'2" | 185 | Winfield, IL US |
| Gilbert Vidal | R | R | April 21, 1975 | 5'11" | 188 | Santurce, PR |
| Forry Wells | L | R | March 21, 1971 | 6'4" | 205 | Belleville, IL US |
| Jamey Wright | R | R | December 24, 1974 | 6'6" | 240 | Oklahoma City, OK US |
| Mike Zolecki | R | R | December 6, 1971 | 6'2" | 195 | Milwaukee, WI US |
Average attendance is based upon the number of actual home dates where known (most leagues from 1992 and later). Where the number of home dates is not known, the average is calculated using half the team's total games.
