PEMBERTON SIGNS WITH RICHMOND ROOSTERS

Add Shawn Pemberton to the list of area products who are playing professional baseball.

Pemberton, a 1994 Cape Girardeau Central High School graduate, signed a contract Monday with the Richmond (Ind.) Roosters, a Class A-level independent team that competes in the Frontier League.

Later Monday, Pemberton was traveling with the Roosters en route to tonight's game against the London Werewolves in Ontario, Canada.

A catcher, Pemberton was a member of the 1994 Cape Central baseball team that won the Class 4A state title and he also played on the Cape American Legion squad that captured a state championship.

After graduating from Cape Central, Pemberton signed with Southeast Missouri State University, where he saw limited action in two seasons. Pemberton then transferred to Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., where he was a key player his final two collegiate seasons. He batted better than .300 as a senior this year.

Pemberton has also been a top performer the past few seasons for the McDowell Capahas and he had been playing with the squad for the first few weeks of this summer.

The Richmond Roosters compete in the 10-team Frontier League that includes the River City Rascals, the first-year squad based in the St. Louis area (O'Fallon).

Richmond is off to a 5-6 start heading into the series in Ontario, Canada.