Stavisky on the rise
Brian Stavisky, who turns 28 on Sunday, is on the rise as a member of the Los Angeles Angels professional baseball organization.

Stavisky, a lefthanded hitting outfielder, terrorized local pitching as slugger for Port Allegany youth baseball teams and for Oswayo Valley High School. He went on to star at the University of Notre Dame and has spent the past six years in professional baseball.

This season, he is a member of the Class AA Arkansas Travelers, where he is batting at a torrid .352 clip. In 28 games, he has six home runs, 16 RBI, and 10 doubles.

It may be only a matter of time before he is promoted from the Texas League to the Angels' Class AAA team, the Salt Lake Bees. It's also possible that he could be summoned to the major league square at Anaheim, Calif.

A sixth-round draft pick by Oakland following his junior year at Notre Dame, Stavisky spent parts of the last two years with the Class AAA Sacramento River Cats.

The A's cut him in spring training this year. After starting the year playing for the Lancaster Barnstormers, Stavisky signed on with the Angels.