Machado Signed

LINCOLN, Neb. - Albenis Machado, who started 96 games at shortstop for Saltdogs this past season, has been signed by Baltimore Orioles.

Machado, 26, a native of Caracas, Venezuela spent the past two seasons with the Saltdogs. He batted .326 avg. with 7 HR's and 56 RBI for Lincoln during the 2005 season.

The Lincoln Saltdogs, members of the American Association of Independent League Professional Baseball, will begin their sixth season of professional baseball in May 2006.

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2006 Lincoln Saltdogs Schedule

Lincoln Saltdogs 2006 Baseball Schedule
96 Game Schedule Features 48 Home Dates at Haymarket Park

LINCOLN, Neb. * 48 games at Haymarket Park and six games with the 2005 Central League Champion Ft. Worth Cats highlight the 2006 Lincoln Saltdogs baseball schedule released today by Saltdogs President Charlie Meyer. The Saltdogs schedule features 96 games * 48 at home and 48 on the road.

"The 2006 schedule will be another challenging schedule for the Saltdogs," Meyer said. "We will face some old rivals and we'll develop some new ones in the first year of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball League. Our fans will enjoy eight exciting home stands in 2006."

The Saltdogs open the 2006 season on the road with a nine game road trip that begins on May 11th at Pensacola (May 11-14), followed by a three game series with Shreveport (May 16-18) and a three game series with Ft. Worth (May 19-21).

Lincoln opens its home slate with a six game home stand with Sioux City (May 23- 25) and Sioux Falls (May 26-28).

The Saltdogs begin the second half of the 2006 season on the road at St. Joseph (July 3-5), and conclude the season on the road with a six game road trip to Sioux Falls (August 21-23) and Sioux City (August 24-26).

The 2006 All-Star Game, between the American Association and the Can-Am League, will be held at Cohen Stadium in El Paso, Texas * Home of the El Paso Diablos on July 18th.

The Lincoln Saltdogs, a charter member of the American Association of Independent League Professional Baseball, will begin their sixth season of professional baseball in May 2006.

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Saltdogs Sign Underwood

LINCOLN, Neb. * The Lincoln Saltdogs have signed Dan Underwood to a contract for the 2006 season.

Underwood, a native of Bedford, IN, was acquired by the Saltdogs in the second half of the 2005 season from the Joliet Jackhammers in a trade for infielder Jason Corapci. In 39 games for Lincoln, as an outfielder and backup catcher, Underwood batted .282 avg. with 3 HR's and 20 RBI. He set a franchise record for home runs in a single game with 3 against Joliet at Silver Cross Field, in Joliet, on August 14th.

Underwood, 24, will begin his third season of professional baseball in 2006. He signed as a nondrafted free agent by the Colorado Rockies organization in 2003 after playing college baseball at Purdue University.

The Lincoln Saltdogs, members of the American Association of Independent League Professional Baseball, will begin their sixth season of professional baseball in May 2006.

#Saltdogs

Saltdogs Make Trade with the Golden League

LINCOLN, Neb. * The Lincoln Saltdogs announced, today, a trade with the independent Golden League.

The Saltdogs have traded outfielder Mike Goss and relief pitcher Wes O'Brien to the Golden League for right-handed pitcher Jeff Blitstein and infielder Paul Powell.

Jeff Blitstein, 27, a native of Aurora, CO, appeared in 18 games last season for the league champion San Diego Surf Dawgs. Blitstein was the championship game winner in the Surf Dawgs 9-6 win over Mesa. He was selected by Astros in 39th round of 1999 draft and played collegiately at Chapman College. Last season, Blitstein went 10-3 with a 2.92 ERA and struck out 91 batters in 120.1 innings on the mound.

Paul Powell, 25, a native of Cushing, OK, played for the Saltdogs for part of the 2003 season. Last season, Powell played 70 games for the Mesa Miners and batted .322 avg. with 7 HR's and 38 RBI. The 2006 season will be Powell's fourth season of professional baseball after playing college baseball for Oklahoma State University.

The Lincoln Saltdogs, members of the American Association of Independent League Professional Baseball, will begin their sixth season of professional baseball in May 2006.

#Saltdogs