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CLEBURNE, Texas (May 22, 2019) – After being forced to play several players out of position defensively due to injury, the Cleburne Railroaders have made a move to bolster the position player corps with the signing of catcher/first baseman Audie Afenir.

Afenir was teammates with outfielder Nick Rotola at Oral Roberts University, where he spent parts of three seasons. As a senior with the Golden Eagles, Afenir hit .347 with 16 doubles and three home runs, posting a gaudy .347/.424/.472 slash line that earned him First Team All-Summit League honors.

The New York Yankees selected Afenir in the 25th round of the 2015 MLB Draft, and the backstop went on to reach High-A Tampa in the Yankees system before joining the independent ranks in 2017. Afenir split that season between the Lake Erie Crushers of the Frontier League and the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League.

The 27-year old started 2018 with the Ducks before being released, then returned to the Frontier League with the Gateway Grizzlies. Afenir hit .306 with four doubles and a home run in 19 games for the Grizzlies, then signed with the Rockland Boulders of the Can-Am League but was released out of spring training.

For his career, the native of Escondido, California is a .252 hitter with five home runs and 69 RBI in 189 professional games.

The Railroaders and Goldeyes conclude their series on Wednesday afternoon at 1:05 PM. Eudis Idrogo (0-0, 1.80) takes the ball for Cleburne, while the Goldeyes will counter with lefty Mitch Lambson (1-0, 0.00).

For information on partnerships, season tickets, group outings, and party packages, call the Railroaders main office at (817) 945-8705, or visit the Railroaders official website at www.railroaderbaseball.com.

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