ST. PAUL SAINTS WEBPAGE

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Augsburg College baseball alumnus Donald Blunt (SR, Richfield, Minn.) was signed to a professional contract by the St. Paul Saints, an independent minor league team in the American Association, on Saturday.

Blunt was in uniform, but did not play, in the Saints' 5-4 home win over the Gary SouthShore RailCats on Saturday, or in the Saints' 8-7 win over the RailCats on Sunday. St. Paul hosts Winnipeg in a four-game series from Monday-Wednesday (doubleheader on Monday) at Midway Stadium in St. Paul. The Saints currently lead the American Association's North Division with a 33-20 record.

Blunt is the first player for eighth-year Augsburg head coach Keith Bateman to sign a professional baseball contract. In 2010, Blunt also played at the end of the season with the Northwood League's Rochester Honkers, a collegiate wood-bat summer league.

Blunt earned All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors in 2011 and All-MIAC honorable-mention honors in 2009, when he hit a career-best .364.

A four-year starter at shortstop for the Auggies, Blunt finished the 2011 season as the MIAC's leader in overall home runs with six. He hit .316 this season (30-of-95) with 21 runs scored, 25 RBI, five doubles and two triples, five stolen bases, a team-best .600 slugging percentage and .425 on-base percentage. His .600 slugging percentage was fourth-best in the MIAC in overall play. Blunt had a hit in 20 of his 32 games played, including seven multiple-hit games and seven multiple-RBI games.

Starting 135 of his 139 career games, Blunt finished his career with a .283 batting average (119-of-420), with 20 doubles, 10 triples, 15 home runs, 87 runs scored, 77 RBI, 29 stolen bases, a .486 slugging percentage and a .365 on-base percentage.