SPILLE TAKES A MINOR STRIDE

The four area products who recently began their professional baseball careers have met with mostly inauspicious starts so far -- with one exception.

Ryan Spille, the Southeast Missouri State University product taken by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 19th round of the amateur draft earlier this month, needed just one outing to get bumped up to a higher league.

A left-handed pitcher, Spille was originally assigned to the St. Catharines (Ontario) Stompers, the Blue Jays' Class A Rookie League team in the New York-Penn League.

Spille made one start for the Stompers and was impressive, pitching five shutout innings to earn the victory. He allowed just two hits while striking out five and walking none.

Spille was then elevated to the Hagerstown (Md.) Suns, the Blue Jays' higher Class A team in the South Atlantic League. Spille has made one appearance for the Suns, allowing two earned runs and five hits in three innings. He fanned six and walked one.

The other 1999 Southeast product playing in the minors, shortstop Steve Lowe, has struggled during the early going with the Mahoning Valley (Ohio) Scrappers of the New York-Penn League.

Signed as a free agent by the Cleveland Indians after being passed over in this year's draft, Lowe is batting .059, with just one hit in 17 at-bats. He has scored five runs, walked five times and stolen three bases.

Kevin Vent, a 1995 Sikeston High School graduate taken in the eighth round of this year's draft by San Francisco, is 0-1 with a 5.63 earned-run average for the Salem-Keizer (Ore.) Valcanoes of the Class A Northwest League.

Vent, a right-handed pitcher who completed his career at the University of Arkansas this year, has allowed nine hits while fanning four and walking three in eight innings covering two appearances.

Meanwhile, 1994 Cape Girardeau Central High School graduate Shawn Pemberton has seen only limited action so far for the Richmond (Ind.) Roosters of the independent Frontier League.

Pemberton, a catcher who played two seasons at Southeast and two seasons at Belmont (Tenn.) University, has one hit in seven at-bats, a .143 average, while playing in two games. He has driven in two runs.

* Former Southeast star Kerry Robinson continues to shine in the Seattle organization as he awaits a possible promotion to the Mariners.

Robinson, who completed his eligibility at Southeast in 1995, is leading the Pacific Coast League in two categories while starring for the Class AAA Tacoma (Wash.) Rainers.

The outfielder, who spent several days in the major leagues late last season with Tampa Bay, is batting .307 for the Rainers. He leads the PCL in triples with seven and in stolen bases with 26. He is also fifth in the league in hits with 84.

* Southeast product Steve Bieser, who is in his 10th professional season and has spent parts of two campaigns in the majors, is batting just .209 with Altoona (Pa.), Pittsburgh's Class AA team.

* Another Southeast product, Lamonte Collier, is hitting only .214 with Clearwater (Fla.), one of Philadelphia's Class A teams. Collier is in his third pro season.

* Matt Whiteside, a 1986 Charleston High School graduate who has spent more than five seasons in the majors, is 6-4 with two saves and 5.59 ERA for San Diego's Class AAA affiliate in Las Vegas. The right-hander has fanned 62 in 58 innings.

* Talley Haines, a 1995 Cape Central High School graduate in his second pro season, is 1-0 with six saves and 3.14 ERA for Charleston (S.C.), one of Tampa Bay's Class A teams. The right-hander has fanned 32 and walked just six in 28 2/3 innings.

(All statistics are through Sunday)