NEWARK, Del. – Two University of Delaware baseball alumni have made giant strides in their professional baseball careers recently after John Schneider was named the manager of the Gulf Coast League Blue Jays, while Alex Buchholz hit nearly .400 during his first season in the minor leagues.

Schneider, who was a 13th round draft pick by the Blue Jays after an award-winning career at Delaware, recently joined the coaching ranks. He will begin his tenure next season as the manager of Toronto’s entry in the Gulf Coast League.

Prior to serving as the hitting coach with the GCL Blue Jays last year, Schneider had spent six seasons in Toronto’s minor league system, including parts of four with their AAA squad.

Buchholz (at right), who was selected in the sixth round by the Cincinnati Reds last summer, finished his inaugural campaign with a .396 average after flirting with .400 throughout his first season.

The former standout infielder will participate in the Florida Instructional League this fall in hopes of making the transition from second base to shortstop. He has already been tabbed from a promotion to Single-A for the beginning of the 2009 season.

For more news on the two alumni, please read the official releases concerning both players at:

Schneider Link (BlueJays.com)

Buchholz Link (Reds.com)