SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Smokies outfielder Tyler Colvin was named today by The Topps Company as the Topps’ Player of the Month for August. This is the first time Colvin has won the award, which is determined by vote of the Southern League field managers.

Colvin has been one of the Southern League’s hottest hitters as the regular season draws to a close. He started the month of August by tying the Southern League record of 11 consecutive hits over a three-day span (July 31 to August 2). The hot streak propelled Colvin to a performance in August that saw him hit a league-leading .379 with six home runs and 22 RBIs. He topped off the month by carrying a 17-game hit streak into September.

Since arriving to the Smokies in late May, Colvin has helped the team amass a 45-38 record and boost their team batting average from .256 to .275. Their scoring has also gone up from 3.78 runs per game to 4.33 runs per game. The Smokies currently lead the Southern League North Division by a game over the Chattanooga Lookouts and West Tenn Diamond Jaxx, a lead due in part to Colvin’s walk-off hits that led to victory on August 18 and 28.

The 2009 season is Colvin’s third with the Smokies and fourth overall in the minors. The Augusta, Ga. native was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the first round (13th overall) of the 2006 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Clemson University.

ABOUT THE TENNESSEE SMOKIES
The Tennessee Smokies are the minor league Class AA affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Members of the 10-team Southern League, Smokies baseball has been entertaining families and fans of America’s national pastime in the East Tennessee region for almost 100 years. To learn more about the Tennessee Smokies, visit www.smokiesbaseball.com – powered by Comcast.