Former PLNU pitcher Mike Ekstrom is headed back to San Diego, this time as a member of the San Diego Padres. The 25-year-old right hander got the call yesterday after spending the season pitching for the San Antonio Missions, the Padres' AA affiliate.
 
The AA season ended yesterday and immediately following the game, Ekstrom's manager broke the news that he and his roommate, outfielder Drew Macias, would be joining the Padres for their series in Milwaukee.
 
“I really wasn't expecting it at all, I was pretty surprised,” Ekstrom said in a phone call from Milwaukee today. “It was shocking, surprising and all that.”
 
Ekstrom had been a workhorse for the Missions all season, pitching 108 innings as a starter and out of the bullpen. He went 11-8 with a 4.58 ERA in 41 appearances, making 15 starts and placing second in the Texas League in wins. As a reliever, he posted a 2.57 ERA in 26 appearances.
 
A strong finish to the AA season prompted the call-up, as Ekstrom went 9-3 with a 2.34 ERA in his last 50 innings pitched, striking out 53 in that span. He's been told by Padres' manager Bud Black that the team will continue to use him out of the bullpen.
 
The idea of being on a major league roster is still sinking in for Ekstrom, but he's looking at it as a great opportunity.
 
“I'm just trying to learn as much as I can,” he said. “You have guys like [Trevor] Hoffman and [Jake] Peavy. You can learn a lot in a short time.”
 
One of his first reactions upon arriving with the big league club was the difference in accommodations from the minor leagues. He'd suddenly gone from taking a bus everywhere, to flying first class and staying in a top-notch hotel.
 
“Once you make it, they take care of you,” he said.
 
He also got the chance to reunite with several players that had gone through San Diego's minor league system with him.
 
“It's awesome. I think there's about 10 guys up here from our championship San Antonio team last year.”
 
Ekstrom will be on the roster in Milwaukee this weekend, before coming to Petco Park for games against the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants next week. He is looking forward to playing in front of his family, as he has many extended relatives in the San Diego area and has his immediate family making the trip down from Oregon.
 
“A lot of [my extended family] are lifelong Padre fans,” said Ekstrom. “I think they're even more excited than I am.”
 
Ekstrom was drafted by the Padres in the 12th round of the 2004 amateur draft, after helping lead PLNU to the NAIA College World Series that season. He holds the PLNU all-time record for wins in a season with 12 and posted a 1.96 ERA that year with the Sea Lions.
 
He was the Padres' minor league pitcher of the year in 2006 after splitting the season between single-A and AA, but had been in San Antonio for the last two seasons.
 
Ekstrom becomes just the second player ever from PLNU to reach the major leagues. Pitcher Marty Decker, also as a member of the Padres, did it in 1983. Decker pitched just 8 2/3 innings in the major leagues, posting a 2.08 ERA. Arm injuries forced his early retirement.
 
Other PLNU minor league news:
 
Starting pitcher Johnnie Lowe has impressed in his first full season of minor league ball. The 23-year-old right-hander battled some injuries this season for the Single-A Kannapolis Intimidators, but when healthy showed why the Chicago White Sox drafted him in the sixth round last spring. He finished the season with a 5-7 record, a 4.10 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 99 2/3 innings pitched. His struggles came out of the bullpen when returning from injury, but as a starter he posted a 2.99 ERA in 87 innings.
 
Pitcher Tony Kirbis is playing for the short-season single-A Aberdeen IronBirds in the Baltimore Orioles' system. Kirbis, 23, has 31.1 innings pitched with a 3.73 ERA and 27 strikeouts.

-Jeremiah Wood