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Getting to know the newest member of Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball.

In light of his recent signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates, we thought appropriate to give some info and background on Dovydas Neverauskas who, until now, has gone under the radar on the international baseball scene.

Dovydas Neverauskas (6-3, 170 pounds, RHP) is from Vilnius, Lithuania, where he currently plays for Sporto Vilkai BC (Sports Wolves) and Vilnius Baseball Club. Dovydas comes from a family of athletes; his mother was a professional basketball player in Lithuania and his father, Virmidas, was one of the pioneers of baseball in the sports’ early days in Lithuania. Dovydas’ father is also the head coach of Vilnius Baseball Club as well as Head Coach for the Lithuanian U18, U16, and U14 National Teams.

Back in the late 1980’s when the sport was just beginning in Lithuania, Mr. Neverauskas was part of the first Baseball Club in Lithuania formed in the city of Kaunas by a group of students who were attending the Lithuania Physical Education and Sports Academy. At the time baseball equipment was very difficult to come by, and all of the bats and balls they acquired from the USSR and Ukraine. Virmidas himself began making his own gloves from raw materials for the local baseball community to use. Almost twenty years later, baseball is still a small yet growing sport in Lithuania with four clubs competing on the elite level.

Dovydas Neverauskas is tall with a lanky build. He throws an 85-86 mph fastball, with a complementary curveball and changeup. He is a strong athlete, and when he’s not on the mound he is his team’s #1 Catcher and 3rd Baseman.

Having attended the 2008 MLB European Academy last year, Dovydas impressed scouts as the hardest thrower at this year’s MLB European Academy Tryouts in May.

Tom Randolph, International Scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates who brokered the deal between the Pirates and Neverauskas, is extremely excited about what the future holds for the young right-hander. Says Randolph:

„He’s a 16 year old with a classic pro pitcher’s body, long and loose, and has made huge progress since the summer of 2008. The sky is the limit with Dovydas, and I honestly believe he was the best pitching prospect to come out of Europe this year. I truly believe he has the arm to be a major league pitcher.“

Neverauskas is currently competing with the Lithuanian U16 National Team at the Senior League European Finals in Ramstein, Germany. Lithuania is currently 4-0 with ; Neverauskas had a home run in game 2. You can follow he and his team’s progress at this link: http://www.littleleague.org/series/2009divisions/slbb/qualify/emea.htm. Statistics for the Lithuanian Championships can be found on our site by clicking on ‘championship’ and then ‘statistics’.

This is a great event not only for Dovydas and his family, but also for Lithuanian Baseball marking the first Lithuanian to sign a professional baseball contract. All of us in Lithuanian baseball would like to congratulate Dovydas on this accomplishment, and wish him the best of luck for the challenges that he will face in his new career with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Sėkmės!!

Will Gordon
Director, Foreign Affairs/Game Development
Lithuanian Baseball Association