Casey Coleman is enjoying his transition to professional baseball, probably more so than the hitters who have faced him.

Coleman, the former FGCU standout drafted by the Chicago Cubs last month in the 15th round of baseball’s First-Year Player Draft, is playing for the Single-A Boise Hawks in the short-season Northwest League.

He’s made four appearances thus far, shuttling back and forth from the starting rotation to the bullpen. An injury to a fellow pitcher may have opened up a permanent spot in the rotation for the Cape Coral-Mariner graduate, who has posted a 3.46 ERA while holding opponents to a .240 batting average in his first 13 professional innings.

“The biggest thing you’ve got to do in the pros is throw strikes, especially at this level where the hitters are still adjusting to the wood bats,” Coleman said. “The Cubs really want their young pitchers to attack the zone with the fastball, which is what I love to do anyway.”

Although he’s living the dream of playing professional baseball, Coleman admits things aren’t too glamorous in the Northwest League.

“A lot of times you’ve got to get to the field early to put in your work,” Coleman said. “Sometimes guys are tired by the time the game gets here because they’ve had to catch bullpen sessions or do some extra running. It’s all part of being a professional baseball player.”

In his most recent start against Vancouver, Coleman allowed a run on two hits over four effective innings with no walks and four strikeouts.

He’s been using two fastballs, a two-seamer which ranges from 89 to 91 mph and bores in on the hitter, and a four-seamer which can reach 94 mph on the radar gun. He’ll mix in a change-up or breaking ball now and then to keep hitters off balance.

“I’ve found you can be more aggressive here,” Coleman said. “The hitters are better but don’t have that advantage of aluminum bats. You can really come after the hitters and work inside a lot more. Also, your fielders are better so you don’t have to worry about pitching to contact.”

Coleman isn’t concerned about making too many adjustments right now. Things are working with his simple approach of getting ahead and staying ahead with his fastball.

During the offseason, he’ll go over things with his father, ex-major league pitcher Joe Coleman.

“It helps having someone who’s been through this before,” Coleman said. “He knows what it takes to advance through each level and be successful.”

* * *

Richard Bleier (FGCU, 2008)

CURRENT TEAM: Spokane Indians (Single-A)

PARENT CLUB: Texas Rangers

SEASON STATS:

W-L ERA G GS SV IP H BB K

2-0 2.45 5 3 0 22.0 16 4 19

Carmen Cali (Naples, 1997)

CURRENT TEAM: Rochester Red Wings (Triple-A)

PARENT CLUB: Minnesota Twins

SEASON STATS:

W-L ERA G GS SV IP H BB K

5-0 3.50 35 0 2 46.1 46 17 40

Casey Coleman (FGCU, 2008)

CURRENT TEAM: Boise Hawks (Single-A)

PARENT CLUB: Chicago Cubs

SEASON STATS:

W-L ERA G GS SV IP H BB K

1-1 3.46 4 2 0 13.0 12 4 16

Andy D’Alessio (Barron Collier, 2003)

CURRENT TEAM: San Jose Giants (Single-A)

PARENT CLUB: San Francisco Giants

SEASON STATS:

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA

303 42 85 23 1 10 55 1 .281

Jason Kiley (FGCU, 2007)

CURRENT TEAM: Staten Island Yankees (Single-A)

PARENT CLUB: New York Yankees

SEASON STATS:

W-L ERA G GS SV IP H BB K

0-1 3.38 6 0 0 10.2 10 1 7

Jason Louwsma (FGCU, 2006)

CURRENT TEAM: Sarasota Reds (Single-A)

PARENT CLUB: Cincinnati Reds

SEASON STATS:

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA

284 18 65 6 0 3 27 1 .229

Jason Peacock (FGCU, 2008)

CURRENT TEAM: Gulf Coast Marlins (Rookie)

PARENT CLUB: Florida Marlins

SEASON STATS:

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA

25 2 7 0 0 0 2 0 .280

Luis Pardo (FGCU, 2007)

CURRENT TEAM: Lexington Legends (Single-A)

PARENT CLUB: Houston Astros

SEASON STATS:

W-L ERA G GS SV IP H BB K

0-5 4.03 8 4 0 29.0 36 13 17

John Tolisano (Estero, 2007)

CURRENT TEAM: Lansing Lugnuts (Single-A)

PARENT CLUB: Toronto Blue Jays

SEASON STATS:

AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BA

299 45 79 15 7 4 35 5 .264