Gems Add Coach, Players to Roster
November 8, 2011 - West Coast League (WCL)
Klamath Falls Gems News Release
KLAMATH FALLS, OR - The Klamath Falls Gems of the West Coast League today announced the addition of six players to the 2012 roster. In addition, the Gems announced the hiring of pitching coach Mitch Karraker, currently an assistant coach at the University of Oregon, as the final addition to Head Coach Josh Hogan's 2012 staff.
The new players added to the Gems roster are lefthanded pitchers Tyler Crawford and Xavier Borde (University of Arizona) and Tommy Thorpe (University of Oregon), and outfielders Leo Sierra (Cumberland University), Jake Ringold (University of West Virginia) and Lewis Sebrell (Herkimer, NY, Junior College).
Crawford, 6'1", 180, went 10-2 with a 0.91 ERA in 12 starts with Sunrise Mountain High School in Peoria, Arizona before signing with the Wildcats. He struck out 77 and walked 20 in 2011, and also hit .389 in his senior year at Sunrise Mountain.
Borde, 6'2", 205, starred at Loyola High School in Los Angeles before committing to Arizona. He compiled a 3.35 ERA in 60 innings pitched.
Thorpe, at 6'0", 170 pounds, was the Greater St. Helen's League Class 4A Player of the Year in 2011 with Evergreen (Vancouver, WA) High School. He won nine games as a junior and compiled a 0.44 ERA in his senior year before signing with the Ducks in November 2010.
Sierra, 6'5", 230, joins NAIA power Cumberland as a junior. He starred for Sahuarita (AZ) High School and Eastern Arizona College before transferring into Cumberland.
Ringold, 6'2", 200, helped Potomac (MD) State (a division of West Virginia University) to a 38-12 record and a third-place finish at the 2011 Junior College Division I World Series. He was an all-Region selection, finishing 2011 with a .354 average. The Mount Airy, MD, native transfers onto the West Virginia varsity squad as a junior.
Sebrell, 6'0", 185, hit .330 with four home runs and 39 RBI for Herkimer (NY) Junior College in 2011, leading the team in home runs and RBI en route to being named All-Conference. He is a native of Ashland and was named to the 2009 Southern Sky Conference All-Star team as a catcher at Ashland High School. Sebrell was also named to the 2009 American Legion AAA World Series All-Star tournament team.
Karraker is a graduate of Buchanan High School in Clovis, CA, where he played four years of baseball under Bears head coach Tom Donald.ÃÂ Mitch was influential in helping Clovis win their second California CIF Valley Championship in 2006.ÃÂ He then went on to play one year for Fresno City College, where he batted .355 and received All-Conference and All-NorCal regional honors, before transferring to the University of Oregon.ÃÂ
Karraker played catcher three seasons for the Ducks and now is an undergraduate assistant working with the pitchers, catchers and hitters. He also has one year experience in the WCL as a player for the Bend Elks in 2010, when the Elks lost the WCL Championship to Wenatchee. Karraker hit .266 with the Elks, with one home run and 17 RBI that season.
The Gems also announced that two players, outfielders Seth Brown (Merced JC) and Bryndon Ecklund (Seattle University) have decided not to play summer baseball in 2012. Both have been removed from the Gems' 2012 roster.
West Coast League Stories from November 8, 2011
- Gems Add Coach, Players to Roster - Klamath Falls Gems
- 2011 West Coast League Attendance Jumps - WCL
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