WSU's Top Run Producer Rounds out Roster
May 17, 2013 - West Coast League (WCL)
Wenatchee AppleSox News Release
(Wenatchee, WA)-The core roster for the 2013 AppleSox is now set with the addition of six players, including one of the top two-way performers in college baseball. Washington State University outfielder/left-handed pitcher Jason Monda, Gonzaga infielder Brock Slavin, Pomona-Pitzer College infielder/right-handed pitcher Jake Bruml, Cisco College right-handed pitcher Stuart Patke, Edmonds College right-handed pitcher Kevin Sheets, and Palomar College left-handed pitcher Vaughn Berberet will join the AppleSox this summer.
"I'm looking forward to having all of these guys in Wenatchee and getting the season started," said AppleSox head coach Ed Knaggs. "We are fortunate to have great relationships with top programs that provide us with high-quality players every season."
Monda was named to the Baseball America Preseason All-American Third Team going into the season. He is currently on the watch list for this year's John Olerud Award, which is given to the top two-way college baseball player in the country. This season he is hitting .293 with a team-high 35 RBIs for the Cougars and is 2-2 with a 1.16 ERA. He is no stranger to summer collegiate baseball, playing for the Brewster Whitecaps in 2011, where he was named a Cape Cod League All-Star. The Olympia product was selected out of high school in the 32nd round of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies.
"Jason is a very special player and everything fell into place for him to be available. He will be joining us in a unique situation this summer. He is taking summer classes, so he will only be available on the weekends until July when he can join the team full-time. When he is with us he will be a middle of the order hitter and part of our starting rotation," said Knaggs.
Slavin joins Gonzaga teammate Joey Harris on the AppleSox roster this summer. The Washington native from Tenino is in his redshirt junior season for the Bulldogs. This spring he is hitting .228 in 37 games. The first baseman comes from a baseball family. His father, Tim, played in the minor league Seattle Mariners organization.
"He was actually set to join us back in 2011, but wasn't able to come that summer," said Knaggs. "We have a very young team and it's nice to add an upperclassman that can provide leadership."
Bruml, from San Mateo, CA, is in his sophomore campaign at Pomona-Pitzer College. He made an immediate impact as a freshman, being named D3Baseball.com West Region Rookie of the Year and a First-Team All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection. This season the chemistry major once again earned First-Team All-SCIAC honors after hitting .359 with a team-high 38 RBIs. On the mound he compiled a 7-4 mark in 13 starts with a 3.15 ERA.
"He has already accomplished a lot in his two years at Pomona-Pitzer, a school that has provided us with very good players from in the past," said Knaggs. "We will rely on him to be two-way player for us, both pitching and playing first base."
Patke will be the lone Texan on the AppleSox this season. The Austin product is transferring to Abilene Christian University after finishing his redshirt freshman season at Cisco College. The righty went 2-1 with a 3.71 ERA this spring. Former AppleSox player Elliott Cribby serves as Abilene Christian's pitching coach and former AppleSox assistant coach Sean Winston is also on the school's coaching staff.
Sheets has the lowest ERA in the entire Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges this season with a 0.85 ERA and a 5-1 record. The sophomore from Brier will join Patke in transferring to Abilene Christian University next season.
"Both of these righties are guys who will be able to come in and pitch at this level," said Knaggs. "With our connections to the coaching staff at Abilene Christian it made it a natural fit to add these pitchers to our roster," said Knaggs.
Berberet comes to the AppleSox from Palomar College. He had a team-low 1.08 ERA with a 5-1 record this spring. The southpaw from Fallbrook, CA, also played in the field for Palomar College, hitting .281 in 18 games.
"He is a quality lefty arm that plays against a high level of competition at his junior college in California," said Knaggs. "He has thrown really well this year and the fact that he is a left-hander is a big plus."
The AppleSox open the 2013 season at home on June 5th with a three-game series against the Corvallis Knights in a rematch of the 2012 West Coast League Championship Series.
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