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AWL Opens with Record Numbers

February 1, 2011 - Golden Baseball League (GBL)
Yuma Scorpions News Release


YUMA, Ariz. (February 1, 2011) -- The Arizona Winter League (AWL) kicked off it's 5th anniversary season on January 31st with close to 200 players. Twenty-one players return to the AWL from last year including "Knuckleball Princess" Eri Yoshida, who won a Golden Baseball League championship with the Chico Outlaws last year.

Yoshida was drafted out of the AWL last year by the Outlaws and became a major attraction for fans and the media. Everywhere the "Knuckleball Princess" appeared in the GBL it drew national attention from local, national and international media outlets. The media weren't the only ones interested in Yoshida. The National Baseball Hall of Fame obtained her Outlaws game jersey and bat after she collected a hit and RBI in her debut in the GBL making her the only female player in history to collect hits in two professional leagues.

Yoshida will make her 2011 AWL debut with the Yuma Scorpions on Sat. Feb 5th against the Saskatchewan Silver Sox at 5:30 pm on La Voz Field at Desert Sun Stadium.

In 2010, over 100 players who played in the AWL and Arizona Summer League were signed to pro contracts including five signed by major league organizations.

The 2011 AWL includes a plethora of players from affiliated ball including Jordan Kendall (Chicago White Sox Rookie League), Victor Ferrante (Colorado Rockies High-A), Justin Mazur (Kansas City Royals Rookie League), Scott Houin (Milwaukee Brewers High-A) Jared Simon (Philadelphia Phillies High-A), Carlos Gonzalez (St. Louis Cardinals Rookie League), and Wade Townsend (Tampa Bay Devil Rays Double-A). In addition, players that have played in the Golden Baseball League: Eri Yoshida (Chico Outlaws), Joe Snider (Edmonton Capitals), Christopher Davis (GBL), Brandon Howard (Long Beach Armada), Steve Mays (Reno SilverSox), Loren Lauver, Todd McGee, Michael Castellano, Jeremy Atkins, Chris Brown, Gabe Demarco, Keenan Long, Damarii Saunderson (St. George RoadRunners), Youhei Kokubo, Kenny Burris (Tijuana Cimarrones), James Kuzniak, AC Grable, JJ Muse (Yuma Scorpions).

This year's coaching staff is one of the most impressive ever assembled by the AWL. Former Dodger World Series champs Mike Marshall and Pedro Guerrero will be joined by ex-Padre Gary Templeton, former Boston Red Sox slugger Morgan Burkhart, former Blue Jays manager Tim Johnson and Yuma Scorpions field manager Darryl Brinkley. Former Chicago Cubs Les Lancaster and Ced Landrum will be joining by Indy ball coaches Brooks Carey, Eddie Dennis, Shannon Hunt and Bobby Post in rounding out the instructors for the 10 teams that will play five games a day throughout February at Desert Sun Stadium and the Ray Kroc complex.

The $20 AWL Season Pass, popular with winter visitors and baseball fans in Yuma County, is now on sale at the Yuma Scorpions office and the Gonzo Garlic booth at the Yuma Indoor Market Place.

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