Phelan Earns All-WCL First-Team Honors; Three Others Honorable Mentions
August 17, 2023 - West Coast League (WCL)
Yakima Valley Pippins News Release
YAKIMA, Washington - A day after being named the West Coast League's Most Valuable Player for 2023, Jace Phelan on Thursday was named to the All-WCL First Team.
Phelan, a rising junior at Gonzaga this fall, led the league in home runs, runs batted in, and times hit by a pitch while compiling a .320 batting average. The lone Yakima Valley Pippin to earn first- or second-team honors, he earned the recognition as the league's top first baseman.
Three other Pippins earned honorable mentions: Infielder Zack Blasack and pitcher Jackson Betancourt, both from Montana State-Billings, and first baseman Tommy Eisenstat of Gonzaga.
Blasack hit .241 with 42 hits, two doubles and two home runs in 47 games. He also stole nine bases in 13 attempts and drove in 24 runs. He hit safely in nine of the final 12 games this summer.
Betancourt was 4-0 in 13 relief appearances and also earned one save. In 31.2 innings, he struck out 27 against 23 walks, allowing 16 hits and only four earned runs.
Eisenstat, who split time with Phelan at first base, hit. 299 with six doubles, two home runs and 40 RBI. He walked 25 times against 15 strikeouts in 46 games played.
The Pippins, who will play their 10th anniversary season in 2024, finished 20-34 this summer.
The complete all-WCL teams:
First-Team All-WCL
C - Luca DiPaolo (USC, sophomore), Bend Elks
1B - Jace Phelan (Gonzaga, junior), Yakima Valley Pippins
2B - Frankie Carney (UC Irvine, freshman), Wenatchee AppleSox
3B - Jake Tsukada (Hawaii, senior), Ridgefield Raptors
SS - Jack Metcho (Univ. of the Pacific, sophomore), Portland Pickles
OF - Ben Parker (William & Mary, senior), Walla Walla Sweets
OF - Sam Stem (Gonzaga, sophomore), Corvallis Knights
OF - Aidan Espinoza (UCLA, freshman), Walla Walla Sweets
Util - Ethan Hedges (USC, soph), Corvallis Knights
DH - Dalton Mashore (Saint Mary's, senior), Portland Pickles
SP - Halen Knoll (Edmonton Collegiate, senior), Edmonton Riverhawks
SP - Ryan Beitel (Univ. of British Columbia, senior), Bellingham Bells
SP - Riley Barrett (Arizona State, freshman), Edmonton Riverhawks
SP - Tucker Grote (Oklahoma Wesleyan, senior), Bend Elks
SP - Dylan Stewart (Pepperdine, sophomore), Ridgefield Raptors
RP - Sean Wiese (Arizona Christian, senior), Corvallis Knights
RP - Andrew Pinedo (Hope International, junior), Nanaimo NightOwls
RP - Logan MacNeil (Campbellsville, junior), Victoria HarbourCats
Second-Team All-WCL
C - Michael Easter (Azusa Pacific, junior), Nanaimo NightOwls
1B - Tyler Davis (Fresno State, junior), Victoria HarbourCats
2B - Roberto Núñez (Embry-Riddle, junior), Port Angeles Lefties
3B - Tyler Quinn (Utah, senior), Corvallis Knights
SS - Hudson Shupe (Gonzaga, sophomore), Victoria HarbourCats
OF - LeTrey McCollum (UCSB, junior), Cowlitz Black Bears
OF - Riley Paulino (U. of Pikeville, junior), Nanaimo NightOwls
OF - Andrew Valdez (Fresno Pacific, senior), Bellingham Bells
Util - Griffin Palfrey (Columbia, junior), Kelowna Falcons
SP - Blake Hammond (Northwest Nazarene, sophomore), Ridgefield Raptors
SP - Merit Jones (Utah, sophomore), Corvallis Knights
SP - Toby Haarer (Central Arizona, sophomore), Wenatchee AppleSox
SP - Sam Hall (Panola JC, soph), Kelowna Falcons
SP - Colby Scheuber (Grays Harbor College, sophomore), Port Angeles Lefties
RP - Davis Franklin (U. of Puget Sound, junior), Victoria HarbourCats
RP - Jadon Williamson (Lewis-Clark State, junior), Wenatchee AppleSox
RP - James Trimble (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, sophomore), Bellingham Bells
Honorable Mention All-WCL
Yakima Valley: Zack Blaszak (Montana State-Billings), Jackson Betancourt (Montana State-Billings), Tommy Eisenstat (Gonzaga)
Bellingham: Will Armbruester (Arizona State), Daniel Paret (Stetson), Will Franklin (Edmonds College), Carter Parcher (CSU-Bakersfield), Tomas Urbina (Incarnate Word)
Bend: Kellan Oakes (Oregon State)
Corvallis: Blake Avila (Grand Canyon), Ty Yukumoto (Pacific), Zach Johnson (Utah Valley), Nathan Marshall (Lane CC)
Cowlitz: Chris Brown (USC), Kai Francis (Gonzaga), Jase Schueller (Vanguard), Kyle Ethridge (Northwest Nazarene), Gavin Ludlow (Linfield)
Edmonton: Tom Poole (Dallas Baptist), Jonny McGill (British Columbia), Dallin Harrison (San Diego), Tommy Takayoshi (Fresno State), Matthew Ridsdale (U. of Alberta)
Kamloops: Cooper Neville (Grand Canyon)
Kelowna: Jonas Salk (Univ. of Portland), Troy Shepard (Spokane Falls CC) Koen van 't Klooster (Panola JC)
Nanaimo: Ethan Rivera (Cal State San Marcos), Elijah Ickes (Hawaii), Jakob Fleury (Skagit Valley College), Payton Robertson (Arizona Christian)
Port Angeles: CJ Lewis (Jackson State)
Portland: Naighel Calderon (Hawaii)
Ridgefield: Justin Stransky (Fresno State), Trent Prokes (Cumberland), Charlie Royle (Cal Poly)
Springfield: John Over (Linfield)
Victoria: Dallas Macias (Oregon State), Nick Dumesnil (Cal Baptist), Jack Seward (Central Arizona), Jack Johnson (Baylor), Russell Young (British Columbia), Michael Crossland (UC San Diego)
Walla Walla: Kennedy Hara (Colorado Mesa). Payton Knowles (Gonzaga), Zach Hangas (Ottawa)
Wenatchee: Ryan Martinez (Univ. of the Pacific), Evan Canfield (Edmonds College), Brandham Ponce (Washington State), Michael Cunneely (Gonzaga)
• Discuss this story on the West Coast League message board...
West Coast League Stories from August 17, 2023
- MacNeil, Shupe, Davis and Franklin Named to All-WCL Teams - Victoria HabourCats
- All-WCL Teams Released - WCL
- Phelan Earns All-WCL First-Team Honors; Three Others Honorable Mentions - Yakima Valley Pippins
- Espinoza and Parker Named 1st Team All-WCL to Headline Post Season Awards - Walla Walla Sweets
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
