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West Coast League

Post from the Coast

by Bruce Baskin
April 1, 2014 - West Coast League (WCL)


Time for another around-the-horn look at offseason activity in the WCL as opening day approaches in two months. A lot more this month, but if we've learned anything since the start of 2014 it's that some teams have very good websites to glean information from while other teams...not so much. Anyway, here we go:

WCL WEST

BELLINGHAM continues to fill out its roster for 2014. Among March's signees was P Grant Goodman (USF), a 2013 Giants draft pick. Other moundsmen include Dan Ludwig (Belmont), an All-OVC pick last year after going 11-2 and a former Louisville Slugger All-American as a prep in Illinois; and Branden Kelliher, a current senior at Lake Stevens HS and Perfect Game's #1 prospect for Washington who'll enter Oregon in the fall. OF Daniel Timmerman (CS-Northridge) hit .371 at El Camino CC in California last year and is batting .333 for the Matadors this season.

COWLITZ announced four returnees from last year's squad: P Zane Bambusch (Mt. Hood CC), C Jon Reece (Tacoma CC), IF Corey Van Domelen (Linfield) and OF Ryan Aguilar (Santa Ana CC). Aguilar hit .329 with a team-record 41 runs for the Black Bears last year and began the 2013 season by reaching base in 28 consecutive games. He's currently hitting .338 at Santa Ana. Former Cowlitz P Jeff Gold is the top starter at Oregon, where he's 6-0 in six starts and has allowed just two BB in 39.2 innings.

KITSAP has updated the team website to include the BlueJackets' 2014 WCL schedule. Otherwise, surfers can expect to visit Memory Lane. Speaking of players who used to be in Bremerton, 2011 Kitsap P Reid Reilly is now the closer at Cal Poly, where he's got a win and five saves with a 2.30 ERA in ten appearances for coach Larry Lee...Lee may be remembered as a middle infielder for the 1983 NY-P League Utica Blue Sox owned by author Roger Kahn and chronicled in the book "Good Enough to Dream." Thus concludes our own trip to Nostalgia City.

VICTORIA has signed four British Columbia natives for 2014: Ps Alex Rogers (Trinidad State) and 6'10" Eric Hegadoren (College of the Canyons CC), OFs Matt Bryan (Treasure Valley CC) and Darren Honeysett (Monterey CC). Eight of 28 HarbourCat signees thus far are Canadians. Two other Victoria players with MLB bloodlines for this season will be 3B Cole Kreuter and OF John Grimsley. Kreuter, whose dad Chad caught 16 big league seasons, will enter UC-Irvine in the fall while Grimsley (who's committed to USD) is the son of former Reds P Ross.

WCL SOUTH

Little to report from BEND, where the roster has been fairly well-set for months. One player of note is IF Gunnar Buhner (Abilene Christian), whose father Jay was a popular member of the Mariners for several years after a trade from the Yankees that earned a line in the old TV series "Seinfeld." Gunnar, who wears number 19 like dad did, is batting .312 as a frosh. Another M's alumni, former C Dave Valle, was in Bend on March 30 to talk with local coaches and players two weeks after the Elks hosted a two-day training camp for local youth baseballers.

CORVALLIS has inked two U of Portland players, SS Mike Lucarelli and P Jackson Lockwood. Lucarelli, whose dad Frank played in the Pirates system before becoming one of the Northwest's top horse racing trainers, hit .239 for the Knights last year. Lockwood was 2-2 for Klamath Falls in 2013. Two Ps with Corvallis ties tossed college no-hitters last month: Ex-Knight Jace Fry (OR State) blanked Northern Illinois on March 8 and was named PAC 12 Pitcher of the Week while third-year hurler Chris Bishop (Pacific Lutheran) blanked Willamette on March 1.

The City of KLAMATH FALLS will pool resources with Gems owners Jerry and Lisa Walker (in her ninth month as interim GM while residing 235 miles away near Salem...tough duty) and the non-profit Kiger Association for improvements at K-Falls' venerable Kiger Stadium this year, including ADA-compliant restrooms. The Gems host the WCL All-Star Game on July 21. Player signees include versatile Austin Hagy (Murray State JC), who played every position but 2B and SS as a prep in Wichita Falls, TX but is concentrating on pitching in college, where he's 3-2 in five starts.

Two MEDFORD recruits are making their mark in college ball this season. C Tanner Lubach (Nebraska) was named the Big 10 Player of the Week on March 17 after going 8-for-16 with a homer, triple and two doubles while driving in 8 runs for the Cornhuskers. Lubach is hitting .328. Another newcomer, 3B Andre Vigil (a two-time state POY as a prep in NM before signing with the Lobos) is batting .354 as a frosh at New Mexico. You have to think these two guys will help the Rogues this summer. Another signee is 6'5" P Max Compton, a UC-Riverside freshman.

WCL EAST

KELOWNA is one of three East Division teams who are importing Gonzaga players this summer, including OF Nick Minteer and P Wyatt Mills. Minteer, a soph from the Seattle area, leads the Bulldogs with a .421 average in limited action while Mills, a frosh righty from Spokane, has a 2.08 ERA in four appearances out of the bullpen. P Mike Gould, a 6'7" teammate of Medford's Vigil at New Mexico, has signed with the Falcons, as has C Colton Waltner (USD). Waltner was recruited by USC, Cal Poly and Fresno State before choosing to play for the Toreros.

WALLA WALLA will bring in a player with good baseball genes in C Shane Zeile (UCLA), whose dad Todd was an MLBer from 1989 to 2004 after attending UCLA himself. Shane leads the Bruins with a .383 average. Another newcomer, OF Parker Osbourne (SIU), is hitting .324 for the Salukis this season. The Sweets have also signed three Walla Walla CC players: C J.J. Robinson (.465), OF Jarrod Robinson (.298) and versatile P-OF Jesse Houser. Houser is 2-1 with a 1.42 ERA on the mound while batting .250 with a HR for the Warriors thus far in 2014.

WENATCHEE has had more Gonzaga products than nay other college over the AppleSox' 15 seasons and this year will be no exception. The Zags will send P Brandon Bailey (Colorado prep POY in 2013), IF Nick Brooks (.273 at Gonzaga this season), IF Caleb Woods (All-WCC HM as frosh last year) and OF Sam Brown (a transfer from Arizona) to the Apple Capital. The Sox are staying a little closer to home with OF Cooper Elliott (WSU), who won two state 1A prep titles at Cashmere, which is less than 10 miles west of Wenatchee, before heading to Pullman last fall.

YAKIMA VALLEY will also have a Gonzaga connection, with three Bulldogs committing to the WCL's newest team: C Troy Labrie, OF Nelson Bejamin and OF Jack Morello. Labrie led all Washington prep batsmen with a .517 BA at Mount Tahoma HS before going to Spokane. The Pippins will also field a trio of players from VMI: P Andrew Woods, P Reed Garrett and OF Brandon Angus. Woods and Garrett each have 4 wins for the Keydets while Angus leads VMI batters at .348. Upgrades are also being made at Yakima County Stadium, former home of the NWL Bears.

CAUGHT ON THE FLY: The WCL has featured players from colleges across the country (primarily the west), but few conferences have had as much of a Coast League influence as the Big West: Fifth-ranked Cal Poly has 16 WCL alumni on their roster, 9th-ranked US-Fullerton has six ex-WCLers in uniform and number 15 UC-Santa Barbara has seven. In addition, eight former Coasties dot UC-Irvine's player list, UC-Riverside's top five hitters played in the Northwest last summer and two more WCL alums are with Long Beach State...The PAC 12 is well-represented, too. Washington OF Brian Wolfe (Kelowna) was named the conference Player of the Week on March 24, one week after former Bellingham IF Andrew Ely won the same honor for the Huskies...Ex-Wenatchee AppleSox performer Pat Valaika was featured in Sports Illustrated's March 17 article, "Last of the Bros," detailing how Valaika and his three brothers all played SS at Hart HS in California. Pat helped UCLA to their first NCAA baseball title last spring...the Victoria HarbourCats will co-host a two-day camp at Royal Athletic Park in July featuring five former Toronto Blue Jays, including Hall of Fame 2B Roberto Alomar. Former Jays OF stars Lloyd Moseby and and Jesse Barfield will also be on-hand, as will ten-year MLB OF Brian McRae and former Toronto closer Duane Ward. It's the first time the Jays have sent ex-players to Victoria for such a clinic.

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West Coast League Stories from April 1, 2014


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