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Walla Walla Sweets

UC Irvine Sends Two More to Walla Walla

January 17, 2013 - West Coast League (WCL)
Walla Walla Sweets News Release


WALLA WALLA, Wash. - The Walla Walla Sweets have added University of California at Irvine freshman players to the 2013 roster. Freshman outfielder Jonathan Herkins and freshman catcher Renae Martinez will join teammates Kris Paulino and Josh Bornstein in Walla Walla for the upcoming season of West Coast League baseball.

A native of Cypress, Calif., Herkins, a 5-foot 10-inch, 160-pound centerfielder is a graduate of Pacifica High School where as a senior he helped his team to the 2012 California Southern Section Division 2 CIF title and the California Empire League championship. As a senior, Herkins batted .448 with 13 RBI, 26 runs scored, was 11 for 14 in stolen base attempts, and was named All-CIF first-team. He was the Orange County hits leader in 2012 and was named third team All-Orange County. In 2011 he hit .378 with 19 RBI, 35 runs scored, six doubles, seven stolen bases, and was named a 2011 Under Armour Co-Most Valuable Player and was a 2011 American Legion State champion.

"Jon has the speed that we look for to patrol the vast centerfield space at Borleske Stadium," said Sweets general manager Zachary Fraser. "Offensively, we look forward to him creating a spark at the top of the lineup, getting on base, and creating opportunities for us to be aggressive and score runs."

Martinez, the 6-foot 1-inch, 185-pound catcher graduated in 2012 from San Pedro High School. He was named first team All-Marine League, was named the Marine League's Most Outstanding Player, and was named first-team All-CIF. He received all-city honors and in 2011 and 2012 was named first team all-area by the Daily Breeze newspaper. In the summer of 2012 Martinez played for the Academy Barons of the California Collegiate League where he hit .333.

"Martinez is a very talented catcher who possesses solid defensive skills," said Sweets manager J.C. Biagi. "It's evident he's one of those guys that takes a lot of pride in his work behind the plate and likes to be challenged by base runners, which we really like."

The UC-Irvine Anteaters will open their season at home on February 15 against Baylor. The Anteaters will play a three-game series against UC-Riverside March 28-30 where Bornstein, Herkins, Martinez, and Paulino will square off against their 2013 teammate Nick Vilter. UC-Irvine will also play a three game series April 5-7 against Hawaii where the Anteaters will face 2013 teammate Jonathan Lopez.

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