WCL Walla Walla Sweets

West Coast League Announces 2011 All-Stars

Published on July 20, 2011 under West Coast League (WCL)
Walla Walla Sweets News Release


WALLA WALLA, Wash. - A day after sweeping the Kitsap BlueJackets, the Walla Walla Sweets got more good news with the selection of six players to the 2011 West Coast League East Division All-Star squad. Brett Watson, the fan's choice, will be joined by pitchers Ryan Richardson and Tim Culligan and position players Alex Stanford, Elliot Stewart and Andrew Mendenhall and 38 other WCL players in Corvallis, Oregon on July 26.

The six selections are the fourth most amongst the teams in the WCL behind only Wenatchee (10), Corvallis (8) and Cowlitz (7). Players were selected by fans, coaches and the Major League Scouting Bureau.

Watson was one of nine players in the league that was selected to the All-Star game through fan voting. The left-hander from Walla Walla Community College received a majority of the nearly 4,000 votes cast either online at wallawallasweets.com or in person at Borleske Stadium. On the season, Watson has helped the Sweets pitching staff post a 2.69 earned run average, good enough for third in the league. He's 2-2 on the year with a 1.80 ERA, fifth best in the league, and has given up only 24 hits in 35 innings this summer. In his most recent outing, Watson gave up two runs over five innings to earn the victory against Kitsap on Sunday July 17.

A second-year Sweet, Richardson will get the opportunity to pitch in the league's premier event. He started the summer with a bang, tossing five scoreless innings on opening night and has been just as good since. He's 2-2 with a team-low 1.46 ERA, third best in the league, over 37 innings and has walked just four batters all summer. Richardson threw a complete game five-hitter on Saturday July 16 to lead the Sweets to a 3-1 victory over Kitsap.

Playing his second straight summer in the WCL, Culligan has proven himself to be one of the premier power pitchers in the league. After making his first appearance as a reliever, the right-hander has emerged as top-line starter for the Sweets. His ERA of 1.86 puts him sixth in the league and his three wins put him two off the league-lead. Over 38.2 innings he has struck out 27 and opponents are hitting just .232 against him. Culligan has been magnificent over his last two starts, giving up just one run over 16 innings and striking out eight. He was perfect through 5.1 innings against Bellingham on July 15 and finished allowing just one run on five hits over eight innings.

The Sweets most consistent hitter this summer, Stanford will be part of a lineup that features the league's most feared batters. His .316 average leads the Sweets, all middle infielders in the WCL and is the fifth-highest average overall. Stanford also leads the Sweets in runs (14), doubles (7) and stolen bases (6). An eight-game hitting streak in mid-June raised his average from .238 to 279 and a four-hit game July 13 against Bellingham pushed him back over .300. On the year, Stanford has 10 multi-hit games, including three three-hit games.

Mendenhall is one of five outfielders on the East Division roster and is joined by three players from Wenatchee and one from Bellingham. Arriving to the Sweets two weeks into the season, Mendenhall immediately made his presence known in his first game with the game-deciding two-run single in the eighth inning against Klamath Falls on June 14. His .271 average places him second on the Sweets and he has already set a franchise-record by hitting in 13 consecutive games. From June 25 to July 11, Mendenhall hit safely in every game, including five multi-hit games and raised his average from .105 to .288. The center fielder from Oregon has shown great range in the outfield and has made just one error this summer in 54 chances.

Another late arriver, Stewart returned to the Sweets with a bang this summer. In his second start of the summer on June 16 the catcher from Cal Poly went 3-5 with two home runs, a triple, four RBI and three runs scored. A fan favorite last year and a second-team All-WCL selection, Stewart has put up gaudy power numbers so far. His four home runs are second in the league and he also has collected three doubles. Currently, eight of his 17 hits have gone for extra-bases and he has scored 13 runs, second on the team. Defensively, Stewart has made only one error in 84 chances and has thrown out five runners attempting to steal.

The six Sweets and the 16 other members of the East Division will face the West Division's best and brightest on Tuesday July 26 at Goss Stadium in Corvallis. There will be a home run derby prior to the All-Star game that will feature one player from each team in the league and in case of a tie after nine innings each team will choose a player for a swing-off to determine the winner. Game time is 7:15 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live by Sweets play-by-play broadcaster Tristan Hobbes and Wenatchee play-by-play man Chris King.

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