Two University of Hawaii players will be spending their summer back in the Pacific Northwest. AppleSox Head Coach Ed Knaggs has two Washington natives, right-handed pitcher Zach Gallagher, and outfielder Collin Bennett coming to be a part of the 2010 team.

“We’ve had a long relationship with Hawaii and they typically send us a couple of players each year,” said Knaggs. “They like to recruit the northwest and send those guys back up here to play close to home in the summer.”

Gallagher is returning for his second season with the AppleSox after going 2-1 with a 3.56 ERA in eight appearances last summer. The Camas, WA, native is in his first year with Hawaii after transferring from Columbia Basin College. The sophomore is 0-1 and has pitched in three games including one start for the Rainbows this season.

“Zach had arm issues that he dealt with last summer. We had to shut him down for about three weeks but he came back very strong, including a big win in the playoffs over Kelowna,” said Knaggs. “He had a great experience with us last summer and is looking forward to coming back.”

Bennett, from Bellevue, WA, is off to a hot start in his first season with Hawaii. He has started all 20 games for the Rainbows and is hitting .353 with a team high 15 RBIs. The sophomore transferred from Tacoma Community College to Hawaii after his freshman season where he hit .391 and was named Gold Glove all-West Coast

“He is familiar with the league and with the AppleSox and is excited to play with us this summer,” said Knaggs.