Wenatchee AppleSox Baseball Club

Attention Golfers! How would you like to golf with the AppleSox? On July 26, the Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce is holding their annual Golf Classic presented by Rodda Paint Company at Highlander Golf Club, and YOU can golf with the AppleSox! Registration sheets are available by CLICKING HERE or call the Chamber at 662-2116. Your day will conclude at the AppleSox game as they take on the Bend Elks that night. Just the way summer should be: even business is fun.

At the tournament, you can ake a Swing at winning a Brand New Chevrolet Camaro! Sink a hole in one at the July 26^th Chamber Golf Classic, brought to you by Rodda Pain Company, and a 2010 Camero could be yours, courtesty of Cascade Autocenter

The AppleSox are back in action starting tonight against the non-league Portland Dukes to begin a six game homestand. The AppleSox go into the non-league series with a 12-9 record in league play, which puts the team in first place in the West Coast League's East Division with a two and a half-game lead over the second place Moses Lake Pirates. After the two games series with the Dukes, the West Division leading Bend Elks will come to town for one night on Thursday, and the expansion Walla Walla Sweets will make their first appearance in Wenatchee for a three-game weekend series starting Friday night.

First pitch for all six games of the homestand is at 7:05 pm. Tonight Zack Weiss from Irvine, CA will get his first start of the year for the AppleSox. The UCLA commit is fresh out of high school and was picked in the 10th round of this year's MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Wednesday night the AppleSox will start Stuart Fewel, a right-hander from Oregon State University. Tickets can be purchased online to any of the six games by clicking here.

The AppleSox annual July 3^rd post-game fireworks display is set for this Saturday. Bring the family out to the ballpark for a great night of baseball followed by a post-game fireworks show.

First pitch for the game is at 7:05 pm at Paul Thomas Sr. Field with the fireworks display beginning after the game. To purchase tickets online, click here. The game will be the second of a three-game series with the Kelowna Falcons. The first game of the series will be Friday with first pitch at 7:05 pm, and the series will wrap up on the 4^th of July with a special 5:05 pm start.

Fresh off of a two game sweep of the Portland Stars, the AppleSox resume league play as they travel to take on the Corvallis Knights in a three-game series starting Tuesday. The AppleSox and the Knights are familiar rivals, facing each other in the last two WCL Championships.

The AppleSox head into the series in first place in the WCL's East Division. Wenatchee has an 11-4 league record on the season and has won ten of their last eleven games. First pitch for all three games is at 6:35. Follow all the action on the radio home of the AppleSox 560 KPQ or online through www.kpq.com.

The AppleSox are back in Wenatchee to start a six game stretch at Paul Thomas Sr. Field. The AppleSox are 6-3 and on top of the East Division after sweeping the Moses Lake Pirates on the road. First up for the AppleSox is the Bellingham Bells. Wenatchee will take on Bellingham Bells Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. First pitch for all three games is set for 7:05. Jeff Ames will get the start Friday, followed by Tim Culligan on Saturday and Zack Gallagher on Sunday.

After Bellingham, the AppleSox will welcome the brand new Cowlitz Black Bears to town. Come out and see the Black Bears in their first ever visit to Wenatchee. The three game series begins Monday, June 21st and all three games start at 7:05.

The AppleSox open the 2010 campaign on the road Tuesday, June 8th against the Walla Walla Sweets. A sellout crowd is expected to see the first game in franchise history for the brand new Walla Walla team. First pitch on Tuesday and Wednesday is set for 7:05 PM, while Thursday will be a special afternoon game beginning at 1:05.

You can catch all the play-by-play on 560 KPQ with AppleSox radio announcer Chris King. Pre-game coverage starts fifteen minutes before the first pitch and make sure to stay tuned after the game for the “Bob’s Classic Post-Game Show”. The games can also be streamed online for free through www.kpq.com. For more information on how to stream the games, click here.

Don’t Forget the AppleSox make their way back for the home opener on Friday, June 11^th against the Kitsap BlueJacekts. All three games of the weekend series start at 7:05. To order tickets online, click here.

The AppleSox are excited to announce a new sponsorship agreement with Bob’s Classic as the new post-game headquarters for AppleSox fans. The restaurant will offer specially priced appetizers and $.99 domestic beers for fans wearing AppleSox apparel or that bring an AppleSox ticket after any home game. Kids can also eat free off the kids menu before home games, one child per adult.

As part of the sponsorship, the radio post game report will be called the “Bob’s Classic Post-Game Show” for all 54 AppleSox games. Fans can catch every AppleSox game, home and away, on 560 KPQ or for free online through www.kpq.com.

The recently renovated Bob’s Classic has been locally owned since 1987 and is landmark along Wenatchee Avenue with the trademark 1957 Chevy sticking out of the roof. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and is open until midnight on weeknights and 1 AM on weekends.

The AppleSox were recognized with a proclamation by the Wenatchee City Council and Mayor Dennis Johnson. AppleSox owners Jim Corcoran and Ken Osborne were on hand at the City Council meeting May 27^th to receive the proclamation, which was sponsored by City Councilmember Mark Kulaas. Read below for the full text of the proclamation.

WHEREAS,     the Wenatchee AppleSox Baseball Club began play in 2000, returning summertime baseball to the Wenatchee area; and

WHEREAS,     since their inception, the AppleSox have continued to increase in popularity; and

WHEREAS,     AppleSox fans are treated to institutions such as Coyote, Mustard and Ketchup, newspaper delivery races, warm peanuts, cold beverages, the barbeque porch, trash pick up contests, the 7^th inning stretch and wood baseball bats; and

WHEREAS,     AppleSox players are warmly welcomed to our community each summer as if they were our own student/athletes and develop long-time bonds with the host families they live with; and

WHEREAS,     the ownership, management, coaches and staff of the Wenatchee AppleSox should be congratulated for providing one of our community’s favorite family entertainment values; and

WHEREAS,     the Wenatchee AppleSox Baseball Club provides a variety of employment and volunteer opportunities to citizens and organizations; and

WHEREAS,     AppleSox fans are enthusiastically patriotic that most fans believe that the last two words to the Star Spangled Banner are “Play Ball!”

NOW, THEREFORE, in witness thereof, I, Dennis Johnson, as Mayor of the City of Wenatchee, declare this summer as the 2010 AppleSox Baseball Season in the City of Wenatchee, extend a welcome to this year’s players, and urge all fans to join the greater AppleSox family at Paul Thomas Sr. Field.

The AppleSox are putting the final pieces together on the 2010 roster. The defending West Coast League Champions have added a mix of returning players and newcomers from around the Northwest.

The team will be welcoming back two players who have previously worn an AppleSox uniform, infielder Trent Bridges from Lewis-Clark State College and catcher Maxx Garrett from Columbia Basin College. Three newcomers are also joining the team, University of Washington first-baseman Eric Peterson, University of Portland left-handed pitcher Scotty Burris, and Tacoma Community College right-handed pitcher Sean Santschi.

Both Garrett and Bridges were temporary players for the AppleSox last season. They started the season with the team while a few full-time players finished up school and both made a great impression on AppleSox head coach Ed Knaggs in their limited action.

Garrett, from Kennewick, WA, is finishing up his sophomore year at Columbia Basin College and is transferring to Gonzaga next season. The catcher is hitting .375 with 37 RBIs this season. He appeared in seven games for the AppleSox last season and hit .348 with four RBIs.

“He was a savior for us the first week of last season,” said Knaggs. “He was fun to have on the team and we are glad to have him back.”

Bridges is finishing up his sophomore year at Lewis-Clark State College. The Coeur d’Alene, ID product is hitting .356 for the powerhouse program. The Warriors set the NAIA regular season winning percentage mark this year after compiling a 47-3 record. Last summer as temporary player he appeared and started in three games for the AppleSox, with four hits in nine at bats.

“He played as if he should be a full-time player in this league last season. He is a hard-nosed guy and a great teammate,” said Knaggs.

Peterson, from Renton, WA, is the lone Husky joining the AppleSox this summer. The freshman has appeared in 21 games this season and is hitting .212. He had a stellar high school career where he was named 3A state co-player of the year and was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 28^th round of the 2009 MLB draft.

“He is a big kid who the University of Washington coaches think is their first baseman of the future,” said Knaggs.

Burris is from Portland, OR, and 1-1 for the University of Portland this season with a 5.89 ERA. The junior has made seven starts in 13 appearances for the Pilots.

“Coach Hippi recruited him out of high school and he really liked his arm,” said Knaggs. “He is a nice kid and we are excited to have him.”

Santschi, a sophomore who is transferring from Tacoma Community College to Gonzaga, will come out of the bullpen for the AppleSox. The Vancouver, WA, native has a 0.56 ERA and 11 saves this season, which is tied for most in the NWAACC. 

Notes: Two high school seniors bound for Wenatchee this summer that have committed to UCLA, pitchers Adam Plutko and Zack Weiss, were ranked by Baseball America in their top 200 prospect for the upcoming MLB draft…. Plutko was ranked #131 and Weiss was right behind him at #132… Sean Wilson, Brock Slavin, and Tyler Olson from Gonzaga are no longer on the AppleSox roster this summer…. The Bulldogs will instead send freshman infielder Clayton Eslick, who has appeared in all 53 of the Zags games and is hitting .277.

The AppleSox are excited to announce the opening of an all new online merchandise store. Check out the brand new AppleSox designs and apparel available exclusively online.

The team partnered with Team Identity to create the new online store, which is always available to view by clicking the merchandise link on the AppleSox home page. The store includes AppleSox t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and much more. Click here to visit the new online store.

One of the top community college programs in the northwest will supply the AppleSox with three players for the 2010 season.

Lower Columbia College, located in Longview, WA, has won the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) Championship nine times and has played in 21 of the last 38 league title games. The Red Devils are sending right-handed pitcher Jeff Ames, right-handed pitcher Tim Culligan, and second baseman Eric Lane.

The connection between the AppleSox and Lower Columbia is easy to find, AppleSox pitching coach Rob Hippi serves in the same capacity for the Red Devils.

Ames, from Vancouver, WA, is in his freshman season with the Red Devils. The flamethrower leads the NWAACC in strikeouts with 76 and is 5-1 with a 2.71 ERA.

“He can really tilt his fastball,” said Hippi. “He hit 96 mph in a recent game and topped 90 mph nineteen times that day.”

Ames is the younger brother of former AppleSox pitcher Steve Ames. The older Ames pitched for the AppleSox in 2008 and earned All-WCL First-Team honors as the team’s ace that season. He was drafted in the 18^th round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Last summer he went 1-1 with a 2.10 ERA for the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer League in his first year of professional baseball.

Culligan is a sophomore out of Liberty High School in Hillsboro, OR. He is 6-1 with a 2.92 ERA for the Red Devils.

“He has a great strikeout-to-walk ratio and can bring it along with a plus change-up and a front end breaking ball,” said Hippi. “He is currently deciding between the University of Portland and Nevada on where to transfer next season.”

Lane is a Port Angeles, WA, native and is in his sophomore season with the Red Devils. He had an outstanding freshman campaign where he was earned the NWAACC’s Western Division Most Valuable Player Award. He hit .408 and was named to the league’s Gold Glove team for his defense at second base.

He currently leads the NWAACC in batting average this season, hitting .438.

“He is a guy who just loves to play the game,” said Hippi. “In my twenty-two years at Lower Columbia, he is as good of a second baseman that I’ve seen play here.”

A first-year outfielder along with two incoming recruits from UCLA will be a part of the AppleSox this season. Outfielder Chris Keck, outfielder Ty Moore, and right-handed pitcher James Kaprielian will spend their summer playing in Wenatchee.

“It’s so nice to have our relationship with such an accomplished Pac-12 school,” said AppleSox head coach Ed Knaggs of the Bruins, who are ranked No. 5 in this week’s Top 25 poll from Baseball America. “Their success speaks for itself and we are fortunate to get the caliber of players that they send us.”

Keck has appeared in twelve games for the Bruins as a freshman, including three starts. Before coming to UCLA, he led the East Bay Athletic League in batting average, home runs, and RBIs as a junior at Amador Valley High School in Pleasanton, Calif.

“It’s great to see him getting action this spring, especially when you consider some of the high-caliber upper classmen that are in front of him. He is a versatile guy who can not only play the outfield but is also capable of being in the infield,” said Knaggs.

Moore had an outstanding junior season for Mater Dei High School in 2011. He hit .510 with three home runs, 13 doubles, 37 RBI, 39 runs and a school-record 51 hits and was named the 2011 Orange County Player of the Year by the Orange County Register. The highly touted prep was ranked No. 215 in Perfect Game USA's list of the top 300 prospects eligible for the 2012 MLB Draft.

“He can flat out hit. He is a really accomplished player that has put up impressive numbers in high school,” said Knaggs.

Kaprielian was named the CIF Southern Section Division III Player of the Year and Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year after going 11-1 with 80 strikeouts and a 1.09 ERA at Beckman High School in Irvine, Calif., last season.

“As a big kid who has some zip on his fastball, he fits the mold of a prototypical UCLA pitcher,” said Knaggs.

The AppleSox open the 2012 season on the road against the Bellingham Bells on June 1^st. The team will return to Paul Thomas Sr. Field to start a six-game homestand beginning with the home opener on June 5^th against the Bend Elks.

Picture:

Attached photograph of Chris Keck courtesy of the UCLA Sports Information Department.

The pipeline from Southern California to Wenatchee continues as two University of San Diego Toreros will join the AppleSox this summer. The AppleSox have already signed four players from UCLA and three more from UC Irvine. The duo from USD includes freshman outfielder Kalei Hanawahine and freshman right-handed pitcher Mike Dedrick.

“They have been a top-25 team and their coaching staff does a tremendous job,” said AppleSox Head Coach Ed Knaggs.

Hanawahine, a Honolulu, HI, native, has impressed as a freshman. He has appeared in 27 games for the Toreros and is hitting .340. As a high school senior he had a perfect fielding percentage and batted .429 on his way to earning first team All-State honors.

“They were really impressed by his performance in the fall and he has played a lot more than anticipated this year,” said Knaggs. “He is a dynamite player that they really like a lot.”

Dedrick, from Cedar City, UT, earned Under Armour All American accolades his junior and senior high school seasons. He also garnered all-state honors his senior season after recording 119 strikeouts and a 2.75 ERA with an 8-3 record

He is 1-0 for the Toreros in thirteen appearances this season, including one start.

“He has thrown quite a bit for a freshman,” said Knaggs. “His coaches say he has a great breaking ball that could be one of the best in our league.”

The USD coaching staff even features a former AppleSox coach. Tyler Kincaid was the AppleSox pitching coach during the 2004 season and serves in the same capacity for the Toreros.

The road to the major leagues ran through Wenatchee for the newest Arizona Diamondback. Former AppleSox player Cole Gillespie has joined the Diamondbacks after being called up from the Triple-A Reno Aces of the Pacific Coast League. Gillespie joins current Colorado Rockies starter Jason Hammel and Clay Mortensen as the third former AppleSox player to reach the major leagues.

WSU needed a rally in the bottom of the 8th inning to pull out the 8-5 victory over Seattle University in the Cross State Showdown presented by Gesa Credit Union. 1,353 fans were on hand to see Wenatchee's first ever Division I baseball game.  Paris Shewey, who helped led the AppleSox to the 2009 WCL Championship, picked up the victory for WSU.

For more on the game take a look at the Wenatchee World's game article, which includes a photo gallery. To see more photos, visit the AppleSox Facebook Page and view the photo album. To get the team perspectives on the game, check out WSU's game summary and SU's game summary as well.

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.

Two players from one of the most accomplished college baseball programs in recent history will join the AppleSox this summer.

The 2010 AppleSox will have a heavy Southern California influence as four UCLA Bruins will spend their summer in Wenatchee. The group includes two freshman and two high school seniors. The Bruins are sending catcher Trevor Brown, outfielder Jeff Gelalich, right-handed pitcher Adam Plutko, and right-handed pitcher Zack Weiss to play for the AppleSox this summer

At 9-0, UCLA is off to one of their best starts in school history and are now ranked 15th in the most recent Baseball America poll

“We love getting more than one player from a school, especially from a program like UCLA,” said AppleSox Head Coach Ed Knaggs. “It’s great to get Pac-10 players, which is arguably the best conference in college baseball.”

Brown was listed as one of the top five catchers to watch by the Los Angeles Times as a high school senior. He also attended the same high school as Knaggs, Hart High School in Valencia, CA.

Gelalich was drafted in the 41st round of the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. The La Verne, CA, product was a Rawlings Baseball Preseason All-America second-team selection in 2009.

Both are seeing action in their first year with the Bruins. Brown has started one game behind the plate and has appeared in three, while Gelalich has come off the bench in five games. UCLA’s freshman class that includes Brown, Gelalich, and former AppleSox Cody Keefer was ranked 19th nationally by Baseball America

“They are very athletic players and are pumped to be coming here,” said Knaggs. “They’ve heard good things about playing for the AppleSox from Cody Keefer.

Plutko and Weiss are both in their senior year of high school and signed with the Bruins in November. Plutko attends Glendora High School in Upland, CA, and was listed among the top 75 draft prospects for 2010 by Perfect Game. He was also picked as a 2010 Under Armour Pre-Season All-America selection. Weiss, an Irvine, CA, native from Northwood High School has a fastball that can reach the low 90s

“With the guys out of high school, the odds are they will be drafted,” said Knaggs. “If that ends up being the case we hope they come here, but they have to do what is best for them.

Last year UCLA recruit Trayce Thompson was set to join the AppleSox, but signed with the Chicago White Sox after being the 61st overall pick of the MLB Draft. Thompson, the younger brother of WSU basketball player Klay Thompson, was recently ranked by Baseball America as the sixth best prospect in the White Sox organization.