The stage is now set for the West Coast League’s premier in-season event, with the announcement today of the North and South All-Star Teams by Brian Sloan, the new league president. This year’s WCL All-Star Game is hosted by the Yakima Valley Pippins and presented by Target Zero, and will be played Tuesday, July 18, at Yakima County Stadium in Yakima, Washington. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm. Following the game, the league’s annual midsummer classic will conclude with a spectacular fireworks display, and the Mariner Moose also will be in attendance.
For the first time, the league’s All-Star Game Home Run Derby will be held the night before the All-Star Game, on Monday, July 17. Monday’s All-Star Game Fan Fest includes the Home Run Derby and a concert by singer Aaron Crawford of Seattle. Fan Fest gates open at 5:30 pm; the Aaron Crawford concert begins at 8 pm. Tickets for all WCL All-Star Game events are on sale online at pippinsbaseball.com.
The North all-stars will be managed by Bellingham Bells skipper Greg Goetz while the South team will be guided by Yakima Valley Pippins manager Marcus McKimmy.
The North Division is made up of the Bellingham Bells, Kelowna Falcons, Port Angeles Lefties, Walla Walla Sweets, Wenatchee AppleSox and Victoria HarbourCats. The South Division is comprised of the Bend Elks, Corvallis Knights, Cowlitz Black Bears, Gresham GreyWolves and Yakima Valley Pippins.
This year’s North and South rosters feature seven West Coast Conference and nine Pac-12 Conference prospects, including five Washington State Cougars.
“General Manager Jeff Garretson and the Yakima front office have worked tirelessly for this incredible event,” said WCL President Brian Sloan. “Planning an All-Star Game is like planning for an entire season of games, with so many details. We are very excited to showcase the top talent and prospects in the WCL for the upcoming All-Star Game. Congratulations to all the players selected.”
Later this week, WCL All-Star Game Home Run Derby representatives will be announced for each team.
SOUTH
C – Zak Taylor of Oregon State (Corvallis Knights)
C – Daniel Cope of Cal State Fullerton (Yakima Valley Pippins)
1B – Lucas Denney of Seattle (Yakima Valley Pippins)
2B – Matt Kelly of Portland (Corvallis Knights)
3B – Dillon Plew of Washington State (Yakima Valley Pippins)
SS – Mitch Ellis of Western Illinois (Yakima Valley Pippins)
INF – Collin Runge of Portland (Bend Elks)
OF – Jordan Qsar of Pepperdine (Corvallis Knights)
OF – Kona Quiggle of Grand Canyon (Cowlitz Black Bears)
OF – Derek Chapman of Washington State (Bend Elks)
OF – Steve Sordahl of St. Martin’s (Yakima Valley Pippins)
OF – Devlin Granberg of Dallas Baptist (Cowlitz Black Bears)
P – Louis Crow of San Diego (Corvallis Knights)
P – Cason Cunningham of Linfield (Corvallis Knights)
P – Chase Kaplan of Kansas (Corvallis Knights)
P – Tanner Howell of Dixie State (Corvallis Knights)
P – Dakota Donovan of Oregon State (Corvallis Knights)
P – Connor White of Columbia Basin (Yakima Valley Pippins)
P – Khalil Rivera of Treasure Valley CC (Bend Elks)
P – Zak Baayoun of Long Beach State (Gresham GreyWolves)
P – Corbin Powers of Portland (Cowlitz Black Bears)
NORTH
C – Chase Illig of West Virginia (Bellingham Bells)
C – Brody Kato of Arizona Western (Port Angeles Lefties)
1B – Austin Shenton of Florida International (Bellingham Bells)
2B – Matt Bottcher of Illinois-Chicago (Kelowna Falcons)
3B – Nick Nyquist of Gonzaga (Walla Walla Sweets)
SS – Ernie Yake of Gonzaga (Bellingham Bells)
SS – Taylor Wright of Maryland (Kelowna Falcons)
OF – Evan Johnson of Northern Colorado (Wenatchee AppleSox)
OF – Jake Suddleson of Harvard (Walla Walla Sweets)
OF – J.J. Hancock of Washington State (Walla Walla Sweets)
OF – Dugan Shirer of Washington State (Wenatchee AppleSox)
OF – Hunter Vansau of Mississippi State (Victoria HarbourCats)
P – Jack Owen of Auburn (Victoria HarbourCats)
P – Indigo Diaz of Iowa Western CC (Victoria HarbourCats)
P – Darius Vines of Oxnard College (Walla Walla Sweets)
P – Nick Bonniksen of Dixie State (Port Angeles Lefties)
P – Collin Maier of Washington State (Wenatchee AppleSox)
P – Holden Powell of UCLA (Bellingham Bells)
P – Zach Pettway of UCLA (Bellingham Bells)
P – Adam McKillican of British Columbia (Victoria HarbourCats)
P – Cal Hehnke of Nebraska-Omaha (Kelowna Falcons)
