Dean, Kafka Earn First Team All-WCL Recognition

Two Pippins earn second-team honors, seven more pick up honorable mention nods

YAKIMA, Wash. – Yakima Valley Pippins outfielder Kyle Dean and starting pitcher Cullen Kafka have been named to the West Coast League’s first team, the league announced today.

Earning second-team honors are catcher Victor Cerny and starting pitcher Chase Farrell. Infielder/catcher Tyler Lasch, infielders Cody Jefferis, Nick DiCarlo and Jake Moberg, outfielder Sam Mitchell and pitchers Hunter French and Mason Wells each picked up honorable mentions.

Dean, who will be a junior at Cal State Monterey Bay this fall, led the WCL with a .374 batting average in 37 games with the Pippins after joining the squad in mid-June. He finished with 52 hits, including eight doubles, four triples and two home runs. He also had 24 RBI, 19 walks and was hit by a pitch four times.

Kafka, a 6-foot-4 right-hander from the University of Oregon, had a 2.37 ERA in nine WCL appearances this year, and compiled the third-best ERA in the league. He struck out 50 and walked 10 in 45.2 innnings en route to a 3-3 record.

Farrell, a 6-foot-2 right-hander from UCLA, compiled a 3.46 ERA in 52 innings that spread across 10 apperances, including eight starts. He finished with a 2-2 record, striking out 57 and walking 11 while giving up 41 hits.

Cerny, a sophomore at Cal St. Northridge, hit .254 with a home run and 13 RBI for the Pippins in 37 games, and saw considerable time behind the plate due to injuries to other members of the team’s catching corps.

The Pippins’ sixth West Coast League season will begin in early June 2019.

The complete All-WCL teams:

2018 WCL MVP
Trent Tinglestad (Louisiana-Monroe) of Kelowna

2018 WCL Pitchers of the Year
Curtis Bafus (VCU) of Wenatchee; Landen Bourassa (San Francisco) of Corvallis

2018 WCL Top Prospect
Matt McClain (UCLA) of Bellingham

All-WCL First Team

C – Cole Hamilton (Linn Benton CC, soph), Corvallis Knights
1B – Connor McCord (Western Oregon, junior), Wenatchee AppleSox
2B – Gio Diaz (St. Mary’s, soph), Portland Pickles
3B – Taylor Wright (Maryland, senior), Kelowna Falcons
SS – Ernie Yake (Gonzaga, soph), Bellingham Bells
OF – Trent Tinglestad (Louisiana-Monroe, junior), Kelowna Falcons
OF – Kyle Dean (Cal State Monterey Bay, junior), Yakima Valley Pippins
OF – Cody Hawken (Portland, senior), Corvallis Knights
UTL – Collin Runge (Portland, senior), Bend Elks
SP – Landen Bourassa (San Francisco, senior), Corvallis Knights
SP – Curtis Bafus (VCU, senior), Wenatchee AppleSox
SP – Bryce Moyle (Washington State, soph), Walla Walla Sweets
SP – Nick Nastrini (UCLA, frosh), Bellingham Bells
SP – Cullen Kafka (Oregon, soph), Yakima Valley Pippins
RP – Cal Hehnke (Nebraska-Omaha, senior), Kelowna Falcons
RP – Theron Kay (Cal State Northridge, senior), Bellingham Bells

All-WCL Second Team

C – Noah Cardenas (UCLA, frosh), Portland Pickles
C – Victor Cerny (Cal State Northridge, soph), Yakima Valley Pippins
1B – Nick Nyquist (Gonzaga, senior), Walla Walla Sweets
1B – Dan Pruitt (Seminole State College, soph), Kelowna Falcons
2B – Jason Dicochea (Santa Clara, junior), Port Angeles Lefties
3B – Zach Needham (Lewis-Clark State College, junior), Bellingham Bells
SS – Beau Philip (Oregon State, junior), Corvallis Knights
OF – Chandler Anderson (Utah, senior), Corvallis Knights
OF – Johnny Sage (Purdue, junior), Wenatchee AppleSox
OF – Ryan Kim (Portland, junior), Cowlitz Black Bears
UTL – Carson Breshears (Gonzaga, senior), Portland Pickles
SP – Zach Heaton (Dallas Baptist, frosh), Cowlitz Black Bears
SP – Brad McVay (Portland, soph), Portland Pickles
SP – Trevor Brigden (Okanagan College, senior), Kelowna Falcons
SP – Chase Farrell (UCLA, soph), Yakima Valley Pippins
SP – Hunter Boyd (College of Idaho, senior), Wenatchee AppleSox
RP – Justin Armbruester (Pacific Lutheran, soph), Bellingham Bells
RP – Taylor Davis (Gonzaga, senior), Bellingham Bells

All-WCL Honorable Mention
Bellingham: Matt McLain (UCLA), Connor Mack (Cal), Guthrie Morrison (Gonzaga), Jordan Stoner (Tennessee-Martin), Matt James (Yakima Valley College), Grant Holman (Cal), Nick Hull (Grand Canyon), Wesley Moore (Cal State Northridge), Davis Baillie (Washington State), Ben Leeper (Oklahoma State), Carson Olson (Cal).

Bend: Tristan Alvarez (Fresno Pacific), Alex Pallios (Chico State), Ty Holmstrom (Union College), Sam Muskat (Montana State Billings), Ace Embree (NW Nazarene).

Corvallis: Trace Tammaro (Portland), Chad Stevens (Portland), Austin Feist (St. Martin’s), Zak Taylor (Oregon State), Connor Knutson (Portland), Connor Redmond (Cal Poly), Cameron Haskell (Arizona), Eli Morse (Portland).

Cowlitz: Andres Sosa (Dallas Baptist), Dutton Elske (Portland), Austin Bell (Dallas Baptist), Ryan Kaser (Lower Columbia College), Mitch Lines (Lower Columbia College), Seth Rayburn (Tennessee-Martin), Marty Maves (Benedictine), Isaac Mullins (Washington State). Christian Peters (Portland).

Kelowna: Matt Voelzke (George Fox), Jake Fischer (Okanagan College), Lucas Soper (Univ. of British Columbia), Jared Akin (Concordia), James Brooks (Central Washington).

Port Angeles: Trevor Rosenberg (San Diego), Evan Pace (Southeastern Louisiana), Dalton Harum (Virginia Tech), Tyler Oldenberg (Seattle), Tristan Busse (Western Texas).

Portland: Jace McKinney (Portland), Daniel Lopez (Portland), Mike Perez (UCLA), Joey Cooper (Cal State Northridge), Davis Delorefice (Orange Coast College), Jack Murphy (St. Mary’s), Zander Clarke (UC San Diego), Joel Casillas (Cal State Northridge), Michael Newstrom (Washington State), Connor Pellerin (Tulane), Brad Bonnenfant (Portland), Daniel Copeland (Gonzaga), Adam Davenport (UW), Michael Frias (UC Irvine), Alex Roth (Western Oregon), Leo Nierenberg (UW).

Victoria: Dustin Demeter (Hawaii), Jeddediah Fagg (Georgia Southern), Mike Malinchak (Pepperdine), Nick Plaia (Cal Baptist), Ryan Ober (Oregon State), Garret Goodall (Embry-Riddle), Landon Anderson (Cal State Fullerton), Lawson Humphries (Georgia Southern), Tyler Yoshihara (Pomona-Pitzer).

Walla Walla: Jordan Hovey (Creighton), Cesar Lopez (Cal Poly Pomona), Haydn King (UNLV), Zach Penrod (NW Nazarene), Darius Vines (Arizona State).

Wenatchee: Joey Magro (Biola), Jake Taylor (Seattle), Mason Marenco (Gonzaga), Cory Meyer (Boise State), Jacob Prater (Seattle), Michael Spellacy (Gonzaga), Jeremy Yelland (Hawaii).

Yakima Valley: Tyler Lasch (Cal State Fullerton), Cody Jefferis (San Diego), Sam Mitchell (Montana State Billings), Nick DiCarlo (Cal Poly), Jake Moberg (UCLA), Hunter French (Central Washington), Mason Wells (Gonzaga).

By Jeff Garretson

August 22, 2018