Several ex-WCCBLers were named to 2008 All-Conference teams including Sawyer Carroll of University of Kentucky who was All-SEC and first-team All-America. Carroll led the Wildcats in batting average (.419), hits (98), homeruns (19), RBI (83), total bases (183), slugging percentage (.782) and on base percentage (.514). With Kelowna in 2006, Carroll made the East All-Star team. The sweet-swinging left-handed slugger was the East’s starting shortstop and went 2 for 4 with a double and 2 RBI in the League’s inaugural All-Star game. That summer, Carroll hit .275 with 9 stolen bases and 17 RBI for the Falcoms. The League is proud to announce the below honorees:

All-Pac-10

* Kyle Conley – pictured – of University of Washington (Wenatchee AppleSox)
* Jorden Merry of University of Washington (Wenatchee AppleSox)

All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention

* Joey Dunn of University of Washington (Wenatchee AppleSox)
* Nick Haughian of University of Washington (Wenatchee AppleSox)
* Andy Lentz of University of Washington (Corvallis Knights)
* Jayson Miller of Washington State (Wenatchee AppleSox)
* Tommy Milone of USC (Wenatchee AppleSox)
* Jim Murphy of Washington State (Corvallis Knights)
* Matt Way of Washington State (Corvallis Knights)

First-Team All-Big West

* Drew Garcia of University of California, Riverside (Corvallis Knights)
* Brent Morel of Cal Poly SLO (Corvallis Knights)
* Aaron Wible of University of California, Riverside (Spokane RiverHawks)

All-WCC

* Drew Heid of Gonzaga University (Wenatchee AppleSox)

All-WAC

* John Hee of University of Hawaii (Wenatchee AppleSox)
* Kyle Howe of University of Nevada-Reno (Kitsap BlueJackets)
* Jason Rodriguez of University of Nevada-Reno (Corvallis Knights)

All-Mountain West

* Stephen Fife of University of Utah (Bellingham Bells)

All-SEC and First-Team All-America

* Sawyer Carroll of University of Kentucky (Kelowna Falcons)

Team Updates:

Bellingham Bells-
The Bells can’t wait to get the Brett era started! The new management team, led by GM Dave Lewis , has surpassed last year’s season ticket totals by 200%. And corporate sales revenue is up 100%. The Bells home schedule is laden with excitement, including three post-game fireworks shows, three family feast nights and a cap night sponsored by Banner Bank. Bellingham is excited about incoming Linfield College star Rhett Fenton, who hit two homeruns in the the school’s Division III regional championship game advancing the Wildcats to the NCAA Division III World Series in Appleton, Wisconsin. Bells’ pitching coach Kevin Matthews’ Skagit Valley College Cardinals made the NWAACC tournament led by future Bellingham players Mike Chiarelli and Kyle Boe.

Bend Elks-
Elks’ season tickets sales continue at a brisk pace. For a fifth straight season, Bend has sold out all its box seats at Vince Genna Stadium. Crowds figure to be great again this year for the League’s leader in attendance last season. Bob Thomas Chevrolet – the Elks’ exclusive car dealership – has a Buy Out The House Night scheduled for August . Another big draw is Cap Night sponsored by The Bank of the Cascades and The Orthopedic Center of the Cascades. It’s the sixth consecutive season the Elks have featured Cap Night . Bend’s roster has a strong State of Washington presence with three Washington Huskies and four Washington State Cougars. Frosh right-handed pitcher James Mahler, nephew of former big league hurler Rick Mahler, is one of two Arkansas Razorbacks on the Bend club.

Corvallis Knights-
Corvallis GM/Head Coach Brooke Knight announced two late signings – Kyle Stalker of Willamette University and Eddie Orozco of UC Riverside. Stalker, a junior first baseman, was named 2008 Northwest Conference Player of the Year. Orozco, a frosh pitcher, was drafted by the Chicago White Sox last June. Former Knights’ third baseman Jason Rodriguez (Nevada-Reno) was named to the All-WAC team. For the first time, the Knights will wear camouflage jerseys on Armed Forces Day at Goss Stadium (July 27). The jerseys will be signed and then auctioned off to fans after the game. The Knights are introducing its inaugural ballpark fare – The Knight Slider – this summer at the newly expanded Goss Stadium. These mini-hamburgers, made popular by White Castle, are steam grilled in a bed of onions and will be served with special cardinal colored Knights’ sauce.

Kelowna Falcons-
The Falcons are preparing for the first annual Pacific Northwest Summer Collegiate Challenge Cup. The four-team event will be played June 6-8 at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks, Alberta, Canada. The Corvallis Knights will join the Falcons from the WCCBL against the Okotoks Dawgs and the Lethbridge Bulls of Canada’s Western Major Baseball League. Okotoks coach David Robb led the Falcons in 2006. New Falcons skipper Kevin Frady , an assistant at Kansas, is looking forward to having frosh infielder Riley Henricks of University of Portland in the lineup this summer. Henricks led the Pilots in several offensive categories including hits (69), doubles (16), triples (5), total bases (119) and walks (25). Henricks hit 301 with eight homeruns and 29 RBI and was named All-West Coast Conference. Among many promotions at the Elks Stadium this season is Free Food Fridays. Ten lucky fans will win dinner for four at the game every Friday night compliments of McDonalds.

Kitsap BlueJackets-
Sixteen players on the BlueJackets’ roster have WCCBL experience. Twelve of the group are returning to head coach Matt Acker’s club. “Our players really enjoy playing here and they get lots of attention around Bremerton,” said Acker. Doug Buser, a junior outfielder at University of Oklahoma, along with pitcher Sean Greer of Riverside CC and catcher Jake Owens of St. Martin’s University are returning for their third seasons with Kitsap. Watch for the big bat of first baseman Bucky Aona of Southern Utah this season. The Honolulu-native hit .333 with 4 HR and 39 and was named second-team All-Summit League. Kyle Howe , who pitched three seasons for the BlueJackets, had a stellar senior season at Nevada-Reno and was named All-WAC. Managing Partner/GM Rick Smith is pleased with the club’s updated ticket plan in its main seating area. Budget reserved seats are new and are available on a single game basis for $7. The same seats were $9 last season.

Moses Lake Pirates-
Owner/GM Brent Kirwan reports “ticket sales are going through the roof”. The Pirates are entering their third season in the WCCBL as defending League champions and are hosting the 2008 All-Star Game July 22 at Larson Field. The night before the game an All-Star bash will be held at the Moses Lake Water Park. The All-Star Game is sponsored by Genie Industries. First-year skipper Trevor Brown, an assistant at Oklahoma State, is excited about his team’s top four outfielders. Dane Yelovich (Kansas State), Ryan Groth (Oral Roberts), Ty Robio (University of Illinois at Chicago) and Glenn Gray (Occidental College) all hit over .300 during the regular college season. Nolan Nicholson, a 6’3″ junior right-handed pitcher from the University of Redlands, and San Francisco Dons freshman southpaw Matt Lujan figure to lead the Pirates staff. Lujan led the Dons with a 7-2 mark and 3.19 ERA over 15 appearances and 11 starts and was named All-WCC.

Spokane RiverHawks-
This summer, RiverHawks fans will have a chance to win a Toyota! If a Hawk slugger hits for the cycle Downtown Spokane Toyota will award one fan a one-year lease of a 2008 FJ Cruiser. Adding to the fun, the world famous ZOOperstars! are coming to Avista Stadium on August 3. Head coach Barry Matthews is counting on big things from three new recruits. Joe Kent, a junior southpaw from Oklahoma State, Eric Renander , a junior third baseman from Western Oregon University, and sophomore right-handed pitcher Cory Bannister of Stanford are all joining the RiverHawks. Bannister’s older brothers Brian and Brett both played for USC. Brian pitches for the Kansas City Royals and Brett is in the Seattle Mariners farm system. Dad, Floyd, had a 15-year career pitching in the major leagues.

Wenatchee AppleSox-
Wenatchee fans can now check out the Sox brand new website at applesox.com. It’s always fun to see photos from the ballpark and one of many new features is the Fan Photo Submission . Fans can send in their photos from all their special moments at the ballpark this season and have them posted on the home page. Applesox fans can also buy tickets online through the enhanced website. Fans can simply click the “tickets” link to purchase general admission ducats for any home game on the eTix website. Fans print a bar coded confirmation page and take it to the ticket booth for admission. It is that easy. As an added bonus, when fans purchase tickets online they will receive a free souvenir program. Hawaii Rainbows senior infielder John Hee , who played with the Applesox in 2005, was named to the 2008 All-WAC squad. Applesox head coach Ed Knaggs enters his seventh season as Wenatchee’s field manager.