Former West Coast Leaguers are leading the charge for #1 ranked Oregon State. After sweeping perennial Pac-12 power Arizona State in Tempe, the Beavers were ranked #1 in the nation by both D1Baseball.com and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper yesterday.

Today, former Bend Elks shorstop Cadyn Grenier and pitcher Jake Thompson were named Pac-12 Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week, respectively. Grenier was named the WCL’s top prospect in 2015 by both Baseball America and Perfect Game. Thompson pitched for the Elks in 2014.

Prior to his freshman season, Grenier hit .329 with 13 doubles, 3 home runs and 11 stolen bases and led the Elks to their first league title. Thompson made 9 starts for Bend and went 4-2 with a 4.25 ERA following his frosh season at OSU.

2016 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Nick Madrigal teamed with Grenier to power the Beavers offense at ASU. Not only did Grenier and Madrigal lead the way offensively, but both were spectacular defensively, as OSU outscored the Sun Devils 16-1. Grenier hit .583 (7-for-13 with a double and homer) and Madrigal went 6-for-12 with 5 runs scored.

Madrigal played with the Corvallis Knights in the summer of 2015 where he earned first-team all-WCL honors and broke the league’s single season stolen bases mark by swiping 40 bags while hitting .303. The sophomore infielder is currently leading OSU in hitting with a .426 average, runs scored with 21, home runs with 3 and stolen bases with 8.

The Beavers starting lineup features several WCL alums including outfielder Jack Anderson (Bend, 2016), outfielder Andy Atwood (Corvallis, 2016), utility man Christan Donahue (Corvallis, 2015), first baseman K.J. Harrison (Corvallis, 2015), outfielder Steven Kwan (Corvallis, 2016) and catcher Adley Rutschman (Corvallis, 2016). Atwood earned second-team all-WCL honors in 2016.

OSU’s bench also includes WCL alums: infielder Andy Armstrong (Cowlitz, 2016), outfielder Elliott Cary (Cowlitz, 2014), infielder George Mendazona (Bend, 2016) and catcher/first baseman Zak Taylor (Corvallis, 2016). Taylor earned second-team all-WCL honors in 2016.

Bend Elks alums Jake Thompson and Sam Tweedt are both undefeated for the 17-1 Beavers. Thompson is 5-0 with a 1.08 ERA and Tweedt is 3-0 with a 2.14 ERA. Tweedt pitched for the 2015 WCL champion Elks.

ABOUT THE WEST COAST LEAGUE

The West Coast League is the premier summer collegiate baseball league west of the Mississippi. The 13-year-old, 11-team, professionally operated wood-bat league located in the beautiful Pacific Northwest features pro prospects from major conferences across the nation and an unparalleled history out west of great fan and player experiences in addition to the best summer weather in North America. In 2016, 88 players with WCL experience were selected in the MLB June draft, and more than 230 WCL alums appeared in affiliated professional baseball including 28 in the major leagues, such as 2015 home-run leader Chris Davis (Baltimore), 2015 NL Rookie of the Year runner-up Matt Duffy (Tampa Bay) and rising star pitchers Matt Andriese (Tampa Bay), Matt Boyd (Detroit) and James Paxton (Seattle). Overall member attendance was 379,611 this past season.