Bend Elks second baseman Tommy Richards of Washington State was named the 2010 West Coast League Most Valuable Player as announced by WCL president Ken Wilson and voted on by the league’s coaches.

Richards (pictured), a junior-to-be at WSU, led the league in batting with a .364 average, hit 2 home runs and collected 33 RBI this summer.

The son of Bend owner Jim Richards, the Bend native led the Elks to their first WCL Championship Series in his third season with the hometown team.

Kelowna Falcons southpaw Dayne Quist of UC Davis was the league pick for Pitcher of the Year. Quist, a junior-to-be, posted a league low 1.40 ERA and tied for the WCL lead in wins with 6. Over 51 1/3 innings pitched, Quist fanned 50, walked only 18, and went 6-1.

This past spring as the Aggies ace, Dayne went 7-4 in the Big West and led UCD in wins (7), ERA (5.57), innings pitched (95.1), complete games (3) and strikeouts (79).

Ed Knaggs of Wenatchee earned WCL Coach of the Year honors for a second consecutive season. Knaggs, the dean of WCL coaches, completed his 10th season at the helm of the AppleSox. He led Wenatchee to their second straight WCL championship, and fourth title in 6 seasons.

General Manager Zachary Fraser of the expansion Walla Walla Sweets was named Executive of the Year. The Sweets led the West Coast League in attendance in its inaugural season and Fraser was instrumental in launching the team’s brand, setting up operations, managing ballpark renovations, selling tickets and developing a marketing campaign to re-introduce baseball to Walla Walla and its surrounding areas.

The Moses Lake Pirates are back-to-back recipients of the Jim Dietz Sportsmanship Award. The Pirates, who also won the award last summer, were one of the most improved teams from a season ago.